System and method for upgrading service class of a connection in a wireless network

• US 7,433,688 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2006
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Humes, Michael E., Miernik, Jerzy W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): THIER, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US11/551,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20070049285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 455/452.2, 455/453, 455/452.1, 455/422.1, 455/414.1, 455/423, 455/424, 455/450, 455/62, 370/236.1, 370/237, 370/238, 370/238.1
• US Class Current: 455/432.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• 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 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5077 wherein the managed service relates to simple transport services, i.e. providing only network infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5083 wherein the managed service relates to web hosting
• 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 41/5093 wherein the managed service relates to messaging or chat services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]

Abstract

A system and method for upgrading service class of a connection in a wireless network includes identifying a congested CoS in a sector of a wireless network. Bandwidth availability in the sector is determined at an enhanced CoS in relation to the congested CoS. A communications session is selected in the congested CoS for upgrading. The communications session is upgraded to the enhanced CoS.

Claims

1. A method for upgrading service in a wireless network, comprising:

estimating a performance increase for a communication session if a connection in a congested queue is upgraded to an enhanced queue;

determining, according to a service policy, whether the connection in the congested queue is upgradeable;

selecting the connection in the congested queue to upgrade; and

upgrading the connection to the enhanced queue if the performance increase meets an upgrade criteria.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an identification of the congested queue, wherein the congested queue is identified according to at least one of the following:

dropped packets;

floating average of a queue size; and

a current queue size.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining bandwidth availability of the enhanced queue, wherein bandwidth availability at the enhanced queue is determined based on at least one of:

available queue size in the sector;

a number of connections upgraded to the enhanced queue; and

an increase in performance available to the connection in the sector at the enhanced queue.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the congested queue has remaining congestion;

determining whether bandwidth availability remains in the sector of the wireless network at the enhanced queue in relation to the congested queue;

determining, according to the service policy, whether additional connections in the congested queue are upgradeable;

selecting a next connection in the congested queue for upgrading; and

upgrading the next connection to the enhanced queue.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, according to a service policy, whether a connection in the congested queue is upgradeable comprises determining upgrade criteria to follow before upgrading the connection.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein upgrading the connection to the enhanced queue comprises upgrading a communication session of a mobile device to the enhanced queue.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein upgrading the communication session comprises modifying a Class of Service (CoS) identifier of one or more packets of the communication session.

8. A computer readable medium, having software embodied thereon, for upgrading service in a wireless network, the software, when executed, operable to:

estimate a performance increase for a communication session if a connection in a congested queue is upgraded to an enhanced queue;

determine, according to a service policy, whether the connection in the congested queue is upgradeable;

select the connection in the congested queue to upgrade; and

upgrade the connection to the enhanced queue if the performance increase meets an upgrade criteria.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8, the software further operable to receive an identification of the congested queue, wherein the congested queue is identified according to at least one of the following:

dropped packets;

floating average of a queue size; and

a current queue size.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 8, the software further operable to determine bandwidth availability of the enhanced queue, wherein bandwidth availability at the enhanced queue is determined based on at least one of:

available queue size in the sector;

a number of connections upgraded to the enhanced queue; and

an increase in performance available to the connection in the sector at the enhanced queue.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 8, the software further operable to:

determine whether the congested queue has remaining congestion;

determine whether bandwidth availability remains in the sector of the wireless network at the enhanced queue in relation to the congested queue;

determine, according to the service policy, whether additional connections in the congested queue are upgradeable;

select a next connection in the congested queue for upgrading; and

upgrade the next connection to the enhanced queue.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein determining, according to a service policy, whether a connection in the congested queue is upgradeable comprises determining upgrade criteria to follow before upgrading the connection.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein upgrading the connection to the enhanced queue comprises upgrading a communication session of a mobile device to the enhanced queue.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein upgrading the communication session comprises modifying a Class of Service (CoS) identifier of one or more packets of the communication session.

15. A system for upgrading service in a wireless network, comprising:

means for estimating a performance increase for a communication session if a connection in a congested queue is upgraded to an enhanced queue;

means for determining, according to a service policy, whether the connection in the congested queue is upgradeable;

means for selecting the connection in the congested queue to upgrade; and

means for upgrading the connection to the enhanced queue if the performance increase meets an upgrade criteria.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for receiving an identification of the congested queue, wherein the congested queue is identified according to at least one of the following:

dropped packets;

floating average of a queue size; and

a current queue size.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for determining bandwidth availability of the enhanced queue, wherein bandwidth availability at the enhanced queue is determined based on at least one of:

available queue size in the sector;

a number of connections upgraded to the enhanced queue; and

an increase in performance available to the connection in the sector at the enhanced queue.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

means for determining whether the congested queue has remaining congestion;

means for determining whether bandwidth availability remains in the sector of the wireless network at the enhanced queue in relation to the congested queue;

means for determining, according to the service policy, whether additional connections in the congested queue are upgradeable;

means for selecting a next connection in the congested queue for upgrading; and

means for upgrading the next connection to the enhanced queue.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein means for determining, according to a service policy, whether a connection in the congested queue is upgradeable comprises means for determining upgrade criteria to follow before upgrading the connection.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein means for upgrading the connection to the enhanced queue comprises means for upgrading a communication session of a mobile device to the enhanced queue.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein means for upgrading the communication session comprises means for modifying a Class of Service (CoS) identifier of one or more packets of the communication session.