Method, system and computer program product for providing Ethernet VLAN capacity requirement estimation

• US 8,219,696 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2009
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gilmartin, Neil, Wright, Steven Allan
• Primary Examiner(s): HOANG, HIEU T
• Application Number:
  US12/604,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20100046525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-226, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/229
• 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 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2425 for supporting services specification, e.g. SLA

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for providing VLAN capacity requirement estimation is provided. The method includes receiving at a computing system a VLAN configuration file that specifies VLAN access ports, VLAN switches and VLAN trunks in a VLAN. A target access port identifier is received at the computing system from a requestor. A target trunk and target switch corresponding to the target access port are determined at the computing system. A bandwidth contribution of the target access port to the VLAN is calculated at the computing system. The calculating is based on a least contribution algorithm that reflects an impact of provisioning the target access port with respect to trunk capacity, and is responsive to the target bandwidth requirement, the target class of service and placement of the target port in the VLAN. The bandwidth contribution is then transmitted to the requestor.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for providing virtual local area network capacity requirement estimation, the method comprising:

receiving at a computing system an identification of virtual local area network access ports, virtual local area network switches and virtual local area network trunks in a virtual local area network;

determining at the computing system a target trunk and a target switch corresponding to a target access port, wherein the target trunk corresponds to one of the virtual local area network trunks and the target switch corresponds to one of the virtual local area network switches;

calculating at the computing system a bandwidth contribution of the target access port to the virtual local area network,

wherein calculating the bandwidth contribution of the target access port to the virtual local area network includes;

splitting the virtual local area network into two portions based on location of the virtual local area network switches relative to the target trunk, wherein one portion includes the target access port and is an access port side and the other portion is a non-access port side;

calculating a current access port side bandwidth requirement responsive to the virtual local area network;

calculating a potential access port side bandwidth requirement responsive to the virtual local area network and to the target access port;

calculating a current non-access port side bandwidth requirement responsive to the virtual local area network; and

determining the bandwidth contribution of the target access sort by subtracting a minimum of the current access port side bandwidth requirement compared to the current non-access port side bandwidth requirement from the minimum of the potential access port side bandwidth requirement compared to the current non-access port side bandwidth requirement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a target capacity counter corresponds to the target trunk, and the method further comprises:

adding the bandwidth contribution to the target capacity counter corresponding to the target trunk resulting in a target capacity; and

transmitting an alert in response to the target capacity exceeding a target threshold corresponding to the target trunk.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the target threshold is an alarm threshold.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the target threshold is a cut-off threshold.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising updating the target capacity counter with the target capacity and adding the target access port to the virtual local area network in response to the target capacity not exceeding the target threshold.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the target threshold varies based on a target class of service.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the target capacity varies based on a target class of service.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the target class of service is best effort.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the target class of service is committed bandwidth.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the target class of service is priority plus.

11. A system for providing virtual local area network capacity requirement estimation, the system comprising:

a storage device storing a virtual local area network configuration database specifying virtual local area network access ports, virtual local area network switches and virtual local area network trunks in a virtual local area network;

a host system in communication with the storage device and in communication with a user system via a network, the host system including application software to implement a method comprising;

accessing the virtual local area network configuration database;

determining a target trunk and a target switch corresponding to a target access port, wherein the target trunk corresponds to one of the virtual local area network trunks and the target switch corresponds to one of the virtual local area network switches in the virtual local area network;

calculating a bandwidth contribution of the target access port to the virtual local area network,

wherein calculating the bandwidth contribution of the target access port to the virtual local area network includes;

splitting the virtual local area network into two portions based on location of the virtual local area network switches relative to the target trunk, wherein one portion includes the target access port and is an access port side and the other portion is a non-access port side;

calculating a current access port side bandwidth requirement responsive to the virtual local area network;

calculating a potential access port side bandwidth requirement responsive to the virtual local area network and to the target access port;

calculating a current non-access port side bandwidth requirement responsive to the virtual local area network; and

determining the bandwidth contribution of the target access port by subtracting a minimum of the current access port side bandwidth requirement compared to the current non-access sort side bandwidth requirement from the minimum of the potential access port side bandwidth requirement compared to the current non-access port side bandwidth requirement.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein a target capacity counter corresponds to the target trunk, and the method further comprises:

adding the bandwidth contribution to the target capacity counter corresponding to the target trunk resulting in a target capacity; and

transmitting an alert in response to the target capacity exceeding a target threshold corresponding to the target trunk.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising updating the target capacity counter with the target capacity and adding the target access port to the virtual local area network in response to the target capacity not exceeding the target threshold.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the target threshold varies based on a target class of service.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the target capacity varies based on a target class of service.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the network includes an intranet.

17. A computer program product for providing virtual local area network capacity requirement estimation, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory, tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for facilitating a method comprising;

receiving a virtual local area network configuration file specifying virtual local area network access ports, virtual local area network switches and virtual local area network trunks in a virtual local area network;

determining a target trunk and a target switch corresponding to a target access port, wherein the target trunk corresponds to one of the virtual local area network trunks and the target switch corresponds to one of the virtual local area network switches in the virtual local area network;

calculating a bandwidth contribution of the target access port to the virtual local area network,

wherein calculating the bandwidth contribution of the target access port to the virtual local area network includes;

splitting the virtual local area network into two portions based on location of the virtual local area network switches relative to the target trunk, wherein one portion includes the target access port and is an access sort side and the other portion is a non-access port side;

calculating a current access port side bandwidth requirement responsive to the virtual local area network;

calculating a potential access port side bandwidth requirement responsive to the virtual local area network and to the target access port;

calculating a current non-access port side bandwidth requirement responsive to the virtual local area network; and

determining the bandwidth contribution of the target access port by subtracting a minimum of the current access s ort side bandwidth requirement compared to the current non-access port side bandwidth requirement from the minimum of the potential access port side bandwidth requirement compared to the current non-access port side bandwidth requirement.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein a target capacity counter corresponds to the target trunk, and the method further comprises:

adding the bandwidth contribution to the target capacity counter corresponding to the target trunk resulting in a target capacity; and

transmitting an alert in response to the target capacity exceeding a target threshold corresponding to the target trunk.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising updating the target capacity counter with the target capacity and adding the target access port to the virtual local area network in response to the target capacity not exceeding the target threshold.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the target threshold varies based on the target class of service and the target capacity varies based on the target class of service.