System and method to assure network service levels with intelligent routing

• US 7,269,157 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2001
• Issued: 09/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Internap Holding LLC
• Original Assignee: Internap Network Services Corporation
• Inventors: Johnson, Jeremy, Klinker, Eric, Sequiera, Allwyn
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Doris H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tsegaye; Saba
• Application Number:
  US09/833,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20020145981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,345 Days
• Field of Search: 370/228, 370/248, 370/351, 370/395.3, 370/395.31, 370/389, 370/392, 370/231, 370/232, 370/284, 370/237, 370/238, 706/19, 709238-242
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/083 for increasing network speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5087 wherein the managed service relates to voice services management of VoIP services H04M7/0081
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/124 using a combination of metrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/247 using M:N active or standby paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2425 for supporting services specification, e.g. SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/781 Centralised allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/783 Distributed allocation of resources, e.g. bandwidth brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 : Collecting or measuring resource availability data

Abstract

A method and system for maintaining a traffic service level for data communicated by a computer network having a source. The computer network is connected to at least one of many networks, where each of the many networks includes a number of paths for transporting the data communicated to a destination. In one embodiment of the method, the traffic service level associated with one of the paths between the source and the destination is monitored. Then, it is determined whether the traffic service level associated with that path meets one or more performance metrics. If a flow of data communicated over the monitored path fails to meet at least one of the performance metrics, then a service level violation is indicated. Upon such an indication, an alternate path is selected to resolve the service level violation.

Claims

1. A system for maintaining a traffic service level of a traffic flow in which the traffic flows to and flows from a computer network having a source, the computer network coupled to at least one of a plurality of networks, each of the networks includes a plurality of paths for transporting the traffic to a destination, where at least two of the networks are electrically coupled at an interconnection point and where the traffic flows through the interconnection point, the system comprising:

a passive flow analyzer configured to receive the traffic flow;

a calibrator configured to actively probe one or more alternative paths to the destination to determine a subset of alternative paths;

a traffic flow repository coupled between the passive flow analyzer and the calibrator to store information regarding the alternative paths and the traffic flow;

a controller coupled between the passive flow analyzer and the calibrator;

an optimizer coupled to the traffic flow repository to determine optimized ingress paths;

a modulator coupled between the optimizer and the controller to generate a modified routing table; and

a router to route the traffic flow according to the modified routing table,

wherein the modified routing table includes a changed source address where the changed source address is associated with an optimized ingress path from the destination and an alternate path to the destination.

2. A system for maintaining a traffic service level over at least two of the networks electrically coupled at an interconnection point, where traffic flows through the interconnection point, by changing default routing tables of a plurality of regional networks, where a first regional network includes a first region router coupled to a first region route server, and a second regional network includes a second region router coupled to a second region route server, the system comprising:

a first region passive flow analyzer configured to receive the traffic flow from the first region;

a second region passive flow analyzer configured to receive the traffic flow from the second region;

a first region calibrator configured to actively probe one or more alternative paths to the destination to determine a first subset of alternative paths;

a second region calibrator configured to actively probe one or more alternative paths to the destination to determine a second subset of alternative paths;

a central traffic flow repository coupled between the first region passive flow analyzer, the second region passive flow analyzer, the first region calibrator and the second calibrator to store information regarding the first subset and the second subset of alternative paths and the first region and the second region traffic flow; and

a central route server coupled between the central traffic flow repository and

the first region route server and the second region route server to receive a first region routing table and a second region routing table, respectively,

wherein, the central route server provides the first route server with a first modified routing table and provides the second route server with a second modified routing table.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the central route server is coupled to a second central route server.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the central route server is coupled to a parent central route server, wherein the parent central route server is further coupled to one or more central router servers where each of the one or more central router servers are associated with one or more regions.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the parent central route server provides the first central route server with a first central modified routing table and provides the one or more central route servers with one or more central modified routing tables.

6. The system of claim 2, further comprising a first region traffic flow repository coupled to the first region passive flow analyzer to store information regarding the alternative paths and the traffic flow of the first region;

and

a second region traffic flow repository coupled to the second region passive flow analyzer to store information regarding the alternative paths and the traffic flow of the second region.

