SERVICE LEVEL NETWORK QUALITY OF SERVICE POLICY ENFORCEMENT

• US 20100058436A1
• Filed: 08/20/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Maes, Stéphane H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,505,067 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/55 for hybrid networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for providing service level, policy-based QoS enforcement on a network or networks. According to one embodiment, a system can comprise at least one communications network, a first endpoint communicatively coupled with the communications network, and a second endpoint communicatively coupled with the communications network and can monitor traffic on the communications network between the first endpoint and the second endpoint. A policy enforcer can be communicatively coupled with the network monitor. The policy enforcer can apply one or more policies based the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint. The one or more policies can define a Quality of Service (QoS) for the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint and can apply the policies to affect the traffic between the endpoints to maintain the QoS defined by the one or more policies.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one communications network;

a first endpoint communicatively coupled with the communications network;

a second endpoint communicatively coupled with the communications network;

a network monitor communicatively coupled with the communications network and monitoring traffic on the communications network between the first endpoint and the second endpoint; and

a policy enforcer communicatively coupled with the network monitor, wherein the policy enforcer applies one or more policies based the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint, the one or more policies defining a Quality of Service (QoS) for the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy enforcer applies the one or more policies to affect the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint to maintain the QoS defined by the one or more policies.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising one or more routers and wherein the policy enforcer affects the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint by directing the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint via the one or more routers.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising a network manager and wherein the policy enforcer affects the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint by delegating direction of the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint to the network manager.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein affecting the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint comprises directing the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint via particular segments of the communications network based on the one or more policies.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one communications network comprises a plurality of communications networks.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein affecting the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint comprises directing the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint via one or more of the plurality of communications networks based on the one or more policies.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more policies comprise at least one policy regarding bandwidth.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more policies comprise at least one policy regarding a minimum delay.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy enforcer comprises an Operations Support System (OSS).

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the policies further define a user Quality of Experience (QoE).

12. A method for providing service level, policy-based Quality of Service (QoS) enforcement on a network, the method comprising:

monitoring traffic on the network between a first endpoint and a second endpoint; and

applying one or more policies based the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint, the one or more policies defining the QoS for the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the applying the one or more policies comprises affecting the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint to maintain the QoS defined by the one or more policies.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein affecting the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint comprises directing the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint via one or more routers.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein affecting the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint comprises delegating direction of the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint to a network manager.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein affecting the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint comprises directing the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint via particular segments of the network based on the one or more policies.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the network comprises a plurality of networks.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein affecting the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint comprises directing the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint via one or more of the plurality of networks based on the one or more policies.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more policies comprise at least one policy regarding bandwidth.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more policies comprise at least one policy regarding a minimum delay.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the policies further define a user Quality of Experience (QoE).

22. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a series of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to provide service level, policy-based Quality of Service (QoS) enforcement on a network by:

monitoring traffic on the network between a first endpoint and a second endpoint; and

applying one or more policies based the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint, the one or more policies defining the QoS for the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the applying the one or more policies comprises affecting the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint to maintain the QoS defined by the one or more policies.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 23, wherein affecting the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint comprises directing the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint via one or more routers.

25. The machine-readable medium of claim 23, wherein affecting the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint comprises delegating direction of the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint to a network manager.

26. The machine-readable medium of claim 23, wherein affecting the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint comprises directing the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint via particular segments of the network based on the one or more policies.

27. The machine-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the network comprises a plurality of networks.

28. The machine-readable medium of claim 27, wherein affecting the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint comprises directing the traffic between the first endpoint and the second endpoint via one or more of the plurality of networks based on the one or more policies.