Method for controlling resources in network elements of a telecommunication network

• US 8,218,441 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2006
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile International AG (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile International AG (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Esseling, Ute, Koppenborg, Stefan, Lehser, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Faroul, Farah
• Application Number:
  US11/996,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20090154402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,189 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/389, 370/392, 370/236, 370/252, 370400-401, 455/450
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2483 involving identification of individual flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling resources in network elements of a communication network, in particular a data network or a mobile data network. The idea of the invention is the use of a data packet inspection for the Quality of Service (QoS) control in telecommunication networks. Based on information obtained from data packets, a network resource corresponding to the content of each data packet is provided in the network elements. A dynamic allowance for services and customer classes or quality and resource control is a novel possibility by means of the above application of packet inspection.

Claims

1. A method for controlling resources in system elements (20, 21, 22, 24) of a telecommunication system in the transmission of data packets (30, 40, 50) or data flows between the telecommunication network (21, 22, 24) and a subscriber end unit (20), comprising the steps of:

inspecting, in at least one system element (20, 21, 22, 24), each arriving data packet (30, 40, 50),

classifying each arriving data packet in accordance with its importance in a quality of service class,

forwarding the classification of the quality of service class in accordance with the importance of the data packet by signalling to other system elements involved in the transmission, wherein on the basis of this signalling, the system elements involved perform a dynamic resource control of the transmission,

controlling the connection and resources based on the properties of a logical packet connection in form of a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) Context and the identification of individual data packets within the packet connection,

dynamically adapting the priorities based on the data packet identification, and inspecting in each data packet whether an additional adaptation of the quality parameters for the logical connection is necessary, wherein the additional adaptation is effected only when guaranteed quality parameters for the connection have changed,

wherein rules for classifying a data packet or data flow in accordance with its importance are stored in memory in a set of rules (27) in the system element that is responsible for the inspection, the rules configured to differ between different quality of service classes,

wherein rules for converting the signalled importance of a data packet or of a data flow in the involved system elements are stored in memory in a collection of guidelines (28), and

wherein the set of rules (27) and the collection of guidelines (28) are configurable by a network operator with respect to the inspection, signaling, and conversion, in accordance with the ascertained service and the customer class.

2. The method as defined by claim 1, wherein the identification is defined by a classification that is performed in a system element and that is signalled to further network elements involved via an identification.

3. A method for controlling resources in system elements (20, 21, 22, 24) of a telecommunication system in the transmission of data packets (30, 40, 50) or data flows between the telecommunication network (21, 22, 24) and a subscriber end unit (20), comprising the steps of:

inspecting, in at least one system element (20, 21, 22, 24), each arriving data packet (30, 40, 50),

classifying each arriving data packet in accordance with its importance in a quality of service class,

forwarding the classification of the quality of service class in accordance with the importance of the data packet by signalling to other system elements involved in the transmission, wherein on the basis of this signalling, the system elements involved perform a dynamic resource control of the transmission,

controlling the connection and the resources based on the properties of a logical packet connection in form of a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) Context and the identification of individual data packets within the packet connection,

dynamically adapting the priorities based on the data packet identification, and inspecting in each data packet whether an additional adaptation of the quality parameters for the logical connection is necessary, wherein the additional adaptation is effected only when guaranteed quality parameters for the connection has changed,

wherein rules for classifying a data packet or data flow in accordance with its importance are stored in memory in a set of rules (27) in the system element that is responsible for the inspection, the rules configured to differ between different quality of service classes,

wherein rules for converting the signalled importance of a data packet or of a data flow in the involved system elements are stored in memory in a collection of guidelines (28), and

wherein the set of rules (27) and the collection of guidelines (28) are configurable by a network operator with respect to the inspection, signaling, and conversion, in accordance with the ascertained service and the customer class, and

wherein the identification is defined by a classification that takes place independently in individual system elements or in each system element involved.

