Scalable policy deployment architecture in a communication network

• US 9,497,087 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2015
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hu, Qingmin, Eng, Douglas, Figurelle, Terry, McKnight, Jie
• Primary Examiner(s): Vostal, Ondrej C.
• Application Number:
  US14/598,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20150127803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/56 Packet switching systems
• 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 41/5077 wherein the managed service relates to simple transport services, i.e. providing only network infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/14 Routing performance; Theoretical aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/782 Hierarchical allocation of resources, e.g. involving a hierarchy of local and centralised entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/462 Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage

Abstract

Aspects describe using a Policy Access Gateway that can facilitate scalability within a communication network and that can provide a solution to deploy an enhanced policy gateway. The Policy Access Gateway can enhance standard defined Diameter Routing Agent (DRA) functions with session binding mechanisms. Further, the Policy Access Gateway is scalable and can be deployed in a very large network that supports hundreds of millions of users. Further, the Policy Access Gateway can provide additional policy information to enable policy information consolidation and caching capabilities.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

facilitating, by a system comprising a processor, routing of network policy data between a policy decision engine and a network device associated with a traffic service zone serving mobile devices of the traffic service zone;

receiving, by the system, the network policy data from the network device, wherein the network device performs a function;

mapping, by the system, the network policy data to the traffic service zone; and

managing, by the system, the traffic service zone based on the network policy data, wherein the managing is performed on behalf of the policy decision engine, and wherein the traffic service zone is applicable to additional mobile devices added to the mobile devices of the traffic service zone without an additional policy decision engine other than the policy decision engine.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, by the system, state information related to a service associated with the traffic service zone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the facilitating comprises facilitating routing of other network policy data of another network device associated with another traffic service zone, between the policy decision engine and the other traffic service zone.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the managing comprises managing the network device and the other network device, wherein the network device associated with the traffic service zone is determined to be located in a first data center storage device, and wherein the other network device associated with the other traffic service zone is determined to be located in a second data center storage device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the other network device performs a policy enforcement function.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking, by the system, a service activity based on an Internet protocol data stream that represents bits for the service activity.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the tracking comprises tracking the service activity for a first service and tracking another service activity for a second service different from the first service.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the tracking comprises tracking different network elements of the network device that facilitates the service activity.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating, by the system, with the network device on behalf of the policy decision engine.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

tracking network related policies, wherein the network related policies comprise rules received from network operator devices;

associating the network related policies with a related service zone;

consolidating at least a subset of the network related policies into a consolidated policy;

conveying the consolidated policy for deployment by a first network device and a second network device, of the set of network devices; and

facilitating enforcement of the network related policies by remotely facilitating management of the network related policies by the first network device and the second network device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

configuring session information data related to a service associated with the related service zone.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the tracking comprises tracking at a network operator device level to match the consolidated policy to a user device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the network related policies are matched to the network operator device level.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the tracking comprises tracking a first activity of the first network device and a second activity of the second network device.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing state information and session information related to a service associated with the related service zone.

16. A computer-readable storage device comprising executable instructions stored therein, wherein, in response to execution, a system comprising a processor performs operations, comprising:

tracking network policy data associated with network devices of a wireless communication network;

consolidating the network policy data into a set of network policy data;

conveying the set of network policy data for deployment by a policy decision engine; and

mapping the subset of network policy data to traffic service zones associated with the network devices.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the conveying comprises conveying the set of network policy data for implementation by the policy decision engine.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the network policy data comprises service data representing a service activity provided to the network devices.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein different network elements of the network devices support the service activity.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the service activity comprises a voice call, an instant message, and an Internet browsing session.