Distributed system and method for flow identification in an access network

A method of modifying network traffic through a network, wherein the network includes a service access platform connected to one or more residential services gateways and to a flow identification control unit and wherein the service access platform distributes packet flows to the residential service gateways, a flow identification method comprising:

• recognizing, within each residential services gateway, packet flows passing through the residential services gateway;
• transferring flow analytics information corresponding to the packet flows recognized in the residential services gateways from the residential gateways to the flow identification control unit;
• analyzing, within the flow identification control unit, the flow analytics information received from the residential services gateways;
• and
• adjusting traffic through one or more of the service access platform and the residential services gateways as a function of the flow analytics information analyzed by the flow identification control unit.

A packet flow inspection system, comprising:

• a flow identification control unit;
• a plurality of residential services gateways, wherein each residential services gateway includes a flow identification (FI) agent, wherein the flow identification agent on each residential gateway analyzes packet flows through the residential services gateway and communicates the packet flow identifications to the flow identification control unit;
• and
• a service delivery node communicatively coupled to the flow identification control unit and to the residential services gateways, wherein the service delivery node includes a service access platform and a flow identification agent, wherein the flow identification agent identifies packet flows through the service access platform and communicates the packet flow identifications to the flow identification control unit;
• wherein the flow identification control unit analyzes the flow analytics information received from the residential services gateways and the service delivery node and stores the analysis in memory.

A deep packet inspection system, comprising:

• a flow identification control unit;
• a plurality of residential services gateways, wherein each residential services gateway includes a flow identification (FI) agent, wherein the flow identification agent on each residential gateway identifies flows and communicates the flow identifications to the flow identification control unit;
• and
• a service delivery node communicatively coupled to the flow identification control unit and to the residential services gateways, wherein the service delivery node includes a service access platform and a flow identification agent, wherein the flow identification agent identifies flows through the service access platform and communicates the flow identifications to the flow identification control unit;
• wherein the flow identification control unit instructs one or more of the flow identification agents in the residential services gateways to perform deep packet inspection of flows identified by the service delivery node flow identification agent;
• and
• wherein the flow identification agents performing deep packet inspection forward the results of the deep packet inspection to the flow identification control unit.

A method of performing deep packet inspection (DPI) of network traffic in a network having a service delivery node, one or more residential services gateways and a flow identification (FI) control unit, the method comprising:

• recognizing, within the residential services gateways, flows passing through the residential services gateways;
• transferring flow analytics information corresponding to the packet flows recognized in the residential services gateways from the residential gateways to the flow identification control unit;
• recognizing, within a service delivery node, flows passing through the service access platform;
• transferring flow analytics information corresponding to the flows passing through the service access platform from the service delivery node to the flow identification control unit;
• analyzing, within the flow identification control unit, the flow analytics information received from the residential services gateways and the service delivery node;
• selecting, as a function of the flow analytics information analyzed by the flow identification control unit, a selected flow on which to perform deep packet inspection;
• selecting, in one of the service delivery node and the residential gateways, an FI agent to perform deep packet inspection on the selected flow;
• and
• performing deep packet inspection of the selected flow at the selected FI agent.

A method of modifying network traffic through a network having a service delivery node connected to one or more residential services gateways, to a flow identification control unit and to an external network, wherein the service delivery node distributes packet flows to the residential service gateways, the method comprising:

• recognizing, within each residential services gateway, packet flows passing through the residential services gateway;
• transferring flow analytics information corresponding to the packet flows recognized in the residential services gateways from the residential gateways to the flow identification control unit;
• recognizing, within the service delivery node, packet flows passing through the service access platform and the service access node to one or more residential services gateways;
• transferring flow analytics information corresponding to the packet flows recognized in the service access platform and the service access node from the service delivery node to the flow identification control unit;
• analyzing, within the flow identification control unit, the flow analytics information received from the residential services gateways and the service delivery node;
• and
• adjusting traffic through the service access node, the service access platform and the residential services gateways as a function of the flow analytics information analyzed by the flow identification control unit.