Adjusting network service level based on usage

• US 8,589,524 B1
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TW Telecom Holdings Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sella, William Thomas, Caputo, Pete Joseph II, Sella, James Michael, Teets, Harold Wayne, Ewert, Travis Duane
• Primary Examiner(s): DENNISON, JERRY B
• Application Number:
  US13/943,690
• Time in Patent Office: 126 Days
• Field of Search: 709/221
• US Class Current: 709/221
• 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 41/5041 characterised by the time relationship between creation and deployment of a service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level

Abstract

A user of a network service (such as an Ethernet e-line) can specify rules defining changes to the network service under particular usage conditions (for example threshold bandwidth utilization). The network'"'"'s usage is monitored. When particular usage conditions are detected, the network service is evaluated to determine what switches need to be configured and how to configure them. The switches are configured accordingly. When the usage conditions no longer exist, the switches are re-configured to their original service level.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for adjusting capacity on a network, the network including a plurality of interconnected switching devices, comprising:

(a) receiving an input that identifies a network connectivity service provisioned to a user at an initial service level and a rule specifying;

(i) a usage metric for the network connectivity service, (ii) a condition for assessing the usage metric, and (iii) a manner for determining a new service level of the network connectivity service, the network connectivity service providing a dedicated network connection between at least two locations;

(b) identifying which of the plurality of interconnected switching devices on the network need to be configured to alter the initial service level of the network connectivity service;

(c) monitoring the network to repeatedly evaluate the usage metric;

(d) determining that the usage metric satisfies the condition;

when the condition is determined to be satisfied in (d);

(e) determining the new service level of the network connectivity service in the manner specified in the rule; and

(f) configuring each of the interconnected switching devices identified in (b) to provide the new service level.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of the initial and new service levels is a bandwidth level for the network connectivity service to provide across the network between the at least two locations.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

(g) determining that the usage metric no longer satisfies the condition;

(h) when the condition is determined not to be satisfied in (g), configuring each of the interconnected switching devices identified in (b) to provide the initial service level.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the manner for determining the new service level defined in the rule is to set the new service level to a predefined bandwidth level, and

wherein the configuring (e) comprises configuring each of the interconnected switching devices identified in (b) to provide the predefined bandwidth level.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the manner for determining a new service level defined in the rule is to calculate a new bandwidth based on the usage metric,

wherein the determining (e) comprises calculating, in the manner defined in the rule, a new bandwidth based the usage metric evaluated in (c), and

wherein the configuring (h) comprises setting policers on each of the interconnected switching devices identified in (b) to the new bandwidth.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the condition for assessing the usage metric defined in the rule is to determine whether a ratio of the usage metric to an amount of usage allowed under the initial service level meets or exceeds a threshold,

wherein the determining (d) comprises:

determining whether a ratio of the usage metric to amount of usage allowed under the initial service level meets or exceeds a predefined threshold; and

determining that the usage metric satisfies the condition when the ratio is determined to meet or exceed a predefined threshold.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the input specifies a second rule that includes (i) a second condition for assessing whether a second ratio of the usage metric to an amount of usage allowed under the initial service level is below a second predefined threshold, and (ii) a second manner for reducing service level of the network connectivity service, and further comprising:

(g) determining that the second ratio of the usage metric to an amount of usage allowed under the new service level is below the second predefined threshold;

when the second condition is determined to be satisfied in (g);

(h) determining a reduced service level of the network connectivity service in the second manner specified in the second rule; and

(i) configuring each of the interconnected switching devices identified in (b) to provide the reduced service level;

(j) repeating steps (c)-(i) to dynamically flex a service level of the network connectivity service up and down according to usage needs.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the initial and new service levels are latency levels.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the manner for determining a new service level defined in the rule is to set the new service level to comply with a service level agreement for a particular type of traffic.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the usage metric satisfies the condition comprises determining whether a moving average of bandwidth utilized on the network connectivity service exceeds a threshold for a predefined duration.

