Method and system of assigning access connections

• US 7,907,521 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2007
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BCE Incorporated
• Original Assignee: BCE Incorporated
• Inventors: Baines, Jeffrey F., Haarsma, Michael B., Côté, Benoit, Virgilio, Angelo
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson; Robert W
• Application Number:
  US11/961,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20080151748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers

Abstract

A method and system for load balancing network access solutions, for example Provider Edger (PE) routers and network interface cards within said routers, based on characteristics of the destination device to which the assigned network access solutions connect. This enables a service provider to load balance access connections of a particular customer across a number of different network access solutions, based on who the customer is and where the customer is located. In addition, such a system can balance network access solutions based on capacity and utilization of the network access solutions.

Claims

1. A method of assigning a network access solution to satisfy a connection request to a Customer Edge (CE) device comprising:

a) evaluating a characteristic of said CE device;

b) determining potential network access solutions to satisfy the request;

c) determining the number of CE devices with said characteristic which are already connected to each of said potential network access solutions;

d) determining the network utilization of each of said potential network access solutions, including receiving information from a database, said database updated on a regular basis with network availability and status information; and

e) assigning a network access solution to said CE device which balances equalizing the network utilization across the potential network access solutions with minimizing the number of CE devices with said characteristic connected to each of said potential network access solutions.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said characteristic comprises at least one of (i) an identity of the customer associated with said customer device and (ii) a location of the customer device.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said characteristic comprises technical characteristics of said CE device.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining the number of CE devices with said characteristic which are already connected to each of said potential network access solutions comprises receiving information from a database which stores data pertaining to customer allocation of network access solutions.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein assigning a network access solution to said CE device which balances equalizing the network utilization across the potential network access solutions with minimizing the number of CE devices with said characteristic connected to each of said potential network access solutions comprises:

determining which of the potential network access solutions have the least number of connections to a CE device with said characteristic; and

a) in the event there is a single network access solution with said least number, assigning said network access solutions to satisfy the request; and

b) in the event there is a plurality of network access solutions with said least number, assigning a network access solution from said plurality of network access solutions based on a criteria.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein said criteria comprises assigning the network access solution with the lowest network utilization of said plurality of network access solutions.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein determining which of the potential network access solutions have the least number of connections to a CE device with said characteristic comprises determining which Provider Edge router has said least number of connections and wherein said criteria comprises, assigning a network interface card with the least number of connections to said CE device with said characteristic.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein assigning a network access solution to said CE device which balances equalizing the network utilization across the potential network access solutions with minimizing the number of CE devices with said characteristic connected to each of said potential network access solutions comprises selecting potential network access solutions which have a network utilization below a first threshold and a number of CE devices with said characteristic which are already connected to said potential network access solutions below a second threshold.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising, in the event a characteristic of said CE device is a customer requirement for redundant connections between each CE device and a plurality of network access solutions, assigning at least one additional network access solution to satisfy said request.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein assigning at least one additional network access solution to satisfy said request comprises selecting said additional network access solution from a different PE router than a PE router containing the assigned network access solution.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the PE router containing the assigned network access solution and said different PE router are not co-located.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein assigning a network access solution to said CE device which balances equalizing the network utilization across the potential network access solutions with minimizing the number of CE devices with said characteristic connected to each of said potential network access solutions further comprises selecting said assigned network access solution and said additional network access solution so as to maximize network utilization.

13. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein assigning a network access solution to said CE device which balances equalizing the network utilization across the potential network access solutions with minimizing the number of CE devices with said characteristic connected to each of said potential network access solutions further comprises selecting said assigned network access solution and said additional network access solution so as to maximize network utilization provided the number of CE devices with said characteristic which are already connected to each of said assigned network access solution and said at least one additional network access solution does not exceed a threshold.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein determining potential network access solutions to satisfy the request comprises determining potential Provider Edge routers to satisfy the request, and wherein assigning a network access solution to said CE device which balances equalizing the network utilization across the potential network access solutions with minimizing the number of CE devices with said characteristic connected to each of said potential network access solutions comprises assigning a network interface card from one of said potential Provider Edge routers.

15. An Inventory and Assignment tool for assigning a network access solution to satisfy a connection request to a Customer Edge (CE) device comprising:

a customer rules and assignments database;

a server interacting with the customer rules and assignments database, to cause a processor in the server to execute steps of;

evaluating a characteristic of said CE device;

determining potential network access solutions to satisfy the request;

determining the number of CE devices with said characteristic which are already connected to each of said potential network access solutions;

determining the network utilization of each of said potential network access solutions, including receiving information from a database, said database updated on a regular basis with network availability and status information; and

assigning a network access solution to said CE device which balances equalizing the network utilization across the potential network access solutions with minimizing the number of CE devices with said characteristic connected to each of said potential network access solutions.

