SCALABLE POLICY DEPLOYMENT ARCHITECTURE IN A COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20120191842A1
• Filed: 01/21/2011
• Published: 07/26/2012
• 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: Eng, Douglas, Figurelle, Terry, Hu, Qingmin, McKnight, Jie
• Granted Patent: US 8,966,057 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• 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 to facilitate scalability within a communication network and to 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:

providing routing between network entities and a plurality of service zones;

receiving network policy information from the network entities, wherein at least one network entity performs a first function that is different from a second function performed by a second network entity;

tracking user service activities; and

managing the plurality of service zones based on the network policy information, wherein the managing is performed on behalf of the network entities.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retaining at least one state and session information related to a service in a service zone of the plurality of service zones.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing comprises providing routing between the network entities and five or more service zones.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the managing comprises managing the plurality of service zones, wherein a first service zone is located in a first national data center and a second service zone is located in a second national data center.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking comprises tracking a first activity for a first user service and a second activity for a second user service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking comprises tracking a plurality of services provided to one user equipment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking comprises tracking different network elements that facilitate the user service activities.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking comprises tracking different combinations of network nodes that support the user service activities.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating with the plurality of service zones on behalf of one or more of the network entities; and

communicating with one or more of the network entities on behalf of the plurality of service zones.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a consolidation component that manages and consolidates network related policies, wherein the network related policies are managed on behalf of a first entity and at least a second entity, wherein the first entity and the at least the second entity perform disparate functions; and

a deployment component that implements the network related policies on a plurality of service zones.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising an interface component that communicates with the plurality of service zones on behalf of the first entity and the at least the second entity.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising an interface component that communicates with the first entity and the at least the second entity on behalf of the plurality of service zones.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the plurality of service zones comprises five or more service zones.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a mapping component that tracks user service activities and network nodes that support the user service activities.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a storage media that retains at least one state and session information related to service zones of the plurality of service zones.

16. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable code instructions stored therein, wherein in response to execution by at least one processor, the computer-executable code instructions perform operations comprising:

tracking user service activities with respect to a wireless communication network; and

correlating the user service activities to different combinations of network nodes that support the user service activities.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the user service activities comprise a first activity for a first user equipment and a second activity for a second user equipment.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the user service activities comprise a plurality of services provided to one user equipment.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the user service activities comprise different network elements that provide the user service activities.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

providing routing between network entities and a plurality of service zones;

receiving network policy information from the network entities that comprise different functions; and

managing the plurality of service zones based on the network policy information, wherein the managing is performed on behalf of the network entities.