11. A system for adjusting capacity on a network, the network including a plurality of interconnected switching devices, comprising:

a user interface module that receives an input that identifies a network connectivity service provisioned to a user at an initial service level and a rule specifying;

(i) a usage metric for the network connectivity service, (ii) a condition for assessing the usage metric, and (iii) a manner for determining a new service level of the network connectivity service, the network connectivity service providing a dedicated network connection between at least two locations;

a service lookup module that identifies which of the plurality of interconnected switching devices on the network need to be configured to alter the initial service level of the network connectivity service;

a monitor module that monitors the network to repeatedly evaluate the usage metric;

a condition module that determines that the usage metric satisfies the condition;

a usage module that, when the condition is determined to be satisfied, determines the new service level of the network connectivity service in the manner specified in the rule; and

a provisioning module that, when the condition module determines that the condition is satisfied, configures each of the interconnected switching devices identified to provide the new service level.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the initial and new service levels is a bandwidth level for the network connectivity service to provide across the network between the at least two locations.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the condition module determines that the usage metric no longer satisfies the condition, and

wherein the provisioning module, when the when the condition is determined not to be satisfied by the condition module, configures each of the interconnected switching devices identified by the service lookup module to provide the initial service level.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the manner for determining the new service level defined in the rule is to set the new service level to a predefined bandwidth level, and

wherein the provisioning module configures each of the interconnected switching devices to provide the predefined bandwidth level.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the manner for determining a new service level defined in the rule is to calculate a new bandwidth based on the usage metric,

wherein the usage module calculates, in the manner defined in the rule, a new bandwidth based the usage metric evaluated in (c), and

wherein the provisioning module sets policers on each of the interconnected switching devices identified in (b) to the new bandwidth.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the condition for assessing the usage metric defined in the rule is to determine whether a ratio of the usage metric to an amount of usage allowed under the initial service level meets or exceeds a threshold,

wherein the condition module determines whether a ratio of the usage metric to amount of usage allowed under the initial service level meets or exceeds a predefined threshold and determines that the usage metric satisfies the condition when the ratio is determined to meet or exceed a predefined threshold.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the input specifies a second rule that includes (i) a second condition for assessing whether a second ratio of the usage metric to an amount of usage allowed under the initial service level is below a second predefined threshold, and (ii) a second manner for reducing service level of the network connectivity service,

wherein the condition module determines that the second ratio of the usage metric to an amount of usage allowed under the new service level is below the second predefined threshold,

wherein the usage module, when the second condition is determined to be satisfied, determines a reduced service level of the network connectivity service in the second manner specified in the second rule, and

wherein the provisioning module, when the second condition is determined to be satisfied, configures each of the interconnected switching devices identified in (b) to provide the reduced service level, and further comprising:

a bandwidth control module that controls the monitor, condition, usage, and provisioning modules to repeatedly flex a service level of the network connectivity service up and down according to usage needs.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the initial and new service levels are latency levels.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the manner for determining a new service level defined in the rule is to set the new service level to comply with a service level agreement for a particular type of traffic.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the determining that the usage metric satisfies the condition comprises determining whether a moving average of bandwidth utilized on the network connectivity service exceeds a threshold for a predefined duration.

21. A program storage device tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by at least one machine to perform a method for adjusting capacity on a network, the network including a plurality of interconnected switching devices, the method comprising:

(a) receiving an input that identifies a network connectivity service provisioned to a user at an initial service level and a rule specifying;

(i) a usage metric for the network connectivity service, (ii) a condition for assessing the usage metric, and (iii) a manner for determining a new service level of the network connectivity service, the network connectivity service providing a dedicated network connection between at least two locations;

(b) identifying which of the plurality of interconnected switching devices on the network need to be configured to alter the initial service level of the network connectivity service;

(c) monitoring the network to repeatedly evaluate the usage metric;

(d) determining that the usage metric satisfies the condition;

when the condition is determined to be satisfied in (d);

(e) determining the new service level of the network connectivity service in the manner specified in the rule; and

(f) configuring each of the interconnected switching devices identified in (b) to provide the new service level.