Methods and systems for providing switched broadband

• US 8,139,606 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Coppola, John J., Bekele, Ben G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moe, Aung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Javaid, Jamal
• Application Number:
  US11/257,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20070030860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,338 Days
• Field of Search: 370/468, 370/229, 370/389, 370/235, 370/395.21, 370/395.3, 370/395.4, 370/395.41, 705/1, 705/40, 463/42, 709/235, 709/231, 709/232, 709/233
• US Class Current: 370/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0007 by modifying the frame length
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 triggered by the network

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing switched broadband. The disclosed systems and methods may include creating a traffic signature corresponding to a network element connected to a network, the network element having a network element ID and being addressable on the network by the network element ID. Furthermore, the disclosed systems and methods may include optimizing a quality of service for the network element based on the created traffic signature.

Claims

1. A method for providing switched broadband, the method comprising:

creating a traffic signature corresponding to a network element connected to a network, the network element having a network element ID and being addressable on the network by the network element ID, the traffic signature indicating how multiple quality of service profiles that are active on the network element are performing on the network element, the multiple quality of service profiles respectively corresponding to a plurality of end-use devices connected to and being active on the network element wherein creating the traffic signature further comprises creating the traffic signature comprising a profile, at a network element level, of packet size and protocol distribution on a service class name level at a service flow level in data-over-cable service interface specification (DOCSIS); and

optimizing a quality of service for the network element based on the created traffic signature, wherein optimizing the quality of service for the network element comprises adjusting the multiple quality of service profiles to optimize services corresponding to the multiple quality of service profiles active on the network element to optimize bandwidth utilization at the network element level wherein adjusting the multiple quality of service profiles comprises giving the network element more bandwidth, providing at least one of the multiple quality of service profiles with less jitter and latency, and tweaking other quality of service parameters that yield a performance gain at the network element while optimizing the bandwidth utilization at the network element level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the traffic signature further comprises creating the traffic signature comprising a profile including at least two separate profiles, one corresponding to a first service flow level and another corresponding to a second service flow level.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the traffic signature corresponding to the network element further comprises creating the traffic signature corresponding to the network element comprising one of the following:

a cable modem, a router, a computer, a personal digital assistant, a telephone, and a communications device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the traffic signature corresponding to the network element connected to the network, the network element having the network element ID, further comprises creating the traffic signature corresponding to the network element connected to the network, the network element having the network element ID comprising one of:

a message authentication code (MAC) address, an internet protocol (IP) address, and a serial number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein optimizing the quality of service further comprises optimizing the quality of service by dynamically reallocating bandwidth on the network.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the traffic signature further comprises creating the traffic signature comprising a profile including at least two separate profiles, one corresponding to a first DOCSIS service flow level and another corresponding to a second DOCSIS service flow level.

6. A system for providing switched broadband, the system comprising:

a memory storage for maintaining a database; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to;

create a traffic signature corresponding to a network element connected to a network, the network element having a network element ID and being addressable on the network by the network element ID, the traffic signature configured to indicate how multiple quality of service profiles that are active on the network element are performing on the network element, the traffic signature comprising a profile, at a network element level, of packet size and protocol distribution on a service class name level at a service flow level in data-over-cable service interface specification (DOCSIS); and

optimize a quality of service for the network element based on the created traffic signature, wherein the processing unit being operative to optimize the quality of service for the network element comprises processing unit being operative to adjust the multiple quality of service profiles to optimize services corresponding to the multiple quality of service profiles active on the network element to optimize bandwidth utilization at the network element level wherein the processing unit being operative to adjust the multiple quality of service profiles comprises the processing unit being operative to give the network element more bandwidth, provide at least one of the multiple quality of service profiles with less jitter and latency, and tweak other quality of service parameters that yield a performance gain at the network element while optimizing the bandwidth utilization at the network element level.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processing unit being operative to create the traffic signature further comprises the processing unit being operative to create the traffic signature comprising a profile including at least two separate profiles, one corresponding to a first service flow level and another corresponding to a second service flow level.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the processing unit being operative to create the traffic signature corresponding to the network element further comprises the processing unit being operative to create the traffic signature corresponding to the network element comprising one of the following:

a cable modem, a router, a computer, a personal digital assistant, a telephone, and a communications device.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the processing unit being operative to create the traffic signature corresponding to the network element connected to the network, the network element having the network element ID, further comprises the processing unit being operative to create the traffic signature corresponding to the network element connected to the network, the network element having the network element ID comprising one of:

a message authentication code (MAC) address, an internet protocol (IP) address, and a serial number.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the processing unit being operative to optimize the quality of service further comprises the processing unit being operative to optimize the quality of service by dynamically reallocate bandwidth on the network.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a computer-readable medium for providing switched broadband, the computer-readable medium executed by the set of instructions comprising:

creating a traffic signature corresponding to a network element connected to a network, the network element having a network element ID and being addressable on the network by the network element ID, the traffic signature indicating how multiple quality of service profiles that are active on the network element are performing on the network element wherein creating the traffic signature further comprises creating the traffic signature comprising a profile, at a network element level, of protocol distribution and packet size on a service class name level at a service flow level in data-over-cable service interface specification (DOCSIS); and

optimizing a quality of service for the network element based on the created traffic signature, wherein optimizing the quality of service for the network element comprises adjusting the multiple quality of service profiles to optimize services corresponding to the multiple quality of service profiles active on the network element to optimize bandwidth utilization at the network element level wherein adjusting the multiple quality of service profiles comprises giving the network element more bandwidth, providing at least one of the multiple quality of service profiles with less jitter and latency, and tweaking other quality of service parameters that yield a performance gain at the network element while optimizing the bandwidth utilization at the network element level.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein creating the traffic signature further comprises creating the traffic signature comprising the profile, at the network element level, of packet size.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein creating the traffic signature further comprises creating the traffic signature comprising a profile including at least two separate profiles, one corresponding to a first service flow level and another corresponding to a second service flow level.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein creating the traffic signature corresponding to the network element further comprises creating the traffic signature corresponding to the network element comprising one of the following:

a cable modem, a router, a computer, a personal digital assistant, a telephone, and a communications device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein creating the traffic signature corresponding to the network element connected to the network, the network element having the network element ID, further comprises creating the traffic signature corresponding to the network element connected to the network, the network element having the network element ID comprising one of:

a message authentication code (MAC) address, an internet protocol (IP) address, and a serial number.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein optimizing the quality of service further comprises optimizing the quality of service by dynamically reallocate bandwidth on the network.