System and method for tracking performance and service level agreement compliance for multipoint packet services

• US 7,983,189 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2009
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bugenhagen, Michael K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo; Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zaidi; Iqbal
• Application Number:
  US12/381,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20090257359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 370200-253, 370/395, 709224-226
• US Class Current: 370/253
• 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 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5032 Generating service level reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/13 in a LAN segment, e.g. ring or bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/22 Traffic shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2425 for supporting services specification, e.g. SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation

Abstract

A system and method for measuring compliance with a service level agreement for communications. A threshold is set for a core information rate and a user network interface core information rate operable to avoid contention. Frame loss is measured on a core network and legs of the network. A determination is made that the service loss agreement is noncompliant in response to determining there is frame loss and a user network interface core information rate has not been exceeded or the core committed information rate has not been exceeded.

Claims

1. A method for measuring compliance with a service level agreement (SLA) for communications, the method comprising:

setting a committed information rate (CIR) operable to avoid contention, wherein the CIR includes a UNI CIR and a core CIR, and wherein the UNI CIR equals a UNI bandwidth divided by a plurality of UNIs in communication with one another minus one;

determining there is frame loss on the network;

determining if the CIR is exceeded in response to the determined frame loss;

determining that a service is noncompliant with the SLA in response to determining the CIR has not been exceeded and there is frame loss on the network; and

logging noncompliance of the service with the SLA.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the SLA indicates bandwidth guarantees for the core and the legs of the network, and wherein one or more users is alerted of a noncompliance of the service with the SLA.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is a network configured for Metro Ethernet communications.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the frame loss is acceptable and the SLA is considered to be compliant in response to determining that frame loss occurs and the UNI CIR or the core CIR are exceeded.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the CIR is not exceeded when throughput has not reached a maximum limit on either end of a UNI pair.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the setting, determining steps, and logging is performed by a UNI.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the setting, determining steps, and logging is performed by customer premise equipment.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the UNI includes a UNI CIR for each of a plurality of customers.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of customers has a SLA.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

measuring the traffic utilization and CIR utilization for the plurality of customers; and

determining the compliance state of the SLA for the plurality of customers.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

activating an alarm state in response to determining the SLA is noncompliant.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

recording network information in response to the alarm state being activated.

13. A system for measuring compliance with a SLA, the system comprising:

a UNI operable to communicate with a plurality of UNIs;

a network operable to communicate packets between the UNI and the plurality of UNIs; and

a monitoring device in communication with the UNI operable to determine frame loss on a core of the network and legs of the network, the monitoring device being further operable to determine that the network is noncompliant with the SLA in response to the determined frame loss and further in response to a determination that a CIR has not been exceeded, wherein the CIR includes a UNI CIR and a core CIR, and the monitoring device being further operable to log the network is noncompliant with the SLA, wherein the UNI CIR equals a UNI bandwidth divided by a plurality of UNIs in communication with one another minus one.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the monitoring device is the UNI, and wherein the UNI CIR is not exceeded when throughput has not reached a maximum threshold on either end of a UNI pair.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the network provides E-LAN services, wherein each of the plurality of UNIs corresponds to a CIR for a plurality of customers, and wherein each of the plurality of customers has an SLA.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the frame loss is acceptable and the SLA is considered to be compliant in response to determining that frame loss occurs and further in response to determining the UNI CIR or the core CIR are exceeded, and wherein the UNI and the plurality of UNIs are associated with a CIR.

17. A UNI operable to determine compliance with an SLA comprising:

a processor for executing a set of instructions; and

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory operable to store the set of instructions, wherein the set of instructions are operable to;

set a threshold for a committed information rate (CIR) operable to avoid contention, wherein the CIR further includes a UNI CIR and a core CIR, and wherein the UNI CIR equals a UNI bandwidth divided by a plurality of UNIs in communication with one another minus one;

determine frame loss on a core of a network and legs of the network;

determine if the CIR is exceeded in response to the determined frame loss;

determine that a service is noncompliant with the SLA in response to determining the CIR has not been exceeded, wherein the frame loss is acceptable and the service is compliant with the SLA in response to determining that frame loss occurs and the UNI CIR or the core CIR are exceeded; and

log instances of noncompliance of the service with the SLA.

18. The UNI according to claim 17, wherein the network provides E-LAN services, wherein each of the plurality of UNIs corresponds to a CIR for a plurality of customers, and wherein each of the plurality of customers has an SLA.

19. The UNI according to claim 17, wherein the UNI CIR is not exceeded when throughput has not reached a maximum threshold on either end of a UNI pair.

20. The UNI according to claim 17, wherein the SLA indicates bandwidth guarantees for the core and the legs of the network, and wherein one or more users is alerted of a noncompliance of the service with the SLA.