System and method for controlling communication

• US 8,681,611 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2009
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Global LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: DelRegno, Nick, Kotrla, Scott R., McDysan, David E., Bencheck, Michael U., Turlington, Matthew W., Hardin, Ross S., Schell, Richard C., Chiu, Howard, Bengston, Lee D., Drake, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Mui, Gary
• Application Number:
  US12/582,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20100040206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,617 Days
• Field of Search: 370229-236
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5665 Interaction of ATM with other protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/31 by tagging of packets, e.g. using discard eligibility [DE] bits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/30 Peripheral units, e.g. input or output ports
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A system and method are provided for providing access communications between customer locations and a core network service edge. Access flows are handled as carrier-tagged flows through a packet switched network comprising network elements that interpret and manipulate carrier tag values associated with traffic-bearing data frames. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, a discard eligibility indication may be provided with the data frames.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

encapsulating, by a processor, a first message according to an encapsulation structure that includes discard eligibility indicator information and flow information;

determining a first data rate of the first message and a second data rate of a second message; and

determining whether the first data rate and the second data rate satisfy a combined data rate threshold based on the discard eligibility indicator information.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein the encapsulation structure includes a carrier tag value specifying the flow information.

3. A method of claim 2, wherein the discard eligibility indicator information is either specified in a discard eligibility indicator field, the carrier tag value, a tunnel label, a service emulation instance mapping identifier, or a pseudowire label.

4. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the first message from a customer premise equipment.

5. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

forwarding the encapsulated message to a service edge based on the carrier tag value.

6. A method of claim 1, wherein the second data rate is determined via measurement.

7. A method of claim 1, wherein the combined data rate threshold corresponds to either a physical port, a logical port, a customer, a flow, or messages conforming to a particular protocol.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to encapsulate a first message according to an encapsulation structure that includes discard eligibility indicator information and flow information,

wherein the processor is further configured to determine a first data rate of the first message and a second data rate of a second message, and to determine whether the first data rate and the second data rate satisfy a combined data rate threshold based on the discard eligibility indicator information.

9. An apparatus of claim 8, wherein the encapsulation structure includes a carrier tag value specifying the flow information.

10. An apparatus of claim 9, wherein the discard eligibility indicator information is either specified in a discard eligibility indicator field, the carrier tag value, a tunnel label, a service emulation instance mapping identifier, or a pseudowire label.

11. An apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a network interface configured to receive the first message from a customer premise equipment.

12. An apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a network interface configured to forward the encapsulated message to a service edge based on the carrier tag value.

13. An apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second data rate is determined via measurement.

14. An apparatus of claim 8, wherein the combined data rate threshold corresponds to either a physical port, a logical port, a customer, a flow, or messages conforming to a particular protocol.