US 2006/0153076 A1 · Admissions control in a connectionless communications network

Abstract

A method of providing call admission control which does not require using MIDCOM protocol methods, Packetcable protocols or COPS-RSVP s approaches is described which is simple to implement, cost-effective and which is able to deal with particular situations such as conference calls. Each link in a communications network over which it is required to perform call admissions control is provided with a middlebox connected at each end of that link such that admissions control can be carried out at one end of the link. Call services are provided by Call Servers, each of which has access to a database containing pre-specified information about all middleboxes in that call server's realm. The database also has information about maximum bandwidths for the link associated with each middlebox. The call servers are used to keep a running tally of the amount of VoIP call bandwidth associated with each middlebox on the edge of a low-bandwidth link, and to accept or refuse calls on the basis of the bandwidth information on a per-call basis.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A call server for use in a connectionless, packet, communications network in order to provide admissions control, said communications network comprising a plurality of middleboxes, each middlebox being associated with a different link in the communications network and arranged to control packet flow over that link, said call server comprising:

(i) an input arranged to receive a call admission request from an originating packet media endpoint, said call admission request comprising information about the originating packet media endpoint, and a destination packet media endpoint;
(ii) an input for accessing information about all first middleboxes associated with the originating node and all second middleboxes associated with the destination node, together with information about the amount of available bandwidth on the link associated with each of those middleboxes;
(iii) a processor for determining whether to accept the call admission request on the basis of the accessed information about available bandwidth;
(iv) an output arranged to output the results of the determination as to whether to accept the call admission request.

1 more element

A method of performing admissions control in a connectionless, packet, communications network, said communications network comprising a plurality of middleboxes, each middlebox being associated with a different link in the communications network and arranged to control packet flow over that link, said method comprising the steps of, at a call server:

(i) receiving a call admission request from an originating packet media endpoint, said call admission request comprising information about the originating packet media endpoint and a destination packet media endpoint;
(ii) accessing information about all first middleboxes associated with the originating packet media endpoint and all second middleboxes associated with the destination packet media endpoint, together with information about the amount of available bandwidth on the link associated with each of those middleboxes;
(iii) determining whether to accept the call admission request on the basis of the accessed information about available bandwidth;
and
(iv) outputting the results of the determination as to whether to accept the call admission request.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Admissions control in a connectionless communications network

Life of this patent

Admissions control in a connectionless communications network

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims23