Resource allocation for multi-service gateways

• US 7,570,587 B1
• Filed: 12/14/2000
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Stumpf, Terry L., Wilson, Paul G., Joyner, Stanley W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOM, SHICK C
• Application Number:
  US09/735,542
• Time in Patent Office: 3,155 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/230, 370/235, 370/238, 370/252, 370/255, 370/352, 370/353, 370/395.52, 370/395.21, 370/395.2, 370/395.42, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5601 Transfer mode dependent, e.g. ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5618 Bridges, gateways [GW] or interworking units [IWU]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5651 Priority, marking, classes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level

Abstract

A method of processing a request for a connection through a multi-service gateway and a multi-service gateway for performing the method. The method includes allocating resources from a resource pool as a function of a usage level of the pool, as a function of a priority level of the connection request and as a function of an occupancy threshold associated with the pool. In particular, if the usage level of the resources in the pool is below the occupancy threshold, processing resources are allocated to satisfy the connection request. However, if the usage level of the resources in the pool is not below the occupancy threshold, resources may or may not be allocated to satisfy the connection request, depending on the priority level of the connection request. As a result, the multi-service gateway of the present invention affords a significant increase in the proportion of packet-switched ports which are available for use, while the effect on blocking probability under common traffic mix conditions can be kept to within reasonable limits by suitable selection of the occupancy threshold.

Claims

1. A method of processing a request for a connection through a multi-service gateway, comprising:

determining a usage level of a resource pool; and

determining a priority level of the connection request,

if the usage level is below a pool occupancy threshold that is a function of the priority level of the connection request, allocating resources from the resource pool to satisfy the connection request;

if the usage level is not below the occupancy threshold, allocating resources from the resource pool to satisfy the connection request only if the priority level of the connection request is higher than a priority threshold.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising receiving the connection request prior to allocating resources from the resource pool.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising receiving the connection request from a connection server/broker prior to allocating resources from the resource pool.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the priority level of the connection request is a function of the type of traffic carried by the requested connection.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein each connection request is associated to a type of traffic selected from the group consisting of originating, terminating, feature and progress.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the priority level of progress traffic is greater than the priority level of feature traffic, which is greater than the priority level of terminating traffic, which is greater than the priority level of originating traffic.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing resources are software resources for processing packets.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing resources are port processing resources.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing resources are configured to perform conversion of a signal from a circuit-switched format to a packet-switched format.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the circuit-switched format is a time-division-multiplexed (TDM) format.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the packet-switched format is an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) format or an Internet Protocol (IP) format.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

if no processing resources are allocated to satisfy the connection request, blocking the connection request.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising reporting blockage of the connection request to a connection server/broker.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether circuit-switched connection resources are required to satisfy the connection request; and

if circuit-switched connection resources are required to satisfy the connection request, setting a cross-connect mapping for controlling the circuit-switched connection resources.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising selecting the pool occupancy threshold to achieve a probability of blocking that is less than a pre-determined value.

16. A multi-service gateway, comprising:

a plurality of packet-switched ports;

a pool of port processing software entities (PPSEs), each PPSE having sufficient capacity to provide processing for any of the packet-switched ports; and

a resource manager configured to execute a method comprising receiving connection requests and, if a particular connection request involves at least one of the packet-switched ports, allocating a subset of the PPSEs in the pool for satisfying the particular connection request, as a function of a priority level of the particular connection request, as a function of a usage level of the pool and as a function of a pool occupancy threshold, wherein said allocating comprises;

determining the usage level of the pool; and

if the usage level is below the pool occupancy threshold, allocating resources from the resource pool to satisfy the connection request;

if the usage level is not below the occupancy threshold, allocating resources from the pool to satisfy the connection request only if the priority level of the connection request is higher than a priority threshold.

17. The multi-service gateway as claimed in claim 16, wherein the resource manager is configured to determine the priority level of the connection request.

18. The multi-service gateway as claimed in claim 16, wherein each PPSE has the capability to perform conversion of a signal from a circuit-switched format to a packet-switched format.

19. The multi-service gateway as claimed in claim 18, wherein the circuit-switched format is a time-division-multiplexed (TDM) format.

20. The multi-service gateway as claimed in claim 18, wherein the packet-switched format is an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) format or an Internet Protocol (IP) format.

21. The multi-service gateway as claimed in claim 16, wherein the resource manager is further adapted to block the connection request if no resources are allocated to satisfy the connection request.

22. The multi-service gateway as claimed in claim 21, wherein the resource manager is further adapted to report blockage of the connection request to a connection server/broker.

23. The multi-service gateway as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a plurality of circuit-switched ports and a set of circuit-switched connection resources, wherein the resource manager is further adapted to determine whether circuit-switched connection resources are required to satisfy the connection request and, if circuit-switched connection resources are required to satisfy the connection request, setting a cross-connect mapping for controlling the circuit-switched connection resources.

24. A multi-service gateway, comprising:

means for receiving a connection request;

means for determining a usage level of resources in a resource pool in the multi-service gateway; and

means for allocating resources from the resource pool to satisfy the connection request if the usage level of the pool is below an occupancy threshold that is a function of the priority level of the connection request, otherwise determining a priority level of the connection request and allocating resources from the pool to satisfy the connection request only if the priority level of the connection request is higher than a priority threshold.

25. Computer-readable media tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a resource manager to perform a method of processing a received request for a connection through a multi-service gateway, the method comprising:

determining a usage level of resources in a resource pool in the multi-service gateway; and

allocating resources from the resource pool to satisfy the connection request if the usage level of the pool is below an occupancy threshold that is a function of the priority level of the connection request, otherwise determining a priority level of the connection request and allocating resources from the pool to satisfy the connection request only if the priority level of the connection request is higher than a priority threshold.

26. At least one computer programmed to execute a process for processing a received request for a connection through a multi-service gateway, the process comprising:

determining the usage level of a resource pool in the multi-service gateway; and

if the usage level is below a pool occupancy threshold that is a function of the priority level of the connection request, allocating resources from the resource pool to satisfy the connection request;

if the usage level is not below the occupancy threshold, allocating resources from the pool to satisfy the connection request only if the priority level of the connection request is higher than a priority threshold.