System and method for improving network performance using a connection admission control engine

• US 9,225,646 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2013
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Heinz, John M., McNaughton, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yuen, Kan
• Application Number:
  US13/962,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20130322249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: 370229-253, 370/401
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/247 using M:N active or standby paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• 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 47/726 Reserving resources in multiple paths to be used simultaneously by balancing the load H04L47/125
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/746 Reaction triggered by a failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments include a method, apparatus, and computer program product for modifying a three-dimensional geocellular model. For example, one disclosed embodiment includes a system that includes at least one processor and at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor. The memory stores instructions that when executed by the at least one processor performs operations that includes gathering network performance information regarding data flow communicated with a client of a network over a plurality of connections utilizing performance information packets; and automatically balancing the data flow of the plurality of connections between access points of the network that are available to the client using connection admission control engines.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for improving network performance comprising:

gathering, via a connection admission control engine, network performance information, in real-time, regarding data flow communicated with a client of a network over a plurality of connections, wherein each of the plurality of connections includes one or more network segments and one or more network elements, each of the one or more network segments and one or more network elements respectively associated with a set of connection admission control engines including the connection admission control engine;

extracting, via the connection admission control engine, network performance information from performance information packets, the performance information packets including network performance information regarding each of the one or more network segments and each of the one or more network elements of the plurality of connections;

determining, via the connection admission control engine, whether a performance threshold is met by each of the one or more network segments and each of the one or more network elements based on the network performance information;

identifying, via the connection admission control engine, and in response to determining that the performance threshold has not been met, at least one of a particular network segment or particular network element for which the performance threshold is not met based on the performance information packets; and

balancing, via the connection admission control engine, the data flow over the plurality of connections, in response to determining that the performance threshold is not met, wherein the connection admission control engine modifies a policy of a second connection admission control engine of the set of connection admission control engines associated with the identified particular network segment or particular network element.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining an application associated with packets in the data flow, and wherein the data flow is balance based on a priority of the application.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the connection admission control engines are used to initiate a through-put test on one or more access points of the network.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining separate performance thresholds for real-time data and non-real-time data based on a service level agreement.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein balancing further comprises:

communicating data to the client through a first access point associated with the connection admission control engine and a second access point associated with the second connection admission control engine; and

balancing the data communicated to the client between the first access point and the second access point using at least one of the connection admission control engine and the second connection admission control engine.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

communicating all the data through the first access point in response to a determination that the second access point is experiencing problems.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

notifying a network control center indicating the second access node is experiencing problems.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the connection admission control engine is integrated in one or more access points in the network.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1,

wherein the connection admission control engine is on a first network and the second connection admission control engine is on a second network, wherein the data flow is balanced between the first and second networks to perform load balancing.

10. A system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the memory storing computer executable instructions for improving network performance, wherein the computer executable instructions comprises instructions to;

gather, via a connection admission control engine, network performance information, in real-time, regarding data flow communicated with a client of a network over a plurality of connections, wherein each of the plurality of connections includes one or more network segments and one or more network elements, each of the one or more network segments and one or more network elements respectively associated with a set of connection admission control engines including the connection admission control engine;

extract, via the connection admission control engine, network performance information from performance information packets, the performance information packets including network performance information regarding each of the one or more network segments and each of the one or more network elements of the plurality of connections;

determine, via the connection admission control engine, whether a performance threshold is met by each of the one or more network segments and each of the one or more network elements based on the network performance information;

identify, via the connection admission control engine, and in response to determining that the performance threshold has not been met, at least one of a particular network segment or particular network element for which the performance threshold is not met; and

balance, via the connection admission control engine, the data flow over the plurality of connections, in response to determining that the performance threshold is not met, wherein the connection admission control engine modifies a policy of a second connection admission control engine of the set of connection admission control engines associated with the identified particular network segment or particular network element.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising computer executable instructions to determine an application associated with packets in the data flow, and wherein the data flow is balance based on a priority of the application.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising computer executable instructions to initiate a through-put test on one or more of the access points of the network using the connection admission control engine.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising computer executable instructions to:

determine separate performance thresholds for real-time data and non-real-time data based on a service level agreement.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer executable instructions to automatically balance the data flow of the plurality of connections further comprises executable instructions to:

communicate data to the client through a first access point associated with the connection admission control engine and a second access point associated with the second connection admission control engine; and

balance the data communicated to the client between the first access point and the second access point using at least one of the connection admission control engine and the second connection admission control engine.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the connection admission control engine is on a first network and the second connection admission control engine is on a second network, the system further comprising computer executable instructions to manage the second connection admission control engine on the second network, wherein the data flow is balanced between the first and second networks to perform load balancing.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for improving network performance, the computer executable instructions when executed causes one or more machines to perform operations comprising:

gathering, via a connection admission control engine, network performance information, in real-time, regarding data flow communicated with a client of a network over a plurality of connections, wherein each of the plurality of connections includes one or more network segments and one or more network elements, each of the one or more network segments and one or more network elements respectively associated with a set of connection admission control engines including the connection admission control engine;

extracting, via the connection admission control engine, network performance information from performance information packets, the performance information packets including network performance information regarding each of the one or more network segments and each of the one or more network elements of the plurality of connections;

determining, via the connection admission control engine, whether a performance threshold is met by each of the one or more network segments and each of the one or more network elements based on the network performance information;

identifying, via the connection admission control engine, and in response to determining that the performance threshold has not been met, at least one of a particular network segment or particular network element for which the performance threshold is not met; and

balancing, via the connection admission control engine, the data flow over the plurality of connections, in response to determining that the performance threshold is not met, wherein the connection admission control engine modifies a policy of a second connection admission control engine of the set of connection admission control engines associated with the identified particular network segment or particular network element.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprises determining an application associated with packets in the data flow, and wherein the data flow is balance based on a priority of the application.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprises initiating a through-put test on one or more of the access points of the network using a connection admission control engine.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operation of balancing the data flow of the plurality of connections comprises:

communicating data to the client through a first access point associated with the connection admission control engine and a second access point associated with the second connection admission control engine; and

balancing the data communicated to the client between the first access point and the second access point using at least one of the first connection admission control engine and the second connection admission control engine.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the connection admission control engine is on a first network and the second connection admission control engine is on a second network, wherein the data flow is balanced between the first and second networks to perform load balancing.