4. A method for controlling resources in system elements (20, 21, 22, 24) of a telecommunication system in the transmission of data packets (30, 40, 50) or data flows between the telecommunication network (21, 22, 24) and a subscriber end unit (20), comprising the steps of:

inspecting, in at least one system element (20, 21, 22, 24), each arriving data packet (30, 40, 50),

classifying each arriving data packet in accordance with its importance in a quality of service class,

forwarding the classification of the quality of service class in accordance with the importance of the data packet by signalling to other system elements involved in the transmission, wherein on the basis of this signalling, the system elements involved perform a dynamic resource control of the transmission,

controlling the connection and the resources based on the properties of a logical packet connection in form of a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) Context and the identification of individual data packets within the packet connection,

dynamically adapting the priorities based on the data packet identification, and inspecting in each data packet whether an additional adaptation of the quality parameters for the logical connection is necessary, wherein the additional adaptation is effected only when guaranteed quality parameters for the connection have changed, and wherein in the inspection of the data packet, its quality of service class or QoS class is determined, and on the basis of the quality of service class ascertained, an adaptation of the logical connection between the RADIUS system and the subscriber end unit to the quality of service class is performed.

5. A method for controlling resources in system elements (20, 21, 22, 24) of a telecommunication system in the transmission of data packets (30, 40, 50) or data flows between the telecommunication network (21, 22, 24) and a subscriber end unit (20), comprising the steps of:

inspecting, in at least one system element (20, 21, 22, 24), each arriving data packet (30, 40, 50),

classifying each arriving data packet in accordance with its importance in a quality of service class, said classification taking place independently in at least one of said at least one system elements or in each system element involved,

forwarding the classification of the quality of service class in accordance with the importance of the data packet by signalling to other system elements involved in the transmission, wherein on the basis of this signalling, the system elements involved perform a dynamic resource control of the transmission,

controlling the connection and the resources based on the properties of a logical packet connection in form of a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) Context and the identification of individual data packets within the packet connection,

dynamically adapting the priorities based on the data packet identification, and inspecting in each data packet whether an additional adaptation of the quality parameters for the logical connection is necessary, wherein the additional adaptation is effected only when guaranteed quality parameters for the connection have changed, and

wherein in the inspection of the data packet, its quality of service class or QoS class is determined;

the header of the data packet is overwritten with the quality of service class ascertained; and

in the system elements involved, the written-in quality of service class is evaluated and used for controlling the data packet.

6. A method for controlling resources in system elements (20, 21, 22, 24) of a telecommunication system in the transmission of data packets (30, 40, 50) or data flows between the telecommunication network (21, 22, 24) and a subscriber end unit (20), comprising the steps of:

inspecting, in at least one system element (20, 21, 22, 24), each arriving data packet (30, 40, 50),

classifying each arriving data packet in accordance with its importance in a quality of service class,

forwarding the classification of the quality of service class in accordance with the importance of the data packet by signalling to other system elements involved in the transmission, wherein on the basis of this signalling, the system elements involved perform a dynamic resource control of the transmission,

controlling the connection and the resources based on the properties of a logical packet connection in form of a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) Context and the identification of individual data packets within the packet connection,

dynamically adapting the priorities via the data packet identification, and inspecting in each data packet whether an additional adaptation of the quality parameters for the logical connection is necessary, wherein the additional adaptation is effected only when guaranteed quality parameters for the connection has changed, and

wherein in each system element involved the quality of service class or QoS class of the data packet is determined, and each system element uses the quality of service class ascertained for controlling the data packet in the forwarding to a different system element.

7. A telecommunication system with improved control of resources in system elements (20, 21, 22, 24) in the transmission of data packets (30, 40, 50) or data flows between the system elements (21, 22, 24) and a subscriber end unit (20), comprising:

inspection means, present in at least one system element (20, 21, 22, 24), for inspecting each arriving data packet (30, 40, 50) and for classifying the data packet in accordance with its importance in a quality of service class,

means for signalling the classification of the data packet in accordance with the importance to other system elements and involved in the transmission, and

means in the system elements involved for performing a dynamic resource control of the transmission, on the basis of this signalling,

by controlling the connection and the resources based on the properties of a logical packet connection in form of a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) Context and the identification of individual data packets within the packet connection, and

dynamically adapting the priorities via the data packet identification, and inspecting in each data packet whether an additional adaptation of the quality parameters for the logical connection is necessary, wherein the additional adaptation is effected only when guaranteed quality parameters for the connection has changed,

a non-transitory memory located in the system element that is responsible for the inspection, for storing a set of rules (27) for classifying a data packet or data flow in accordance with its importance, and a collection of guidelines (28) providing rules for converting the signalled importance of a data packet or of a data flow in the involved system elements, the rules configured to differ between different quality of service classes, and

wherein the set of rules (27) and the collection of guidelines (28) are configurable by a network operator with respect to the inspection, signaling, and conversion, in accordance with the ascertained service and the customer class.