Methods and apparatus to manage network transport paths in accordance with network policies

• US 7,787,381 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2006
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Raftelis, Michael T., Small, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao; Seema S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, KHOA B
• Application Number:
  US11/610,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20080144513A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,357 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/235, 370/238, 370/241, 370/252, 370/351, 370/389, 370/395.1, 370/395.2, 370/395.21, 370/395.4, 370/395.42, 726/1, 726/2, 726/3, 726/4, 726/5, 726/6, 726/7, 726/16, 726/17, 726/18, 726/19, 726/21, 709/227, 709/228, 709/229, 709/230, 709/232, 709/235, 709/238, 709/239, 709/240
• US Class Current: 370/237
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• 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 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• 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 41/5077 wherein the managed service relates to simple transport services, i.e. providing only network infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0847 Transmission error
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to manage network transport paths in accordance with network policies are disclosed. An example apparatus comprises a policy manager to manage a first policy for a first endpoint and a second policy for a second endpoint, and a path manager to provision a transport network path based on the first and second policies.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a memory to store a first user policy comprising a first authentication credential and a first policy parameter for a first user device, and a second user policy comprising a second authentication credential and a second policy parameter for a second user device, wherein the first policy parameter and the second policy parameter each comprises at least one of a quality of service (QoS) parameter, a bandwidth parameter, or a service parameter for the first user device or the second user device respectively;

a policy manager to provide the first and second policies to an authentication server to authenticate the first and second user devices to a communication network;

a path identifier to identify a plurality of candidate end-to-end communication paths through the communication network between the first and second user devices, wherein the path identifier is to identify the plurality of communication paths for a first network scenario, and to identify a second plurality of candidate end-to-end communication paths through the communication network between the first and second user devices for a second network scenario;

a performance modeler to develop a plurality of values for respective ones of the plurality of communication paths, wherein each value represents at least one of a performance or an ability of the respective communication path to satisfy the first and second policy parameters, and wherein two or more of the plurality of values indicate that the respective communication path satisfies the first and second policy parameters, wherein the performance modeler is to develop the plurality of values for the first network scenario, and to develop a second plurality of values for respective ones of the second plurality of communication paths, wherein each of the second plurality of values represents how the respective communication path satisfies the first and second policy parameters; and

a path manager to select a one of the plurality of communication paths based on the plurality of values, and to configure the communication network to transport data between the first and second user devices on the selected one of the plurality of communication paths˜

wherein the policy manager is to select the one of the plurality of communication paths for the first network scenario, to select a one of the second plurality of communication paths for the second network scenario based on the second plurality of values, and to select between the selected one of the plurality of the plurality of communication paths and the selected one of the second plurality of communication paths based on a comparison of a current state of the network and the first and second network scenarios.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of communication paths comprises a label switched path.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the path manager is to configure at least one of an edge router or a core router of the communication network to implement the selected one of the plurality of communication paths.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the path identifier is to identify the plurality of communication paths based on a defined network scenario.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the performance modeler is to develop the plurality of values based upon at least one of a time-of-day, a day-of-week, a day-of-year, a usage limit per period, a localization priority, a maintenance event, or a network fault.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the selected one of the plurality of communication paths includes one or more core elements of the communication network.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the value represents a difference between an available throughput of the respective communication path and the first policy parameter.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication paths are shortest loopless paths between the first and second user devices through the communication network.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the memory comprises:

a first memory device to store the first user policy; and

a second memory device to store the second user policy.

10. A method comprising:

providing first and second policies to an authentication server to authenticate respective first and second user devices to a communication network, the first policy comprising a first authentication credential and a first policy parameter for a first endpoint associating with the first user device, and the second policy comprising a second authentication credential and a second policy parameter for a second endpoint associating with the second user device, wherein the first policy parameter and the second policy parameter each comprises at least one of a quality of service (QoS) parameter, a bandwidth parameter, or a service parameter for the first user device or the second user device respectively;

identifying a plurality of candidate end-to-end communication paths through the communication network between the first and second endpoints, wherein the plurality of communication paths are identified for a first network scenario;

modeling the communication network to develop a plurality of values for respective ones of the plurality of communication paths, wherein each value represents at least one of a performance or an ability of hew the respective communication path to satisfy the first and second policy parameters, and wherein two or more of the plurality of values indicate that the respective communication path satisfies the first and second policy parameters, wherein the plurality of values are developed for the first network scenario, and wherein the one of the plurality of communication paths is selected for the first network scenario;

selecting one of the plurality of communication paths based on the plurality of values;

provisioning one or more elements of the communication network to implement the selected one of the plurality of communication paths;

identifying a second plurality of candidate end-to-end communication paths through the communication network between the first and second user devices for a second network scenario;

modeling the communication network to develop a second plurality of values for respective ones of the second plurality of communication paths, wherein each of the second plurality of values represents how the respective communication path satisfies the first and second policy parameters;

selecting a one of the second plurality of communication paths for the second network scenario based on the second plurality of values; and

selecting between the selected one of the plurality of the plurality of communication paths and the selected one of the second plurality of communication paths based on a comparison of a current state of the network and the first and second network scenarios.

11. A method as defined in claim 10, further comprising provisioning the selected one of the plurality of communication paths as a label switched path.

12. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein the plurality of values are developed based upon at least one of a time-of-day, a day-of-week, a day-of-year, a usage limit per period, a localization priority, a maintenance event, or a network fault.

13. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein the first network scenario comprises at least one of a time-of-day, a day-of-week, a day-of-year, a usage limit per period, a localization priority, a maintenance event, or a network fault.

14. A tangible computer readable medium excluding propagating signals and storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to:

provide first and second policies to an authentication server to authenticate respective first and second user devices to a communication network, the first policy comprising a first authentication credential and a first policy parameter for a first endpoint associating with the first user device, and the second policy comprising a second authentication credential and a second policy parameter for a second endpoint associating with the second user device, wherein the first policy parameter and the second policy parameter each comprises at least one of a quality of service (QoS) parameter, a bandwidth parameter, or a service parameter for the first user device or the second user device respectively;

identify a plurality of candidate end-to-end communication paths through the communication network between the first and second endpoints, wherein the plurality of communication paths are identified for a first network scenario;

model the communication network to develop a plurality of values for respective ones of the plurality of communication paths, wherein each value represents at least one of a performance or an ability of the respective communication path to satisfy the first and second policy parameters, and wherein two or more of the plurality of values indicate that the respective communication path satisfies the first and second policy parameters, wherein the plurality of values are developed for the first network scenario, and wherein the one of the plurality of communication paths is selected for the first network scenario;

select one of the plurality of communication paths based on the plurality of values;

configure one or more elements of the communication network to implement the selected one of the plurality of communication paths;

identify a second plurality of candidate end-to-end communication paths through the communication network between the first and second user devices for a second network scenario;

model the communication network to develop a second plurality of values for respective ones of the second plurality of communication paths, wherein each of the second plurality of values represents how the respective communication path satisfies the first and second policy parameters;

select one of the second plurality of communication paths for the second network scenario based on the second plurality of values; and

select between the selected one of the plurality of the plurality of communication paths and the selected one of the second plurality of communication paths based on a comparison of a current state of the network and the first and second network scenarios.

15. A tangible computer readable medium as defined in claim 14, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to configure the selected one of the plurality of communication paths as a label switched path.

16. A tangible computer readable medium as defined in claim 14, wherein the first network scenario comprises at least one of a time-of-day, a day-of-week, a day-of-year, a usage limit per period, a localization priority, a maintenance event, or a network fault.