Cluster-based network provisioning

• US 7,577,091 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2004
• Issued: 08/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Juttner, Alpar, Westberg, Lars, Harmatos, Janos, Antal, Csaba
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou; Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith; Joshua
• Application Number:
  US10/939,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20050169179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,799 Days
• Field of Search: 370229-240, 370/254, 709229-240, 709223-226
• US Class Current: 370/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• 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 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components

Abstract

In the area of network provisioning, there is a problem of selecting a suitable traffic-provisioning model for large networks due to the high management complexity of the resource-efficient trunk model and the poor bandwidth efficiency of the easy-to-configure hose model. The invention is based on the idea of partitioning at least part of the network into multi-node clusters, and defining traffic limitations on at least two levels, including the intra-cluster level and the inter-cluster level, where the traffic limitations include one or more node-to-cluster traffic limitations for inter-cluster traffic. Subsequently, cluster-based provisioning of the network is performed based on the traffic limitations. The novel node-to-cluster limitations proposed by the invention are preferably applied in a cluster-based trunk or hose model on the inter-cluster level. In other words, for the description of the inter-cluster traffic (traffic between the clusters) cluster-based trunk or hose models can be used, preferably depending on the available information about the traffic. The cluster-based provisioning makes it possible to find a trade-off between management complexity and overprovisioning.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented apparatus for link capacity dimensioning for a communication network having a set of network nodes interconnected by links, said computer-implemented apparatus comprising:

a cluster selector for logically partitioning a number of said network nodes into clusters, each cluster having at least two nodes;

a service level controller for defining a cluster-based service level definition including intra-cluster level and inter-cluster level definitions, said cluster-based service-level definition including at least one hose-based limitation for intra-cluster traffic on the intra-cluster level and at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster limitation for inter-cluster traffic on the inter-cluster level; and

a dimensioning controller for dimensioning the capacity of a number of said links based on a cluster-based trunk model involving said at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster limitation for inter-cluster traffic on the inter-cluster level and a cluster-based hose model involving said at least one hose-based limitation for intra-cluster traffic on the intra-cluster level.

2. The computer-implemented apparatus for link capacity dimensioning according to claim 1, wherein said computer-implemented apparatus is arranged to calculate maximum traffic values of the links subject to constraints defined by said traffic limitations.

3. The computer-implemented apparatus for link capacity dimensioning according to claim 1, wherein said computer-implemented apparatus is arranged to select the clusters based on a given weighting between minimization of the number of admission control parameters and maximization of bandwidth efficiency.

4. The computer-implemented apparatus for link capacity dimensioning according to claim 1, wherein said at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster traffic limitation is defined to limit, for at least one given node in a given cluster, the amount of traffic in relation to at least one other cluster.

5. The computer-implemented apparatus for link capacity dimensioning according to claim 4, wherein said at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster traffic limitation includes:

at least one limitation defined to limit, for a given node in a given cluster, the amount of traffic to at least one other cluster; and

at least one limitation defined to limit, for said given node in said given cluster, the amount of traffic from at least one other cluster.

6. The computer-implemented apparatus for link capacity dimensioning according to claim 4, wherein said at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster limitation includes:

a first set of limitations defined to limit, for a given node in a given cluster, the amount of traffic to each of a first set of other clusters; and

a second set of limitations defined to limit, for said given node in said given cluster, the amount of traffic from each of a second set of other clusters.

7. An admission controller apparatus implemented using a computer for operation in a communication network having a set of network nodes interconnected by links, a number of said network nodes being logically divided into clusters and each cluster having at least two nodes, wherein said admission controller comprises apparatus comprises:

a cluster selector that defines a cluster-based service level definition including intra-cluster level and inter-cluster level definitions, said cluster-based service-level definition including at least one hose-based limitation for intra-cluster traffic on the intra-cluster level and at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster limitation for inter-cluster traffic on the inter-cluster level; and

an admission controller that exercises cluster-based admission control to control a number of connections present on the links on at least two levels based on the traffic limitations in said cluster-based service-level definition, including;

intra-cluster admission control based on a cluster-based hose model involving said at least one hose-based limitation for intra-cluster traffic on the intra-cluster level, and

inter-cluster admission control based on a cluster-based trunk model involving said at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster limitation for inter-cluster traffic on the inter-cluster level.

8. The admission controller apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said admission controller apparatus is arranged to define said clusters based on a given weighting between minimization of the number of admission control parameters and maximization of bandwidth efficiency.

9. The admission controller apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster traffic limitation is defined to limit, for at least one given node in a given cluster, the amount of traffic in relation to at least one other cluster.

10. The admission controller apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster traffic limitation includes:

at least one limitation defined to limit, for a given node in a given cluster, the amount of traffic to at least one other cluster; and

at least one limitation defined to limit, for said given node in said given cluster, the amount of traffic from at least one other cluster.

