Method and apparatus for assigning and allocating network resources to packet-based virtual private networks

• US 8,199,773 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2010
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockstar Bidco LP (Rockstar Consortium Inc.)
• Inventors: Shew, Stephen, Betts, Malcolm, Aubin, Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hanh
• Application Number:
  US12/857,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20100309927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 370/468, 370/395.21, 370/352, 370230-235, 370397-399, 37039541-39543, 370/466, 709/215, 709/219, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 709/223, 709/225, 709/226, 709/227, 709/228
• US Class Current: 370/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• 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 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• 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 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling bandwidth in a Virtual Private Network assigns and allocates transmission bandwidth to packet VPNs for either connectionless or connection-oriented communication. The method creates two views of transmission facilities: a user plane view and a control plane view. In the user plane view, the bandwidth of the transmission facility is split into quantified and identified partitions. In the control plane view, transmission facilities are represented as logical links forming a topology that can be used for the purpose of routing the VPN. The two views are tied together by assigning user plane partitions to VPN control plane links. As a result, the allocation of bandwidth to VPNs becomes a controllable and viewable entity, thereby facilitating management and QoS provisioning in a VPN network.

Claims

1. A method of operating a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for a customer, comprising:

representing, by a network element comprising a processor, the VPN as a plurality of VPN logical links in a network, each VPN logical link corresponding to a respective transmission facility of a plurality of transmission facilities, each of the transmission facilities having a total bandwidth apportioned into one or more partitions;

providing, by a service provider to the customer, access to configuration information maintained by the service provider that identifies which of the one or more partitions of a particular transmission facility are assigned to the particular VPN logical link corresponding to the particular transmission facility, wherein the customer is enabled to alter the configuration information to assign at least one partition of the particular transmission facility to the particular VPN logical link;

and

providing to the customer an indication of utilization of bandwidth by the at least one partition associated with the customer.

2. The method according to claim 1, further including the steps of:

identifying a transmission facility in the network; and

partitioning the bandwidth of each identified transmission facility in the network.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising apportioning the total bandwidth into the one or more partitions dynamically upon receipt of a VPN generation request.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein multiple VPN logical links share the use of a common partition of a transmission facility.

5. A network device operable by a service provider to control a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service, the network device comprising:

a computer-readable medium storing;

a transmission facility database operable to store bandwidth partition information for at least one transmission facility; and

a VPN map operable to map a VPN logical link of a VPN to one or more partitions of at least one transmission facility; and

a processor operable;

to retrieve information from the computer-readable medium to control the generation of a VPN path, the VPN path comprising the at least one VPN logical link associated with the at least one transmission facility, the at least one transmission facility having a total bandwidth apportioned into the one or more partitions;

to provide access to the VPN map by a customer associated with the VPN, wherein the customer is enabled to alter the VPN map to assign at least one partition of the one or more partitions to the VPN logical link; and

to provide, to the customer, based on the transmission facility database and the VPN map, an indication of utilization of bandwidth of the at least one partition.

6. A method of operating a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for a customer across a transmission facility, the transmission facility having a total bandwidth apportioned into at least one partition, the method comprising:

receiving, by a network element comprising a processor, at the transmission facility a VPN identifier and a partition identifier associated with the VPN;

enabling the customer to assign the at least one partition of the total bandwidth of the transmission facility to a respective VPN logical link associated with the customer;

controlling forwarding of packets by the VPN in accordance with a bandwidth of the at least one partition; and

providing to the customer an indication of utilization of bandwidth of the at least one partition associated with the customer.