Enhancement of resource reservation protocol enabling short-cut internet protocol connections over a switched network

• US 7,298,750 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2002
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Allen, Keith Joseph, Chen, Weijing
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou; Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): O CONNOR, BRIAN T
• Application Number:
  US10/207,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20040022255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,938 Days
• Field of Search: 370/231, 370/395.2, 370/395.21, 370/395.5, 370/395.51, 370/395.52, 370/400, 370/401, 370/406, 370/352, 370/496, 370/466, 370/469, 370/471
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5618 Bridges, gateways [GW] or interworking units [IWU]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5631 Resource management and allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5667 IP over ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/10 Routing in connection-oriented networks, e.g. X.25 or ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/785 among multiple network domains, e.g. multilateral agreements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/825 Involving tunnels, e.g. MPLS

Abstract

A method and system provide an Internet protocol (IP) session between an originating end-system and a destination end-system through a switched virtual circuit (SVC) short-cut across an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network. A first interworking function (IWF) device inserts its ATM address into a transport network hop (THOP) extension object of a resource reservation protocol (RSVP) path message, which may also contain quality of service (QoS) and reverse charging extension objects. IP routers forward the path message through an IP network, without modifying the objects, to a second IWF device, which retrieves the ATM address of the first IWF device. The second IWF device initiates an ATM setup message, including a responsive RSVP reservation request message. The setup message is sent through the ATM network to the first IWF device, which establishes the SVC with the second IWF device, according to the QoS parameter.

Claims

1. A method for implementing an Internet protocol (IP) connection between a first bridging device and a second bridging device through a switched transport network, the first bridging device and the second bridging device being connectable to the switched transport network and an IP network, the method comprising:

inserting a switched transport network address of the first bridging device into an extension object of a resource reservation protocol (RSVP) path message;

forwarding the path message from the first bridging device to the second bridging device, through at least one router in the IP network, the at least one router passing the path message without modifying the RSVP extension object;

receiving a setup message at the first bridging device, through at least one switching device in the switched transport network, based on the first bridging device address retrieved by the second bridging device from the RSVP extension object; and

establishing the connection between the first bridging device and the second bridging device through the switching network in response to the setup message.

2. The method for implementing the connection according to claim 1, in which the path message is forwarded through the at least one router by default routing.

3. The method for implementing the connection according to claim 1, further comprising:

including at least one quality of service connection parameter in a second RSVP extension object of the RSVP path message received from the originating host device;

including the second RSVP extension object in an RSVP reservation request message, generated by the destination host device in response to the path message, the destination host device receiving the path message from the second bridging device; and

establishing the connection between the first bridging device and the second bridging device in accordance with the at least one quality of service connection parameter.

4. The method for implementing the connection according to claim 3, in which the at least one quality of service connection parameter comprising a bidirectional flow specification.

5. The method for implementing the connection according to claim 4, in which the bidirectional flow specification comprises at least a bandwidth requirement.

6. The method for implementing the connection according to claim 1, further comprising:

including reverse charge indication data in a third RSVP extension object of the RSVP path message received from the originating host device;

determining whether the reverse charge indication data requires the originating host device to be charged for the connection; and

associating accounting data, relating to the connection, with the originating host device when the reverse charge indication data requires the originating host device to be charged; and

associating the accounting data with the destination host device when the reverse charge indication data does not require the originating host device to be charged.

7. The method for implementing the connection according to claim 1, further comprising:

capturing the path message at the second bridging device and storing the address of the first bridging device from the RSVP extension object in association with an address of the originating host device;

retrieving the stored address of the first bridging device based on the address of the originating host device included in the responsive reservation request message; and

forwarding the setup message to the first bridging device based on the retrieved address.

8. The method for implementing the connection according to claim 1, the switched transport network comprising an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network.

9. The method for implementing the connection according to claim 8, the IP connection comprising a switched virtual circuit.

10. The method for implementing the connection according to claim 1, the switched transport network comprising a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) network.

11. A method for providing an Internet protocol (IP) session, over a switched virtual circuit (SVC), between an originating end-system and a destination end-system through an originating interworking function device (IWF) and a destination IWF device, the originating IWF device and the destination IWF device being connectable to an asynchronous transport mode (ATM) network and an IP network, the method comprising:

receiving a resource reservation protocol (RSVP) path message from the originating end-system at the originating IWF device, the path message including at least one parameter defining a predetermined bidirectional flow requirement;

inserting an ATM address of the originating IWF device into a transport network hop (THOP) object of the path message;

forwarding the path message from the originating IWF device through the IP network by default routing to a destination IWF device, without modifying the THOP object;

caching the THOP object in association with an IP address of the originating end-system at the destination IWF device and forwarding the path message to the destination end-system;

receiving a responsive RSVP reservation request message from the destination end-system at the destination IWF device directed to the originating end-system, the reservation request message including the at least one bidirectional flow parameter;

launching a setup message through the ATM network based on the associated THOP object and the IP address of the originating end-system, the setup message including the reservation request message;

receiving the setup message at the originating IWF device and establishing the SVC connection between the originating IWF device and the destination IWF device according to the at least one bidirectional flow parameter;

forwarding the reservation request message to the originating end-system; and

shifting the IP session between the originating end-system and the destination end-system to the SVC connection.

