Service orchestration to support a cloud-based, multi-party video conferencing service in a virtual overlay network environment

• US 9,998,709 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2017
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2016
• 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: Yang, Chen-Yui, Lu, David H., Bourge, Gabriel, Wu, Xidong
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwah, Olisa
• Application Number:
  US15/483,011
• Publication Number:
  US 20170374318A1
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401, 348 1408, 348 1412, 348 1411
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

Concepts and technologies disclosed herein are directed to service orchestration to support cloud-based, multi-party video conferencing service in a virtual overlay network environment. According to one aspect of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein, a video conferencing service orchestrator can receive, from a user device, a service request for the cloud-based, multi-party video conferencing service orchestrated by the video conferencing service orchestrator. In response to the service request, the video conferencing service orchestrator can provide, to the user device, virtual network layer system software and a virtual machine container for installation on the user device. The virtual network layer system software can implement a network function to provide an interface between the user device and a service controller during a video conference. A conference image particular to the type of video conference can be installed on the virtual machine container to implement the video conference for the user device.

Claims

1. A video conferencing service orchestrator comprising:

a system comprising a processor; and

memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising

receiving, for a video conferencing session, a quality of service alarm indicative of a quality of service change,

determining a root cause of the quality of service change as being an IP network impairment or a mobile network impairment,

performing an action responsive to the root cause of the quality of service change, wherein the action responsive to the root cause of the quality of service change comprises a quality of service re-assignment,

determining whether the quality of service re-assignment resulted in an improvement to a quality of service associated with the video conferencing session, and

in response to determining that the quality of service re-assignment did not result in an improvement to the quality of service associated with the video conferencing session, performing a bandwidth upgrade.

2. The video conferencing service orchestrator of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the bandwidth upgrade resulted in an improvement to the quality of service associated with the video conferencing session; and

in response to determining that the bandwidth upgrade did not result in an improvement to the quality of service associated with the video conferencing session, reducing video conferencing demand on an IP network serving the video conferencing session.

3. The video conferencing service orchestrator of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the bandwidth upgrade resulted in an improvement to the quality of service associated with the video conferencing session; and

in response to determining that the bandwidth upgrade did not result in an improvement to the quality of service associated with the video conferencing session, reducing video conferencing demand on a mobile network serving the video conferencing session.

4. The video conferencing service orchestrator of claim 1,

wherein determining the root cause of the quality of service change further comprises determining the root cause of the quality of service change as comprising a media server impairment;

and

wherein performing the action responsive to the root cause of the quality of service change comprises performing performance tuning or changing a configuration of a media server serving the video conferencing session.

5. A method comprising:

receiving, by a video conferencing service orchestrator, for a video conferencing session, a quality of service alarm indicative of a quality of service change;

determining, by the video conferencing service orchestrator, a root cause of the quality of service change as being an IP network impairment or a mobile network impairment; and

performing, by the video conferencing service orchestrator, an action responsive to the root cause of the quality of service change, wherein the action responsive to the root cause of the quality of service change comprises a quality of service re-assignment;

determining, by the video conferencing service orchestrator, whether the quality of service re-assignment resulted in an improvement to a quality of service associated with the video conferencing session; and

in response to determining that the quality of service re-assignment did not result in an improvement to the quality of service associated with the video conferencing session, performing, by the video conferencing service orchestrator, a bandwidth upgrade.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining, by the video conferencing service orchestrator, whether the bandwidth upgrade resulted in an improvement to the quality of service associated with the video conferencing session; and

in response to determining that the bandwidth upgrade did not result in an improvement to the quality of service associated with the video conferencing session, reducing, by the video conferencing service orchestrator, video conferencing demand on an IP network serving the video conferencing session.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining, by the video conferencing service orchestrator, whether the bandwidth upgrade resulted in an improvement to the quality of service associated with the video conferencing session; and

in response to determining that the bandwidth upgrade did not result in an improvement to the quality of service associated with the video conferencing session, reducing, by the video conferencing service orchestrator, video conferencing demand on a mobile network serving the video conferencing session.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the root cause of the quality of service change further comprises determining the root cause of the quality of service change as comprising a media server impairment;

and wherein performing the action responsive to the root cause of the quality of service change comprises performing performance tuning or changing a configuration of a media server serving the video conferencing session.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, for a video conferencing session, a quality of service alarm indicative of a quality of service change;

determining a root cause of the quality of service change as being an IP network impairment;

performing an action responsive to the root cause of the quality of service change, wherein the action responsive to the root cause of the quality of service change comprises a quality of service re-assignment;

determining whether the quality of service re-assignment resulted in an improvement to a quality of service associated with the video conferencing session; and

in response to determining that the quality of service re-assignment did not result in an improvement to the quality of service associated with the video conferencing session, performing a bandwidth upgrade.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein determining the root cause of the quality of service change further comprises determining the root cause of the quality of service change as comprising a media server impairment;

and

wherein performing the action responsive to the root cause of the quality of service change comprises performing performance tuning or changing a configuration of a media server serving the video conferencing session.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the bandwidth upgrade resulted in an improvement to the quality of service associated with the video conferencing session; and

in response to determining that the bandwidth upgrade did not result in an improvement to the quality of service associated with the video conferencing session, reducing video conferencing demand on a network serving the video conferencing session.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the network comprises an IP network.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the network comprises a mobile network.