Border/Packet Gateway Control System And Control Method

• US 20070206614A1
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: INVT SPE LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lin, Yangbo
• Granted Patent: US 7,881,317 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• 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 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/748 Negotiation of resources, e.g. modification of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/786 Mapping reservation between domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

Border/packet gateway control systems and a control method thereof are provided in the embodiments of the invention, the system includes a service control unit, a resource control unit and an interconnecting execution unit. Through schemes of the embodiments of the present invention, the service control information obtained from the service control unit by the interconnecting execution unit in charge of current interconnecting services integrates requirements of three aspects: an IP network interconnecting request, real-time network resource information and control policies of the operator, such that both the user and the operator can obtain satisfying services. According to the schemes of the embodiments of the present invention, in the NGN, highly effective, secure and reliable network interconnecting is realized through effective control on the border/packet gateway based on the network resources and control policies, and NGN network performance is thus improved.

Claims

1. Border/packet gateway control system, comprising:

a service control unit, configured for sending a resource request, receiving network resource information, and sending service control information;

a resource control unit, configured for receiving the resource request from the service control unit, sending the network resource information to the service control unit; and

an interconnecting execution unit, configured for receiving the service control information from the service control unit, and performing Internet Protocol (IP) network interconnecting.

2. The border/packet gateway control system of claim 1, wherein the service control unit comprises:

an interconnecting control unit, configured for providing control of IP network interconnecting services from the application level, sending an IP network interconnecting request and the service control information; and

a policy decision unit, configured for receiving the IP network interconnecting request and the service control information from the interconnecting control unit, sending the resource request to the resource control unit, receiving the network resource information from the resource control unit, and sending the service control information to the interconnecting execution unit.

3. The border/packet gateway control system of claim 1, wherein the service control unit comprises:

an interconnecting control unit, configured for providing control of IP network interconnecting services from the application level, sending an IP network interconnecting request and the service control information; and

a policy decision unit, configured for receiving the IP network interconnecting request and the service control information from the interconnecting control unit, sending the resource request to the resource control unit, receiving the network resource information from the resource control unit, and forwarding the received service control information which was adjusted, to the interconnecting execution unit, or forwarding the received service control information to the interconnecting execution unit.

4. The border/packet gateway control system of claim 1, wherein the service control unit comprises:

an interconnecting control unit, configured for providing control of the IP network interconnecting services from the application level, sending an IP network interconnecting request and a decision request to the policy decision unit;

receiving a service decision from the policy decision unit;

sending, after adjusting the service control information, the adjusted service control information to the interconnecting execution unit;

a policy decision unit, configured for receiving the IP network interconnecting request and the decision request from the interconnecting control unit;

sending the resource request to the resource control unit, receiving the network resource information from the resource control unit;

generating the service decision and sending the service decision to the interconnecting control unit.

5. A method for implementing control by a border/packet gateway control system, comprising:

setting a control policy in the border/packet gateway control system for controlling bearer resources;

obtaining network resource information, generating a service decision related to IP network interconnecting according to the control policy and the network resource information;

performing IP network interconnecting according to the service decision.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the border/packet gateway control system comprises a Border Gateway Control Function Entity/Packet Gateway Control Function Entity (BGCFE/PGCFE), a Policy Decision Function Entity (PDFE), a Transport Resource Control Function Entity (TRCFE), and a Border Gateway Function Entity/Packet Gateway Function Entity (BGFE/PGFE);

said obtaining network resource information and generating the service decision according to the control policy and the network resource information comprises;

sending, by the BGCFE/PGCFE, a resource request of the IP network interconnecting to the PDFE;

requesting, by the PDFE, the TRCFE to allocate appropriate network resources;

feeding back, by the TRCFE, the network resource information to the PDFE;

generating, by the PDFE, the service decision related to IP network interconnecting services according to the control policy and the network resource information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the resource request of the IP network interconnecting comprises information of at least a source address, a destination address and Quality of Service (QoS).

