Ensuring quality of service (QOS) for a multi-media calls through call associated individual media stream bandwidth control

• US 7,177,323 B2
• Filed: 03/13/1998
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Yavatkar, Rajendra S., Toga, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, STEVEN H D
• Application Number:
  US09/041,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20020052958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,259 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/230, 370/231, 370/232, 370/233, 370/234, 370/235, 370/236, 370/238, 370/252, 370/253, 370/433, 370/437, 370/465, 370/468, 370/477, 709/232, 709/233, 709/234, 709/235, 710/29
• US Class Current: 370/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

A multi-media call application is disclosed. The application guarantees quality of service (QOS) for a packet based multi-media call (CALL). The guaranty is effectuated through call associated individual media stream bandwidth control.

Claims

1. A storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions executable by a processor, wherein when executed, the programming instructions implement a multi-media call application that effectuate quality of service (QOS) guaranty for a packet based multi-media call (CALL) through call associated individual media stream bandwidth control.

2. The storage medium as set forth in claim 1, wherein the programming instructions determine if a sub-net bandwidth manager (SBM) that manages network bandwidth is connected to a local area network (LAN) through which the CALL is conducted, and if the SBM is connected to the LAN, register the CALL with the SBM and reserve with the SBM bandwidth for subsequent allocation to media streams of the CALL.

3. The storage medium as set forth in claim 2, wherein the programming instructions make the determination, registration and bandwidth reservation for subsequent allocation to media streams of the CALL as an integral part of establishing a connection for the CALL.

4. The storage medium as set forth in claim 2, wherein the programming instructions further subsequently cause the SBM to allocate the reserved bandwidth for the CALL to individual media streams of the CALL.

5. The storage medium as set forth in claim 4, wherein the programming instructions invoke a bandwidth reservation service to request the SBM to allocate the reserved bandwidth for the CALL to individual ones of the media streams of the CALL, providing call level information to the bandwidth reservation service to enable the bandwidth reservation service to include the call level information in the requests for the SBM.

6. The storage medium as set forth in claim 5, wherein the programming instructions invoke the bandwidth reservation service to request the SBM to allocate a portion of the reserved bandwidth for the CALL to an individual media stream of the CALL while establishing an individual channel for the individual media stream during the CALL.

7. The storage medium as set forth in claim 1, wherein the CALL is an ITU-T H.323 compatible video conference call.

8. The storage medium as set forth in claim 7, wherein the programming instructions further determine if a call level admission control gatekeeper is connected to a local area network (LAN) through which the CALL is to be conducted, and if the call level admission control gatekeeper is connected to the LAN, register the CALL with the call level admission control gatekeeper, the registration being made in a manner that causes the call level admission control gatekeeper to determine whether to admit the CALL into the LAN without taking into consideration bandwidth requirement of the CALL.

9. The storage medium as set forth in claim 8, wherein the programming instructions make the determination and conditional registration as an integral part of establishing a connection for the CALL.

10. A storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions executable by a processor, wherein when executed, the programming instructions implementing a bandwidth reservation service that requests a sub-net bandwidth manager (SBM) to allocate a portion of reserved bandwidth for a packet based multi-media call (CALL) to an individual media stream of the CALL, providing the SBM with call level information to allow the SBM to associate the individual media stream of the CALL with the reserved bandwidth of the CALL, the SBM managing network bandwidth of a local area network (LAN) through which the CALL is conducted.

11. The storage medium as set forth in claim 10, wherein the programming instructions request the SBM to allocate a portion the reserved bandwidth of the CALL to the individual media stream of the CALL while establishing an individual channel for the individual media stream during the CALL.

12. The storage medium as set forth in claim 10, wherein the programming instructions are integral part of an operating system.

13. The storage medium as set forth in claim 10, wherein the CALL is an ITU-T H.323 compatible video conference call.

14. A method comprising:

(a) a multi-media call application first reserving bandwidth for media streams of a packet based multi-media call (CALL) at a call level with a sub-net bandwidth manager (SBM) that manages network bandwidth of a local area network (LAN) through which the CALL is to be conducted; and

(b) the multi-media call application subsequently causing the SBM to allocate the reserved bandwidth for the CALL to individual media streams of the CALL, causing call level information to be provided to the SBM to enable the SBM to associate the individual media streams of the CALL with the reserved bandwidth of the CALL.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein (a) is performed as an integral part of the multi-media call application establishing a connection for the CALL.

16. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein (b) comprises the multi-media call application invoking a bandwidth reservation service to request the SBM to allocate the reserved bandwidth for the CALL to the individual media streams of the CALL, providing the bandwidth reservation service with call level information for inclusion in the requests to enable the SBM to associate the individual media streams of the CALL with the CALL.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein (b) is performed on a per individual media stream basis as an integral part of establishing an individual channel for the individual media stream.

18. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the method further comprises (c) the multi-media call application determining if a call level admission control gatekeeper is connected to the LAN while establishing connection for the CALL.

19. The method as set forth in claim 18, wherein if the call level admission control gatekeeper is connected to the LAN, (c) further comprises the multi-media application registering the CALL with the call level admission control gatekeeper in a manner that causes the gatekeeper to determine whether to admit the CALL into the LAN without taking into consideration bandwidth requirement of the CALL.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions implementing a multi-media call application that effectuates quality of service (QOS) guaranty for a packet based multi-media call (CALL) using call associated individual media stream bandwidth control; and

a processor coupled to the storage medium that operates to execute the programming instructions.

21. The apparatus as set forth in claim 20, wherein the programming instructions determine if a sub-net bandwidth manager (SBM) that manages network bandwidth is connected to a local area network (LAN) through which the Call is conducted, and if the SBM is connected to the LAN, register the CALL with the SBM and reserve with the SBM bandwidth for subsequent allocation to media streams of the CALL.

22. The apparatus as set forth in claim 21, wherein the programming instructions make the determination, registration and bandwidth reservation for subsequent allocation to media streams of the CALL as an integral part of establishing a connection for the CALL.

23. The apparatus as set forth in claim 21, wherein the programming instructions further subsequently cause the SBM to allocate the reserved bandwidth for the CALL to individual media streams of the CALL.

24. The apparatus as set forth in claim 23, wherein the programming instructions invoke a bandwidth reservation service to request the SBM to allocate the reserved bandwidth for the CALL to individual ones of the media streams of the CALL, providing call level information to the bandwidth reservation service to enable the bandwidth reservation service to include the call level information in the requests for the SBM.

25. The apparatus as set forth in claim 24, wherein the programming instructions invoke the bandwidth reservation service to request the SBM to allocate a portion of the reserved bandwidth for the CALL to an individual media stream of the CALL while establishing an individual channel for the individual media stream during the CALL.

26. An apparatus comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions implementing a bandwidth reservation service that requests a sub-net bandwidth manager (SBM) to allocate a portion of reserved bandwidth for a packet based multi-media call (CALL) to an individual media stream of the CALL, providing the SBM with call level information to allow the SBM to associate the individual media stream of the CALL with the reserved bandwidth of the CALL, the SBM managing network bandwidth of a local area network (LAN) through which the CALL is conducted; and

a processor coupled to the storage medium that operates to execute the programming instructions.

27. The apparatus as set forth in claim 26, wherein the programming instructions request the SBM to allocate a portion the reserved bandwidth of the CALL to the individual media stream of the CALL while establishing an individual channel for the individual media stream during the CALL.

28. The apparatus as set forth in claim 26, wherein the programming instructions are integral part of an operating system.

29. A network comprising:

a first client computer;

a medium coupled to the first client; and

a second client computer, coupled to the medium, that effectuates quality of service (QOS) guaranty for a packet based multi-media call (CALL) to the first client computer through call associated individual media stream bandwidth control.

30. The network as set forth in claim 29, further comprising:

a subnet bandwidth manager (SBM), coupled to the medium, that manages the bandwidth of the network.

31. The network as set forth in claim 30, wherein the second client computer comprises:

a multi-media application that effectuates the QOS guaranty; and

a network bandwidth reservation service that requests the SBM to allocate a portion of reserved bandwidth for the CALL to an individual media stream of the CALL, providing the SBM with call level information to allow the SBM to associate the individual media stream of the CALL with the reserved bandwidth of the CALL, the SBM managing network bandwidth of a local area network (LAN) through which the CALL is conducted.

32. The network as set forth in claim 31, wherein the network bandwidth reservation service, provides the SBM with call level information to allow the SBM to associate the individual media stream of the CALL with the reserved bandwidth of the CALL.

33. The network as set forth in claim 30, further comprising:

a gateway coupled to the medium;

a gatekeeper coupled to the medium; and

a router coupled to the medium.