Quality of service provisioning for wireless networks

• US 8,340,110 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2007
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trapeze Networks Incorporated (Juniper Networks Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Trapeze Networks Incorporated (Juniper Networks Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gast, Matthew Stuart
• Primary Examiner(s): Thier, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elliott, IV, Benjamin H
• Application Number:
  US11/845,029
• Publication Number:
  US 20080069018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,950 Days
• Field of Search: 370/395.21, 370/395.42, 370431-449, 370412-418, 455/435.1, 455/435.3, 455/452.1, 455/452.2, 709/219, 709/220, 709/224, 709/229, 710 39- 42, 710/244, 726/2, 726/3, 726/21, 726/27
• US Class Current: 370/412
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters

Abstract

A technique for improving quality of service involves dynamically provisioning quality of service parameters. An example according to this technique is a system including a server and an access point. The server provisions quality of service parameters restricting the station'"'"'s transmission of data through the access point to one or more access classes of varying priority.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a server configured to be coupled to a network and an access point transmitting data from a first station to the server and from a second station to the server;

the server configured to dynamically determine quality of service (QoS) parameters for the first station and for the second station; and

the server configured to (1) restrict the first station from a first access class from a plurality of access classes based on the QoS parameters, (2) assign the first station a second access class from the plurality of access classes based on the QoS parameters, and (3) assign the second station the first access class and the second access class based on the QoS parameters, the first access class being uniquely associated with a first priority queue from a plurality of priority queues at the access point, the second access class being different from the first access class and being uniquely associated with a second priority queue, from the plurality of priority queues, different from the first priority queue.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the server configured to be coupled to a verification engine determining whether a software application is executing on the first station; and

the server configured to receive an instruction from the verification engine to deny the first station use of first priority queue from the plurality of priority queues if the software application is not executing on the station.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the QoS parameters include a RADIUS attribute defining permission for the first station to use the second access class.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first access class is an 802.11 access class.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first access class is associated with a utilization rate defining a limit on station traffic through first priority queue.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the server configured to receive a request from the first station for the second access class from the plurality of access classes to transmit data at a rate; and

the server configured to deny the request when the rate exceeds a utilization rate.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to be coupled to a database storing the QoS parameters.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to transfer the QoS parameters to the access point in a station switching record.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving a request for authentication from a station, the request for authentication including a request for access to a first queue of an access point, the first queue of the access point associated with a first access class having a first level of priority;

when the station is executing an application authorized to be assigned the first level of priority, (1) granting the station access to the first queue of the access point and access to a second queue of the access point, the second queue associated with the second access class having a level of priority lower than the first level of priority, and (2) setting a first QoS parameter for the station; and

when the station is not executing an application authorized to be assigned the first level of priority, (1) granting the station access to the second queue of the access point without granting access to the first queue, and (2) setting a second QoS parameter for the station.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing the first QoS parameter or the second QoS parameter in a light-weight data access protocol (LDAP) directory associated with security credentials for the station.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the QoS parameters are further associated with information about a user associated with the request for authentication.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving a request from a mobile device for a first access class assignment from a server, the first access class assignment being associated with transmission of data from the mobile device to the server;

verifying that the mobile device is executing an application authorized to be assigned the first access class; and

when the mobile device is verified to be executing an application authorized to be assigned the first access class;

(1) sending the first access class assignment to the server;

(2) receiving a session quality of service (QoS) parameter associated with the first access class from the server for the mobile device; and

(3) sending the session QoS parameter associated with the first access class to the mobile device; and

when the mobile device is not verified to be executing the application authorized to be assigned the first access class;

(1) sending a second access class assignment to the server;

(2) receiving a session quality of service (QoS) parameter associated with the second access class from the server for the mobile device; and

(3) sending the session QoS parameter associated with the second access class to the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the session QoS parameter associated with the first access class includes receiving a first station switching record, receiving the session QoS associated with the second access class includes receiving a second station switching record.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the first access class is an 802.11e access class.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the first access class is associated with a utilization rate defining a limit on station traffic through the first priority queue of an access point.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the session QoS parameter comprise a RADIUS attribute restricting the first station to the first access class.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the session QoS parameter is based on a QoS parameter associated with the first station and the first access class assignment.