Determining a policy output for a communication session

• US 8,719,895 B1
• Filed: 03/06/2007
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Andreasen, Flemming S., Panda, Biswaranjan, Rosenberg, Jonathan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Salehi, Helai
• Application Number:
  US11/715,032
• Time in Patent Office: 2,618 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/331, 726/1
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• 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 41/5029 Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5061 characterised by the interaction between service providers and their network customers, e.g. customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/162 at the data link layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 : Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 : Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 : Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 : Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 : Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0033 : with transfer of context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 : Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 : Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 : using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 : Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 : Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 : Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 : adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 : Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

Determining a policy output includes facilitating a communication session for an access terminal at a visited network. The access terminal is associated with a home network. A policy is received at a visited policy server of the visited network. The policy has facets that include an application facet that identifies an application deployable in the home network. The application is identified from the application facet, and the policy output is determined in accordance with the application.

Claims

1. A method for determining a policy output for a communication session, comprising:

facilitating registration for an access terminal at a visited network, the access terminal associated with a home network;

receiving a policy at a visited policy server of the visited network, the policy received from the home network, the policy comprising one or more facets, the one or more facets comprising an application facet identifying an application deployable in the home network when the access terminal is at the visited network;

identifying the application from the application facet;

determining, by one or more tangible processors of the visited policy server, that the application is at the home network and that the visited policy server does not support the application;

negotiating at least a subset of the one or more facets between the visited policy, server and a home policy server of the home network, wherein negotiating includes determining whether the at least a subset of the one or more facets is compatible with the visited policy server;

establishing, by the one or more tangible processors of the visited policy server, the policy output based on the application even though the visited policy server does not support the application; and

outputting one or more instructions using the one or more tangible processors, the instructions instructing the access terminal to tunnel one or more particular packets through the visited network to the home network to allow the home network to apply the application to the particular packets.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application facet identifies one or more application parameters.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the policy output in accordance with the application further comprises:

installing at least one facet of the one or more facets on a network element operable to execute the at least one facet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the policy output in accordance with the application further comprises:

determining a policy decision according to the policy; and

sending the policy decision to a network element.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein negotiating at least a subset of the one or more facets between the visited policy server and a home policy server of the home network comprises adjusting at least one facet of the at least a subset of the one or more facets in response to determining that the at least one facet of the at least a subset of the one or more facets is incompatible with the visited policy server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one facet of the one or more facets further comprises:

a packet classifier identifying one or more packets; and

an action to be performed in response to detecting the one or more packets.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more facets further comprise:

a network facet requesting one or more network resources for the application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more facets further comprise:

one or more generic tokens, a generic token understood at the home network and the visited network.

9. A visited policy server of a visited network, comprising:

a memory operable to;

store a policy; and

one or more tangible processors in communication with the memory and operable to;

facilitate registration for an access terminal at the visited network, the access terminal associated with a home network;

receive the policy from the home network, the policy comprising one or more facets, the one or more facets comprising an application facet identifying an application deployable in the home network;

identify the application from the application facet;

determine that the application is at the home network and that the visited policy server does not support the application;

negotiate at least a subset of the one or more facets between the visited policy server and a home policy server of the home network, wherein negotiating includes determining whether the at least a subset of the one or more facets is compatible with the visited policy server;

establish a policy output based on the application even though the visited policy server does not support the application; and

provide an output comprising one or more instructions for the access terminal to tunnel one or more particular packets through the visited network to the home network to allow the home network to apply the application to the particular packets.

10. The visited policy server of claim 9, wherein the application facet identifies one or more application parameters.

11. The visited policy server of claim 9, the processor further operable to establish the policy output in accordance with the application by:

installing at least one facet of the one or more facets on a network element operable to execute the at least one facet.

12. The visited policy server of claim 9, the processor further operable to establish the policy output in accordance with the application by:

determining a policy decision according to the policy; and

sending the policy decision to a network element.

13. The visited policy server of claim 9, wherein negotiating at least a subset of the one or more facets between the visited policy server and a home policy server of the home network comprises adjusting at least one facet of the at least a subset of the one or more facets in response to determining that the at least one facet of the at least a subset of the one or more facets is incompatible with the visited policy, server.

14. The visited policy server of claim 9, wherein at least one facet of the one or more facets further comprises:

a packet classifier identifying one or more packets; and

an action to be performed in response to detecting the one or more packets.

15. The visited policy server of claim 9, wherein the one or more facets further comprise:

a network facet requesting one or more network resources for the application.

16. The visited policy server of claim 9, wherein the one or more facets further comprise:

one or more generic tokens, a generic token understood at the home network and the visited network.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with logic, the logic operable when executed to:

facilitate registration for an access terminal at a visited network, the access terminal associated with a home network;

receive a policy at a visited policy server of the visited network, the policy received from the home network, the policy comprising one or more facets, the one or more facets comprising an application facet identifying an application deployable in the home network;

identify the application from the application facet;

determine that the application is at the home network and that the visited policy server does not support the application;

negotiate at least a subset of the one or more facets between the visited policy server and a home policy server of the home network, wherein negotiating includes determining whether the at least a subset of the one or more facets is compatible with the visited policy server;

establish a policy output based on the application even though the visited policy server does not support the application; and

provide an output comprising one or more instructions for the access terminal to tunnel one or more particular packets through the visited network to the home network to allow the home network to apply the application to the particular packets.

18. The logic of claim 17, wherein the application facet identifies one or more application parameters.

19. The logic of claim 17, further operable to establish the policy output in accordance with the application by:

installing at least one facet of the one or more facets on a network element operable to execute the at least one facet.

20. The logic of claim 17, further operable to establish the policy output in accordance with the application by:

determining a policy decision according to the policy; and

sending the policy decision to a network element.

21. The logic of claim 17, wherein negotiating at least a subset of the one or more facets between the visited policy server and a home policy server of the home network comprises adjusting at least one facet of the at least a subset of the one or more facets in response to determining that the at least one facet of the at least a subset of the one or more facets is incompatible with the visited policy server.

22. The logic of claim 17, wherein at least one facet of the one or more facets further comprises:

a packet classifier identifying one or more packets; and

an action to be performed in response to detecting the one or more packets.

23. The logic of claim 17, wherein the one or more facets further comprise:

a network facet requesting one or more network resources for the application.

24. The logic of claim 17, wherein the one or more facets further comprise:

one or more generic tokens, a generic token understood at the home network and the visited network.