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the network resource information comprises at least network bandwidth, delay and jitter.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the service decision comprises:

Network Address Translation (NAT) allocating and traversing, interconnecting between lPv4 and lPv6, anti-address-cheating, topology hiding, packet flags, gating, flow control, use measuring, media coding/decoding algorithm, conversion of packing period of time.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein said sending the resource request of the IP network interconnecting to the PDFE comprises:

sending, by the BGCFE/PGCFE, service control information related to IP network interconnecting to the PDFE;

and said performing IP network interconnecting according to the service decision comprises;

adjusting, by the PDFE, the service control information according to the service decision;

choosing, by the PDFE, a BGFE/PGFE and sending the adjusted service control information to the BGFE/PGFE;

performing, by the BGFE/PGFE, IP network interconnecting according to the adjusted service control information.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

before sending the adjusted service control information to the BGFE/PGFE,

sending, by the PDFE, the adjusted service control information to the BGCFE/PGCFE;

proceeding to implement said sending if the PDFE receives an acknowledgement from the BGCFE/PGCFE;

otherwise,

re-requesting, by the PDFE, the TRCFE to allocate appropriate network resources;

feeding back, by the TRCFE, the network resource information to the PDFE;

or,

terminating the process.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said adjusting comprises modifying and/or complementing.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein said sending the resource request of the IP network interconnecting to the PDFE comprises:

sending, by the BGCFE/PGCFE, service control information related to IP network interconnecting containing information of the BGFE/PGFE to the PDFE;

said performing IP network interconnecting according to the service decision comprises;

adjusting, by the PDFE, the service control information according to the service decision;

forwarding, by the PDFE, the adjusted service control information to the BGFE/PGFE;

performing, by the BGFE/PGFE, IP network interconnecting according to the adjusted service control information.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

before sending the adjusted service control information to the BGFE/PGFE,

sending, by the PDFE, the adjusted service control information to the BGCFE/PGCFE;

proceeding to implement said sending if the PDFE receives an acknowledgement from the BGCFE/PGCFE;

otherwise,

re-requesting, by the PDFE, the TRCFE to allocate appropriate network resources;

feeding back, by the TRCFE, the network resource information to the PDFE;

or,

terminating the process.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said adjusting comprises modifying and/or complementing.

16. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

setting mapping relationships of call models in the PDFE;

before performing IP network interconnecting according to the service decision,

converting, by the PDFE, the call models of the BGCFE/PGCFE to the call models of the BGFE/PGFE according to the mapping relationships of call models.

17. The method of claim 6, wherein said sending an IP network interconnecting request to the PDFE comprises:

sending, by the BGCFE/PGCFE, a decision request to the PDFE;

said performing IP network interconnecting according to the service decision comprises;

sending, by the PDFE, the service decision to the BGCFE/PGCFE;

adjusting, by the BGCFE/PGCFE, the service control information according to the service decision;

choosing, by the BGCFE/PGCFE, a BGFE/PGFE;

sending, by the BGCFE/PGCFE, the adjusted service control information to the BGFE/PGFE;

performing, by the BGFE/PGFE, IP network interconnecting according to the adjusted service control information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said adjusting comprises modifying and/or complementing.

19. The method of claim 6, wherein said sending an IP network interconnecting request to the PDFE comprises:

sending, by the BGCFE/PGCFE, a decision request to the PDFE;

said performing IP network interconnecting according to the service decision comprises;

adjusting, by the PDFE, the service control information according to part of the service decision;

choosing, by the PDFE, a BGFE/PGFE;

sending, by the PDFE, the adjusted service control information to the BGFE/PGFE;

meanwhile,

sending, by the PDFE, the rest of the service decision and information of the BGFE/PGFE to the BGCFE/PGCFE;

adjusting, by the BGCFE/PGCFE, the service control information according to the rest of the service decision;

sending, by the BGCFE/PGCFE, the adjusted service control information to the BGFE/PGFE;

performing, by the BGFE/PGFE, IP network interconnecting according to the adjusted service control information.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said adjusting comprises modifying and/or complementing.