11. The admission controller apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster limitation includes:

a first set of limitations defined to limit, for a given node in a given cluster, the amount of traffic to each of a first set of other clusters; and

a second set of limitations defined to limit, for said given node in said given cluster, the amount of traffic from each of a second set of other clusters.

12. The admission controller apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said admission controller apparatus comprises means for performing cluster-based routing on at least two levels, including intra-cluster routing and inter-cluster routing.

13. The admission controller apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said means for performing cluster-based routing comprises:

means for applying one of shortest path routing and tree routing on the intra-cluster routing level; and

means for applying one of shortest path routing and tree routing on the inter-cluster routing level.

14. The admission controller apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said means for performing cluster-based routing comprises:

means for applying shortest path routing on the inter-cluster level; and

means for applying tree routing on the intra-cluster level.

15. A computer-implemented method for link capacity dimensioning a communication network having a set of network nodes interconnected by links, comprising:

a cluster selector logically partitioning a number of said network nodes into clusters, each cluster having at least two nodes;

a service level definition controller defining a cluster-based service level definition including intra-cluster level and inter-cluster level definitions, said cluster-based service-level definition including at least one hose-based limitation for intra-cluster traffic on the intra-cluster level and at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster limitation for inter-cluster traffic on the inter-cluster level; and

a dimension controller dimensioning the capacity of a number of said links based on a cluster-based trunk model involving said at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster limitation for inter-cluster traffic on the inter-cluster level and a cluster-based hose model involving said at least one hose-based limitation for intra-cluster traffic on the intra-cluster level.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising calculating maximum traffic values of the links subject to constraints defined by said traffic limitations.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein cluster selection is based on a given weighting between minimization of the number of admission control parameters and maximization of bandwidth efficiency.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein said at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster traffic limitation is defined to limit, for at least one given node in a given cluster, the amount of traffic in relation to at least one other cluster.

19. The method claim 18, wherein said at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster traffic limitation includes:

at least one limitation defined to limit, for a given node in a given cluster, the amount of traffic to at least one other cluster; and

at least one limitation defined to limit, for said given node in said given cluster, the amount of traffic from at least one other cluster.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein said at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster limitation includes:

a first set of limitations defined to limit, for a given node in a given cluster, the amount of traffic to each of a first set of other clusters; and

a second set of limitations defined to limit, for said given node in said given cluster, the amount of traffic from each of a second set of other clusters.

21. A computer-implemented admission control method for a communication network having a set of network nodes interconnected by links, a number of said network nodes being logically divided into clusters and each cluster having at least two nodes, the admission control method comprising:

a cluster selector defining a cluster-based service level definition including intra-cluster level and inter-cluster level definitions, said cluster-based service-level definition including at least one hose-based limitation for intra-cluster traffic on the intra-cluster level and at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster limitation for inter-cluster traffic on the inter-cluster level; and

an admissions controller exercising cluster-based admission control to control a number of connections present on the links on at least two levels based on the traffic limitations in said cluster-based service-level definition, including;

intra-cluster admission control based on a cluster-based hose model involving said at least one hose-based limitation for intra-cluster traffic on the intra-cluster level, and

inter-cluster admission control based on a cluster-based trunk model involving said at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster limitation for inter-cluster traffic on the inter-cluster level.

22. The admission control method according to claim 21, wherein said clusters are defined based on a given weighting between minimization of the number of admission control parameters and maximization of bandwidth efficiency.

23. The admission control method according to claim 21, wherein said at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster traffic limitation is defined to limit, for at least one given node in a given cluster, the amount of traffic in relation to at least one other cluster.

24. The admission control method according to claim 23, wherein said at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster traffic limitation includes:

at least one limitation defined to limit, for a given node in a given cluster, the amount of traffic to at least one other cluster; and

at least one limitation defined to limit, for said given node in said given cluster, the amount of traffic from at least one other cluster.

25. The admission controller according to claim 23, wherein said at least one trunk-based node-to-cluster limitation includes:

a first set of limitations defined to limit, for a given node in a given cluster, the amount of traffic to each of a first set of other clusters; and

a second set of limitations defined to limit, for said given node in said given cluster, the amount of traffic from each of a second set of other clusters.

26. The admission control method according to claim 21, further comprising performing cluster-based routing on at least two levels, including intra-cluster routing and inter-cluster routing.

27. The admission control method according to claim 26, wherein said cluster-based routing comprises:

applying one of shortest path routing and tree routing on the intra-cluster routing level; and

applying one of shortest path routing and tree routing on the inter-cluster routing level.

28. The admission control method according to claim 27, wherein said cluster-based routing comprises:

applying shortest path routing on the inter-cluster level; and

applying tree routing on the intra-cluster level.