12. The method for providing the Internet session, according to claim 11, in which the default routing comprises best effort routing among IP routers.

13. The method for providing the Internet session, according to claim 11, in which launching the setup message comprises sending a user-to-network interface protocol setup message to an ATM edge switch in the ATM network.

14. The method for providing the Internet session, according to claim 11, in which the path message further includes a reverse charge indicator, the method further comprising:

determining at the destination IWF device whether the reverse charge indicator is active;

when the reverse charge indicator is active, associating billing data for the SVC connection with the originating end-system; and

when the reverse charge indicator is not active, associating the billing data for the SVC connection with the destination end-system.

15. A system for establishing a short-cut Internet protocol (IP) connection through a switched transport network, comprising:

a first bridging device configured to insert its switched transport network address into an address extension object of a resource reservation protocol (RSVP) path message, received from an originating host device, and to forward the path message through at least one router in an IP network by default routing, the at least one router passing the path message without modifying the address extension object; and

a second bridging device configured to receive the path message and to forward a setup message to the first bridging device through at least one switching device in the switched transport network, based on the first bridging device address retrieved from the address extension object, the setup message including an RSVP reservation request message generated by a destination host device in response to the path message;

wherein the short-cut IP connection is established between the first bridging device and the second bridging device through the switching network in response to the setup message.

16. The system for establishing the short-cut IP connection according to claim 15, wherein at least one predetermined quality of service connection parameter is included in a bidirectional flow specification extension object of the path message, received from the originating host device, and is passed to the reservation request message generated by the destination host device;

and

wherein the short-cut IP connection between the first bridging device and the second bridging device is established in accordance with the at least one quality of service connection parameter.

17. The system for establishing the short-cut IP connection according to claim 15, wherein the second bridging device captures the path message and stores the switched network address of the first bridging device, retrieved from the address extension object, in association with an IP address of the originating host device;

retrieves the stored address of the first bridging device based on the IP address of the originating host device included in the responsive reservation request message; and

forwards the setup message to the first bridging device based on the retrieved address.

18. The system for establishing the short-cut IP connection according to claim 15, the switched transport network comprising an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network and the short-cut IP connection comprising a switched virtual circuit.

19. The system for establishing the short-cut IP connection according to claim 15, wherein the first bridging device forwards the reservation request message to the originating host device, establishing an IP connection between the originating host device and the destination host device over the short-cut IP connection, in place of an IP connection over the IP network.

20. A computer readable medium that stores a computer program for enabling an Internet protocol (IP) connection across a switched transport network between an originating host device and a destination host device, through a first bridging device and a second bridging device, the computer readable medium comprising:

a first receiving code segment for receiving a path message signal from the originating host device, the first path message signal including an address parameter for the first bridging device in an extension object and an IP address of the originating host device;

a first forwarding code segment for forwarding a second path message signal from the first bridging device through an IP network to the second bridging device, the second path message signal including a switched transport network address of the first bridging device in the address parameter and the IP address of the originating host device, the second path message signal passing through the IP network without modification to the address parameter;

a second receiving code segment for receiving a first setup message signal through the switched transport network based on the transport network address of the first bridging device retrieved from the second path message signal, the first setup message signal including a reservation request message signal initiated by the destination host device in response to the second path message, the reservation request message signal including the IP address of the originating host device; and

a second forwarding code segment for forwarding a second setup message signal to the IP address of the originating host device, the second setup message signal including the reservation request message signal, the IP connection between the originating host device and the destination host device being established in response to the second setup message signal.

21. The computer readable medium according to claim 20, wherein each of the first path message signal, the second path message signal and the reservation request message signal further includes a bidirectional flow parameter that defines at least one predetermined quality of service attribute of the IP connection, wherein the IP connection is established in accordance with the quality of service attribute.

22. The computer readable medium according to claim 21, wherein the at least one quality of service attribute comprises a bandwidth.

23. The computer readable medium according to claim 20, wherein each of the first path message signal, the second path message signal and the reservation request message signal further includes a reverse charging parameter, wherein accounting data for the IP connection is associated with the originating host device when the reverse charging parameter is activated.

24. The computer readable medium according to claim 23, wherein the accounting data for the IP connection is associated with the destination host device when the reverse charging parameter is not activated.

25. The computer readable medium according to claim 20, wherein each of the first path message signal, the second path message signal and the reservation request message signal complies with a resource reservation protocol (RSVP).

26. The computer readable medium according to claim 20, wherein each of the first setup message signal and the second setup message signal complies with a user-to-network interface (UNI) protocol.

27. The computer readable medium according to claim 25, wherein the switched data transport network comprises an asynchronous transport mode (ATM) network.

28. The computer readable medium according to claim 27, wherein the address parameter for the first bridging device comprises an ATM transport network hop (THOP) RSVP extension object.

29. The computer readable medium according to claim 25, wherein the switched data transport network comprises a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) network.

30. The computer data-signal readable medium according to claim 29, wherein the address parameter for the first bridging device comprising one of an IPv4 RSVP extension object and an IPv6 RSVP extension object.