Method for aiding the reservation of resources for a packet switched network, and associated management device and aid device

• US 9,432,303 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2014
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital CE Patent Holdings SAS (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Mace, Gael, Le Roux, Jean, Chapel, Claude
• Primary Examiner(s): Oveissi, David
• Application Number:
  US14/463,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20140355620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 47/782 Hierarchical allocation of resources, e.g. involving a hierarchy of local and centralised entities

Abstract

A method intended to aid in the reservation of resources within a packet-switched communication network (CR) comprising a number N of relaying nodes (S1-S4). This method consists i), in determining for some at least of the N nodes (S1-S4) at least one resource reservation plan Pik defined by a plan identifier associated with a stream identifier and at least two ports, and ii) in memorizing for each of the N nodes (S1-S4) the various plans Pik relating to them.

Claims

1. A management device for managing resource reservations for a packet-switched communication network comprising N relaying nodes, said resource reservation being established following a reservation plan for each of said N relaying nodes,

the management device comprises:

a management module that determines a combination of N resource reservation plans that must be used respectively by said N relaying nodes, from among a set of resource reservation plans associated with said N relaying nodes and each of the N resource reservation plans being defined by a plan identifier characterizing said reservation plan to be used by one of said N relaying nodes and associated with at least one stream identifier and at least two ports of said one of said N relaying nodes,

a storage that stores information on said set of resource reservation plans, and

a signal transmitter that transmits a signal comprising said plan identifier characterizing said reservation plan to be used by said one of said N relaying nodes for each of said N resource reservation plans of said determined combination, to the one of said N relaying nodes.

2. An item of communication equipment, configured for connection to at least N relaying nodes of a packet-switched communication network, said item comprising a management device for managing resource reservations for the packet-switched communication network as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said signal transmitter of said management device transmits to other items of communication equipment a specific message to notify said other items of the desire by said item of communication equipment to assure a role of master item of equipment.

3. A management device according to claim 1, wherein said plan identifier is unique for each of said reservation plans among said N relaying nodes.

4. A management device according to claim 1, wherein said signal transmitter broadcasts said signal to said one of said N relaying nodes.

5. A management device according to claim 1, wherein said management device comprises a signal receiver that receives a signal comprising a modification notification of one of said reservation plans in said set of resource reservation plans from one of said N relaying nodes associated with said one of said reservation plans.

6. A management device according to claim 5, wherein said management module determines a new combination of said N resource reservation plans that must be used respectively by said N relaying nodes, based on said modification notification.

7. A management device according to claim 5, wherein said signal receiver receives from each of said N relaying nodes a definition of a currently active resource reservation plan among said set of resource reservation plans.

8. A management device according to claim 1, wherein said set of resource reservation plans associated with said N relaying nodes comprises at least two reservation plans associated with a same one of said at least one of said N relaying nodes.

9. A management device according to claim 1, wherein said set of resource reservation plans associated with said N relaying nodes comprises at least one reservation plan associated with at least two streams.

10. A management device according to claim 1, wherein a same said at least one stream identifier can be associated with different ones of said at least two ports of said one of said N relaying nodes.

11. A method for managing resource reservations for a packet-switched communication network comprising N relaying nodes, said resource reservation being established following a reservation plan for each of said N relaying nodes, comprising:

storing information on a set of resource reservation plans,

determining a combination of N resource reservation plans that must be used respectively by said N relaying nodes, from among a set of resource reservation plans associated with said N relaying nodes and each defined by a plan identifier characterizing said reservation plan to be used by one of said N relaying nodes and associated with at least one stream identifier and at least two ports of said one of said N relaying nodes,

transmitting a signal comprising said plan identifier characterizing said reservation plan to be used by said one of said N relaying nodes for each of said N resource reservation plans of said determined combination, to the attention of said one of said N relaying nodes.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said plan identifier is unique for each of said reservation plans among said N relaying nodes.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein transmitting said signal comprising said plan identifier is carried out by broadcasting said signal to said one of said N relaying nodes.

14. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a signal comprising a modification notification of one of said reservation plans in said set of resource reservation plans from one of said N relaying nodes associated with said one of said reservation plans.

15. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

determining a new combination of said N resource reservation plans that must be used respectively by said N relaying nodes, based on said modification notification.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein said signal receiver receives a definition of a currently active resource reservation plans among said set of resource reservation plans from each of said N relaying nodes.

17. A method according to claim 11, wherein said set of resource reservation plans associated with said N relaying nodes comprises at least two reservation plans associated with a same one of said one of said N relaying nodes.

18. A method according to claim 11, wherein said set of resource reservation plans associated with said N relaying nodes comprises at least one reservation plan associated with at least two streams.

19. A method according to claim 11, wherein a same said at least one stream identifier can be associated with different ones of said at least two ports of said one of said N relaying nodes.