21. The method of claim 6, wherein said sending an IP network interconnecting request to the PDFE comprises:

sending, by the BGCFE/PGCFE, a decision request containing information of the BGFE/PGFE to the PDFE;

said performing IP network interconnecting according to the service decision comprises;

adjusting, by the PDFE, the service control information according to part of the service decision;

sending, by the PDFE, the adjusted service control information to the BGFE/PGFE;

meanwhile,

sending, by the PDFE, the rest of the service decision to the BGCFE/PGCFE;

adjusting, by the BGCFE/PGCFE, the service control information according to the rest of the service decision; and

sending, by the BGCFE/PGCFE, the adjusted service control information to the BGFE/PGFE;

performing, by the BGFE/PGFE, IP network interconnecting according to the adjusted service control information.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said adjusting comprises modifying and/or complementing.

23. A border/packet gateway control system, comprising:

a Border Gateway Control Function Entity/Packet Gateway Control Function Entity (BGCFE/PGCFE), configured for providing control of IP network interconnecting services from the application level, sending an IP network interconnecting request and service control information;

a Policy Decision Function Entity (PDFE), configured for receiving the IP network interconnecting request and the service control information from the BGCFE/PGCFE, sending a resource request, receiving network resource information, and sending the service control information;

a Transport Resource Control Function Entity (TRCFE), configured for receiving the resource request from the PDFE, sending the network resource information to the PDFE; and

a Border Gateway Function Entity/Packet Gateway Function Entity (BGFE/PGFE), configured for receiving the service control information from the PDFE, and performing IP network interconnecting.

24. The border/packet gateway control system of claim 23, wherein the BGCFE/PGCFE is further configured for choosing the BGFE/PGFE, and appending information of the BGFE/PGFE into the service control information;

the PDFE is further configured for adjusting the service control information or not before sending the service control information.

25. The border/packet gateway control system of claim 23, wherein the PDFE is further configured for choosing the BGFE/PGFE and adjusting the service control information or not before sending the service control information.

26. A border/packet gateway control system, comprising:

a Border Gateway Control Function Entity/Packet Gateway Control Function Entity (BGCFE/PGCFE), configured for providing control of the IP network interconnecting services from the application level, sending an IP network interconnecting request and a decision request;

receiving a service decision;

adjusting and sending service control information;

a Policy Decision Function Entity (PDFE), configured for receiving the IP network interconnecting request and the decision request from the BGCFE/PGCFE sending a resource request, receiving network resource information;

generating the service decision and sending the service decision to the BGCFE/PGCFE;

a Transport Resource Control Function Entity (TRCFE), configured for receiving the resource request from the PDFE, sending the network resource information to the PDFE; and

a Border Gateway Function Entity/Packet Gateway Function Entity (BGFE/PGFE), configured for receiving the service control information from the PDFE, and performing IP network interconnecting.

27. A Border Gateway Control Function Entity/Packet Gateway Control Function Entity (BGCFE/PGCFE), comprising:

a unit for providing control of IP network interconnecting services from the application level, sending an IP network interconnecting request and service control information to a Policy Decision Function Entity (PDFE).

28. A Border Gateway Control Function Entity/Packet Gateway Control Function Entity (BGCFE/PGCFE), comprising:

a unit for providing control of the IP network interconnecting services from the application level, sending an IP network interconnecting request and a decision request to a Policy Decision Function Entity (PDFE);

receiving a service decision from the PDFE;

adjusting and sending the service control information to a Border Gateway Function Entity/Packet Gateway Function Entity (BGFE/PG FE).

29. A Policy Decision Function Entity (PDFE), comprising:

a unit for receiving an IP network interconnecting request and service control information from a BGCFE/PGCFE, sending a resource request to a Transport Resource Control Function Entity (TRCFE), receiving network resource information from the TRCFE, and sending directly or after adjusting the service control information to a Border Gateway Function Entity/Packet Gateway Function Entity (BGFE/PGFE).

30. A Policy Decision Function Entity (PDFE), comprising:

a unit for receiving an IP network interconnecting request and decision request from a Border Gateway Control Function Entity/Packet Gateway Control Function Entity (BGCFE/PGCFE);

sending a resource request to a Transport Resource Control Function Entity (TRCFE), receiving network resource information from the TRCFE;

generating a service decision and sending the service decision to the BGCFE/PGCFE.