End-to-end service quality for latency-intensive internet protocol (IP) applications in a heterogeneous, multi-vendor environment

• US 8,929,394 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2012
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: S Aqua Semiconductor LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Prom KS Mgmt LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Nag, Siddhartha
• Primary Examiner(s): TOWFIGHI, AFSHAWN M
• Application Number:
  US13/632,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20130028268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 370/468, 370/341, 370/401, 370/232
• US Class Current: 370/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/18 End to end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/31 by tagging of packets, e.g. using discard eligibility [DE] bits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/41 by acting on aggregated flows or links
• 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 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/825 Involving tunnels, e.g. MPLS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/828 Allocation of resources per group of connections, e.g. per group of users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0485 Networking architectures for enhanced packet encryption processing, e.g. offloading of IPsec packet processing or efficient security association look-up
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 : Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 : in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are provided for delivering end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. According to one embodiment, a portion of available bandwidth between a first and second network device is reserved as a Quality of Service (QoS) resource pool for real-time communication sessions among users of a first and second user community. The first network device is communicatively coupled with a packet network and associated with the first user community. The second network device is communicatively coupled with the packet network and associated with the second user community. End-to-end application QoS is provided between the first and second user communities by selectively admitting real-time communication sessions between the first user community and the second user community based upon currently available resources associated with the QoS resource pool and multiplexing the real-time communication sessions over a reservation protocol session between the first and second network devices.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a network aggregation device configured to;

couple to a plurality of communication devices and to a network having a plurality of paths;

make a request for a first bandwidth pool for a communication session over a first path of the plurality of paths;

determine, based on the request, the first path and additional bandwidth that is sufficient to meet a condition indicated in the request, the additional bandwidth being allocated from the first bandwidth pool to the first path; and

perform local call admission control by allocating portions of the first bandwidth pool to at least one Internet telephony session established over the first path in response to an Internet telephony request.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a Differentiated Services (DiffServ) network.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the additional bandwidth being allocated from the first bandwidth pool comprises part of an available bandwidth calculated based on an estimated current usage of network resources by active communication sessions.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first network aggregation device is further configured to request a second additional amount of bandwidth over the first path in response to an insufficient amount of network resources available in the first bandwidth pool.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the network aggregation device is further configured to:

receive an allocation of the second additional amount of bandwidth;

append the allocation to the first bandwidth pool to form a second bandwidth pool; and

allocate a portion of the second bandwidth pool to a second communication session.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network aggregation device is further configured to:

multiplex respective media streams for a plurality of communication sessions into a multiplexed media stream; and

transmit the multiplexed media stream over the first path.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first bandwidth pool comprises a real-time bandwidth pool associated with network resources in the first path.

8. A method comprising:

requesting a first bandwidth pool for a communication session over a first path of the plurality of paths;

determining, based on the request, the first path and additional bandwidth that is sufficient to meet a condition indicated in the request, the additional bandwidth being allocated from the first bandwidth pool to the first path;

performing local call admission control by allocating portions of the first bandwidth pool to at least one Internet telephony session established over the first path in response to an Internet telephony request.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of parameters in the request is based on an estimated current usage of network resources by active communication sessions.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

requesting a second additional amount of bandwidth over the first path in response to an insufficient amount of network resources available in the first bandwidth pool.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving an allocation of the second additional amount of bandwidth, wherein the second additional amount of bandwidth is appended to the first bandwidth pool to form a second bandwidth pool; and

allocating a portion of the second bandwidth pool to a second communication session.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

multiplexing respective media streams for a plurality of communication sessions into a multiplexed media stream; and

transmitting the multiplexed media stream over the first path.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions, execution of which, by a network device, cause the network device to perform operations comprising:

requesting a first bandwidth pool for a communication session over a first path of the plurality of paths;

determining, based on the request, the first path and additional bandwidth that is sufficient to meet a condition indicated in the request, the additional bandwidth being allocated from the first bandwidth pool to the first path;

performing local call admission control by allocating portions of the first bandwidth pool to at least one Internet telephony session established over the first path in response to an Internet telephony request.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein at least one of parameters in the request is based on an estimated current usage of network resources by active communication sessions.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising:

requesting a second additional amount of bandwidth over the first path in response to an insufficient amount of network resources available in the first bandwidth pool.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving an allocation of the second additional amount of bandwidth, wherein the second additional amount of bandwidth is appended to the first bandwidth pool to form a second bandwidth pool; and

allocating a portion of the second bandwidth pool to a second communication session.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising:

multiplexing respective media streams for a plurality of communication sessions into a multiplexed media stream; and

transmitting the multiplexed media stream over the first path.