Secure network architecture with quality of service

• US 7,283,561 B1
• Filed: 12/12/1997
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Picher-Dempsey, Heidi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HANH N
• Application Number:
  US08/990,096
• Time in Patent Office: 3,595 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230,231,235,236,468,400,401,402,443,352,477,230.1,395.41,351 395/200.56,200.7 320/396 709/223,224,203,218,219,220,225,226,229
• US Class Current: 370/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/121 Timestamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5032 Generating service level reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5051 Service on demand, e.g. definition and deployment of services in real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls

Abstract

In a wide area network arrangement composed of some number of secure local networks and an Internet service provider (ISP) back-bone, LAN hosts are able to indirectly access network routers, through an ISP quality of service (QoS) module, to request that information transmitted during certain specified sessions be given priority treatment by the network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a quality of service (QoS) module from an originating router, a session request for establishing a QoS session for transmitting information from the originating router to a destination router, the originating and destination routers being Internet Protocol (IP) routers;

sending, from the QoS modules, a message to the originating router in response to the session request, the message including a request to reserve resources at the originating router for transmitting the information according to parameters of the QoS session; and

setting up, by the QoS module, the QoS session on the transmission path between the originating and destination routers in accordance with the session request if the resources are available and reserved at the originating router;

wherein the QoS module is located at a QoS hosting site of a Wide Area Network (WAN) that is communicably coupled to the originating and destination routers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the QoS session establishes a pre-determined service level between the originating router and the destination router by setting the parameters for the routers to maintain during the QoS session.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the routers in the transmission path to determine whether the parameters of the QoS session are met.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the session request is a standard IP message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the message includes presenting the message to the origination router as a Telnet message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the QoS module maintains security in a network of the QoS session by utilizing commercially-available firewall products.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the message to the originating router further comprising sending the message to one or more other routers on the transmission path between the originating router and the destination router to determine if resources are available for the QoS session at the one or more other routers.

8. A network, comprising:

an originating router coupled to a host in a first local area network, the originating router being an Internet Protocol (IP) router;

a destination router coupled to another host in a second local area network, the destination router being an IP router; and

a quality of service (QoS) module at a QoS hosting site of a Wide Area Network (WAN) communicably coupled to the originating router and the destination router to;

receive a session request for establishing a QoS session for transmitting information from the originating router to the destination router;

send a message to the originating router in response to the session request, the message including a request to reserve resources at the originating router for transmitting the information according to parameters of the QoS session; and

set up the QoS session on the transmission path between the originating and destination routers in accordance with the session request if the resources are available and reserved at the originating router.

9. The network of claim 8, wherein the QoS module further comprises a session setup module for sending the message to the originating router.

10. The network of claim 8, wherein the QoS module further comprises a node server module for monitoring the routers in the transmission path to determine whether the parameters of the QoS session are met.

11. The network of claim 8, wherein the QoS session establishes a pre-determined service level between the originating router and the destination router by setting the parameters for the routers to maintain during the QoS session.

12. The network of claim 8, wherein the session request is a standard IP message.

13. The network of claim 8, wherein the QoS module sending the message to the originating router further comprising sending the message to one or more other routers on the transmission path between the originating router and the destination router to determine if resources are available for the QoS session at the one or more other routers.

14. The network of claim 13, wherein the one or more other routers determine, in response to the message, whether the resources are available and return another message to the originating router if the resources are unavailable.

15. An article of manufacture, comprising a computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when accessed by a computer, cause the computer to execute operations comprising:

receiving, at a quality of service (QoS) module from an originating router, a session request for establishing a QoS session for transmitting information from the originating router to a destination router, the originating and destination routers being Internet Protocol (IP) routers;

sending, from the QoS modules, a message to the originating router in response to the session request, the message including a request to reserve resources at the originating router for transmitting the information according to parameters of the QoS session; and

setting up, by the QoS module, the QoS session on the transmission path between the originating and destination routers in accordance with the session request if the resources are available and reserved at the originating router;

wherein the QoS module is located at a QoS hosting site of a Wide Area Network (WAN) that is communicably coupled to the originating and destination routers.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable medium further includes data that cause the computer to perform operations comprising monitoring the routers in the transmission path to determine whether the parameters of the QoS session are met.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the session request is a standard IP message.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the sending the message includes presenting the message to the origination router as a Telnet message.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the QoS module maintains security in a network of the QoS session by utilizing commercially-available firewall products.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the sending the message to the originating router further comprises sending the message to one or more other routers on the transmission path between the originating router and the destination router to determine if resources are available for the QoS session at the one or more other routers.