16. The Inventory and Assignment tool as claimed in claim 15 wherein said characteristic comprises at least one of (i) an identity of the customer associated with said customer device and (ii) a location of the customer device.

17. The Inventory and Assignment tool as claimed in claim 15 wherein said characteristic comprises a technical characteristic of the CE device.

18. The Inventory and Assignment tool as claimed in claim 15, wherein determining the number of CE devices with said characteristic which are already connected to each of said potential network access solutions comprises receiving information from a database which stores data pertaining to customer allocation of network access solutions.

19. The Inventory and Assignment tool as claimed in claim 15, wherein assigning a network access solution to said CE device which balances equalizing the network utilization across the potential network access solutions with minimizing the number of CE devices with said characteristic connected to each of said potential network access solutions comprises steps of:

determining which of the potential network access solutions have the least number of connections to a CE device with said characteristic; and

in the event there is a single network access solution with said least number, assigning said network access solutions to satisfy the request; and

in the event there is a plurality of network access solutions with said least number, assigning a network access solution from said plurality of network access solutions based on a criteria.

20. The Inventory and Assignment tool as claimed in claim 19 wherein said criteria comprises assigning the network access solution with the lowest network utilization of said plurality of network access solutions.

21. The Inventory and Assignment tool as claimed in claim 19 wherein said determining which of the potential network access solutions have the least number of connections to a CE device with said characteristic comprises determining which Provider Edge router has said least number of connections and wherein said criteria comprises, assigning a network interface card with the least number of connections to said CE device with said characteristic.

22. The Inventory and Assignment tool as claimed in claim 15, wherein assigning a network access solution to said CE device which balances equalizing the network utilization across the potential network access solutions with minimizing the number of CE devices with said characteristic connected to each of said potential network access solutions comprises selecting potential network access solutions which have a network utilization below a first threshold and a number of CE devices with said characteristic which are already connected to said potential network access solutions below a second threshold.

23. The Inventory and Assignment tool as claimed in claim 15, further comprising assigning at least one additional network access solution to satisfy said request in the event a characteristic of said CE device is a customer requirement for redundant connections between each CE device and a plurality of network access solutions.

24. The Inventory and Assignment tool as claimed in claim 23 wherein assigning at least one additional network access solution to satisfy said request comprises selecting said additional network access solution from a different PE router than a PE router containing the assigned network access solution.

25. The Inventory and Assignment tool as claimed in claim 24, wherein the PE router containing the assigned network access solution and said different PE router are not co-located.

26. The Inventory and Assignment tool as claimed in claim 23 wherein assigning a network access solution to said CE device which balances equalizing the network utilization across the potential network access solutions with minimizing the number of CE devices with said characteristic connected to each of said potential network access solutions further comprises selecting said assigned network access solution and said additional network access solution so as to maximize network utilization.

27. The Inventory and Assignment tool as claimed in claim 23 wherein assigning a network access solution to said CE device which balances equalizing the network utilization across the potential network access solutions with minimizing the number of CE devices with said characteristic connected to each of said potential network access solutions further comprises selecting said assigned network access solution and said additional network access solution so as to maximize network utilization provided the number of CE devices with said characteristic which are already connected to each of said assigned network access solution and said network access solution does not exceed a threshold.

28. The Inventory and Assignment tool as claimed in claim 15, wherein determining potential network access solutions to satisfy the request comprises determining potential Provider Edge routers to satisfy the request, and wherein assigning a network access solution to said CE device which balances equalizing the network utilization across the potential network access solutions with minimizing the number of CE devices with said characteristic connected to each of said potential network access solutions comprises assigning a network interface card from one of said potential Provider Edge routers.

29. A non-transitory machine readable medium containing executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause said processor to carry out assigning a network access solution to satisfy a connection request to a Customer Edge (CE) device comprising steps of:

i. evaluating a characteristic of said CE device;

ii. determining potential network access solutions to satisfy the request;

iii. determining the number of CE devices with said characteristic which are already connected to each of said potential network access solutions, including receiving information from a database, said database updated on a regular basis with network availability and status information;

iv. determining the network utilization of each of said potential network access solutions; and

v. assigning a network access solution to said CE device which balances equalizing the network utilization across the potential network access solutions with minimizing the number of CE devices with said characteristic connected to each of said potential network access solutions.