Providing dynamic quality of service for virtual private networks

• US 7,852,849 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2008
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amdocs Canadian Managed Services Inc. (Amdocs Ltd.), Amdocs Development Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Bridgewater Systems Corp. (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Inventors: Davidson, Andrew Jamie, Berry, Michael James, Brooks, David John
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh; Ayaz R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HALIYUR, VENKATESH N
• Application Number:
  US12/042,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20090225762A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 370252-465, 709223-244
• US Class Current: 370/395.21
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4675 Dynamic sharing of VLAN information amongst network nodes configuration of the network or of network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 User-type aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/825 Involving tunnels, e.g. MPLS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing dynamic Quality of Service (QoS) for connections to virtual private networks (VPNs) are provided. The method receives a message from an organization associated with the VPN, wherein the message includes information identifying the VPN connection and information associated with the organization. The method then determines, based on a set of rules defined for the organization, a QoS level to apply to the connection, and applies the determined QoS level to the connection. The QoS applied to the connection corresponds to the organization hosting the VPN and not the QoS associated with a personal or home account QoS that would otherwise be applied to the connection.

Claims

1. A method for providing dynamic quality of service (QoS) for a connection to a virtual private network (VPN), comprising:

(a) receiving, using a processor, a message from an organization associated with the VPN, wherein the message includes information identifying the VPN connection, information associated with the organization, and information associated with a client;

(b) retrieving, based on the client information one or more QoS rules or metrics associated with the client for the connection;

(c) retrieving, based on the organization information one or more QoS rules associated with the organization;

(d) determining, one or more QoS rules to apply to the connection further comprising of;

(i) comparing one or more QoS rules associated with the organization to one or more QoS metrics or rules associated with the client for the connection,

(ii) selecting one or more superior QoS rules based on said comparing, and

(iii) overriding one or more QoS rules associated with the client for the connection when one or more selected QoS rules is superior to one or more QoS rules or metrics associated with the client for the connection;

(e) applying the determined one or more QoS rules to the connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more QoS rules includes a rule regulating time periods during which a QoS level alteration is applied to the connection can be adjusted.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more QoS rules includes a rule regulating an upload data transfer rate limit applied to the connection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more QoS rules includes a rule regulating a download data transfer rate limit applied to the connection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more QoS rules includes a rule regulating an amount of data that can be transmitted over the connection.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the client further includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a client device used to establish the connection.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the IP address is used in step (d) to determine the characteristics of the client device, and wherein said characteristics are used in conjunction with step (d)(ii) to determine the one or more QoS rules to be applied to the connection.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes information identifying a client'"'"'s role in the organization, and wherein the client is associated with the connection.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the client'"'"'s role is used in step (d) in conjunction with step (d)(ii) to determine the one or more QoS rules to be applied to the connection.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes information identifying a requested one or more QoS rules to be applied to the connection.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (d) determining includes identifying the policy enforcement point to be used to regulate throughput for the connection.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(f) reporting the one or more QoS rules applied to the connection;

(g) determining, based on an additional message from the organization, if the one or more QoS rules needs to be adjusted; and

(h) repeating steps (b)-(f) to adjust one or more of the previously-applied QoS rules when the determining in step (g) determines that one or more QoS rules needs to be adjusted.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more QoS rules includes a rule regulating a maximum number of boosted connection that are allowed for the organization network.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more QoS rules includes a rule regulating session admission control checks for the client'"'"'s devices.

28. The method of claim 2, wherein the rule regulating time periods during which a QoS level alteration is applied to the connection can be adjusted includes normal working hours of the organization.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more QoS rules or metrics associated with the client and one or more QoS rules associated with the organization further include at least one of availability, bandwidth, latency and delay for the connection.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the organization includes an organization identifier that uniquely identifies the organization associated with the organization network.

13. A system for providing dynamic quality of service (QoS) for a connection to a virtual private network (VPN), comprising:

a listening module coupled to a processor, configured to receive a message from an organization associated with the VPN, wherein the message includes information identifying the VPN connection, information associated with the organization, and information associated with a client;

a QoS module coupled to a processor, configured to retrieve one or more QoS rules associated with the organization based on the organization information, retrieve one or more QoS rules or metrics associated with the client based on the client information and determine one or more QoS rules to apply to the connection wherein one or more QoS rules are determined by;

comparing one or more QoS rules associated with the organization to one or more QoS rules associated with the client for the connection;

selecting one or more superior QoS rules based on said comparing;

overriding one or more QoS rules associated with the client if one or more of the selected QoS rules is superior to one or more QoS rules associated with the client for the connection; and

a network policy control module coupled to a processor configured to apply the determined one or more QoS rules to the connection.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein one or more QoS rules includes a rule regulating time periods during which a QoS level alteration is applied to the connection can be adjusted.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein one or more QoS rules includes a rule regulating an upload data transfer rate limit applied to the connection.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein one or more QoS rules includes a rule regulating a download data transfer rate limit applied to the connection.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein one or more QoS rules includes a rule regulating an amount of data that can be transmitted over the connection.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the message further includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a client device used to establish the connection.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the message includes information identifying one or more requested QoS rules to be applied to the connection.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the QoS module identifies the policy enforcement point to be used to regulate throughput for the connection.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer readable program and when the said program is executed by a processor to provide dynamic quality of service (QoS) for a connection to a virtual private network (VPN), comprising:

a listening means for enabling a processor to receive a message from an organization associated with the VPN, wherein the message includes information identifying the VPN connection, information associated with the organization and information associated with a client;

a retrieving means for enabling a processor to retrieve one or more QoS rules or metrics associated with a client based on the client'"'"'s information and the connection;

a retrieving means for enabling a processor to retrieve one or more QoS rules associated with the organization based on the organization'"'"'s information;

a determining means for enabling a processor to determine one or more QoS rules to apply to the connection further comprising of;

a comparing means for enabling a processor to compare one or more QoS rules associated with the organization to one or more QoS rules or metrics associated with the client for the connection,

a selecting means for enabling a processor to select one or more superior QoS rules based on said comparing;

an overriding means for enabling a processor to override one or more QoS rules associated with the client if the selected one or more QoS rules are superior to one or more QoS rules or metrics associated with the client;

an application means for enabling a processor to apply the determined one or more QoS rules to the connection.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, further wherein one or more QoS rules includes a rule regulating time periods during which a QoS level alteration is applied to the connection can be adjusted.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein one or more QoS rules includes a rule regulating an upload data transfer rate limit applied to the connection.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein one or more QoS rules includes a rule regulating a download data transfer rate limit applied to the connection.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein one or more QoS rules includes a rule regulating an amount of data that can be transmitted over the connection.