7. A system for maintaining a traffic service level over at least two of the networks electrically coupled at an interconnection point, where traffic flows through the interconnection point, by changing default routing tables of a plurality of regional networks,

where a first regional network includes a first region router coupled to a first region route server, and a second regional network includes a second region router coupled to a second region route server, the system comprising:

a first region passive flow analyzer configured to receive the traffic flow from the first region;

a second region passive flow analyzer configured to receive the traffic flow from the second region;

a first region calibrator configured to actively probe one or more alternative paths to the destination to determine a first subset of alternative paths;

a second region calibrator configured to actively probe one or more alternative paths to the destination to determine a second subset of alternative paths;

a first region calibrator repository coupled to the first calibrator to store information regarding the alternative of the first region;

a second region calibrator repository coupled to the second calibrator to store information regarding the alternative of the second region;

a first region controller coupled between the first region calibrator repository and the first region passive flow analyzer, the first region controller further coupled to the first region route server to advertise a first region metric to other regions; and

a second region controller coupled between the second region calibrator repository and the second region passive flow analyzer, the second region controller further coupled to the second region route server to advertise a second region metric to other regions,

wherein the first region route server and the second region route server are coupled to resolve a service level violation from either region.

8. A method for maintaining a traffic service level of a traffic flow in which the traffic flows from a source to a destination though a plurality of networks, comprising:

analyzing the traffic flow using a passive flow analyzer;

actively probing one or more alternative paths to the destination to determine a subset of alternate paths;

storing information regarding the alternative paths and the traffic flow;

determining optimized ingress paths based on the stored information;

modifying a routing table to include a changed source address, wherein the changed source address is associated with an optimized ingress path from the destination and an alternate path to the destination; and

routing the traffic flow according to the modified routing table.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein actively probing one or more alternate paths comprises obtaining information about the network latency of the one or more alternate paths from the source to the destination.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein actively probing one or more alternate paths comprises obtaining information about the network loss of the one or more alternate paths from the source to the destination.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein actively probing one or more alternate paths comprises obtaining information about network jitter of the one or more alternate paths from the source to the destination.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein actively probing one or more alternate paths comprises transmitting a probe along the one or more alternate paths, the probe comprising one of a Sting probe, a lightweight TCP-based probe, and a traceroute probe.

13. A method for maintaining a traffic service level for a traffic flow in which the traffic flows from a source to a destination through a plurality of networks, wherein at least two of the networks are electrically coupled at an interconnection point, comprising:

passively monitoring the traffic flow at a single point along a first path to the destination to determine data flow characteristics of the first path;

actively probing a second path to the destination to determine traffic flow characteristics of the second path;

comparing the traffic flow characteristics of the first path to traffic flow characteristics of the second path to determine an optimized path;

providing a changed source address, wherein the changed source address is associated with an optimized ingress path from the destination; and

routing the traffic flow along the optimized path.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

comparing the traffic flow characteristics of the first path to one or more performance metrics to determine whether the traffic flow characteristics of the first path satisfy the performance metrics; and

indicating a service level violation when the traffic flow characteristics of the first path fail at least one of the performance metrics.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the changed source address is further associated with an alternate path to the destination.

16. A method for maintaining a traffic service level for a traffic flow in which the traffic flows from a source to a destination through a plurality of networks, wherein at least two of the networks are electrically coupled at an interconnection point, comprising:

passively monitoring the traffic flow at a single point along a first path to the destination to determine data flow characteristics of the first path;

actively probing a second path to the destination to determine traffic flow characteristics of the second path;

comparing the traffic flow characteristics of the first path to traffic flow characteristics of the second path to determine an optimized path;

providing a changed source address, wherein the changed source address is associated with an alternate path to the destination; and

routing the traffic flow along the optimized path.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

comparing the traffic flow characteristics of the first path to one or more performance metrics to determine whether the traffic flow characteristics of the first path satisfy the performance metrics; and

indicating a service level violation when the traffic flow characteristics of the first path fail at least one of the performance metrics.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the changed source address is further associated with an optimized ingress path from the destination.