System and method for reporting packet characteristics in a network environment

• US 9,825,870 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2015
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Batz, Robert, Galatioto, Richard A., Mojica, Juan M., Tavres, Humberto M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lamont, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US14/658,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20150188828A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/026 using flow identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2425 for supporting services specification, e.g. SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2483 involving identification of individual flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/35 by embedding flow control information in regular packets, e.g. piggybacking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/164 at the network layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8214 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A method is provided in one example and includes receiving a request to initiate a communication flow associated with a subscriber and identifying one or more parameters to be monitored for the communication flow. The method further includes extracting one or more bits from packets associated with the communication flow; the bits are used to determine an operating system associated with the communication flow. A policy decision can be executed for the communication flow based on the operating system associated with the communication flow. In more specific examples, the bits are sent to a next destination in response to a threshold being reached for at least one of the parameters. The parameters can be associated a volume parameter or a time parameter. The policy decision could include blocking traffic associated with the subscriber, initiating billing, redirecting the communication, managing a quality of service level for the communication flow, etc.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining a service level for a subscriber associated with a communication flow;

identifying one or more parameters to be monitored for the communication flow based, at least in part, on the determined service level;

receiving a signature packet related to the communication flow;

extracting one or more attribute value pairs from the signature packet in response to a threshold being reached for at least one of the one or more parameters;

determining an operating system associated with the communication flow using the one or more attribute value pairs from the signature packet; and

executing a policy decision based on the operating system associated with the communication flow and based further on the service level for the subscriber, wherein the policy decision was received from a policy and charging rules function element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the signature packet is a transmission control protocol signature packet.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

mapping a source IP address associated with the communication flow to the subscriber.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the signature packet is received in response to a transmission control protocol signature packet trigger.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

initiating the transmission control protocol signature packet trigger using a subscriber credit control answer or a re-authorization request message.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting the signature packet in response to the threshold being reached for at least one of the one or more parameters.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the policy decision includes managing a quality of service level for the communication flow.

8. Logic encoded in one or more non-transitory media that includes code for execution and when executed by a processor, operable to perform operations comprising:

determining a service level for a subscriber associated with a communication flow;

identifying one or more parameters to be monitored for the communication flow based, at least in part, on the determined service level;

receiving a signature packet related to the communication flow;

extracting one or more attribute value pairs from the signature packet in response to a threshold being reached for at least one of the one or more parameters;

determining an operating system associated with the communication flow using the one or more attribute value pairs from the signature packet; and

executing a policy decision based on the operating system associated with the communication flow and the based further on service level for the subscriber, wherein the policy decision was received from a policy and charging rules function element.

9. The logic of claim 8, wherein the signature packet is a transmission control protocol signature packet.

10. The logic of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

mapping a source IP address associated with the communication flow to the subscriber.

11. The logic of claim 8, wherein the signature packet is received in response to a transmission control protocol signature packet trigger.

12. The logic of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

initiating the transmission control protocol signature packet trigger using a subscriber credit control answer or a re-authorization request message.

13. The logic of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

requesting the signature packet in response to the threshold being reached for at least one of the one or more parameters.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory element configured to store data; and

a hardware processor configured to;

determine a service level for the subscriber associated with a communication flow;

identify one or more parameters to be monitored for the communication flow based, at least in part, on the determined service level;

receive a signature packet related to the communication flow;

extract one or more attribute value pairs from the signature packet in response to a threshold being reached for at least one of the one or more parameters;

determine an operating system associated with the communication flow using the one or more attribute value pairs from the signature packet; and

execute a policy decision based on the operating system associated with the communication flow and based further on the service level for the subscriber, wherein the policy decision was received from a policy and charging rules function element.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the signature packet is a transmission control protocol signature packet.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

map a source IP address associated with the communication flow to a subscriber.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the signature packet is received in response to a transmission control protocol signature packet trigger.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the transmission control protocol signature packet trigger was initiated using a subscriber credit control answer or a re-authorization request message.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein hardware processor is further configured to:

communicate a request for the signature packet in response to the threshold being reached for at least one of the one or more parameters.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein executing the policy decision includes managing a quality of service level for the communication flow.