Distributing policy information in a communication network

A method of distributing policy information within a communication network, the method comprising:

• identifying a target in a communication network, said communication network is represented by a policy tree, said target uniquely identified as a target node in the policy tree;
• selecting a subset of policy information, from a superset of policy information, from the policy tree of the communication network relevant to the target node;
• and
• downloading the subset of the policy tree to the target for implementing the selected policy information at the target.

A method of distributing policy information in a communication network, the method comprising:

• matching a first subset of policy information to be modified to policy information relevant to a node of a policy tree, the first subset being a subset of the policy tree having a hierarchical data structure, said first subset of policy information being obtained from a superset of policy information;
• identifying a target corresponding to the node and containing a second subset of the policy tree, said second subset corresponding to the first subset that is unmodified;
• and
• notifying the node containing the second subset about the first subset to be modified.

A communication network system comprising a policy server configured to:

• identify a target in a communication network, said communication network is represented by a policy tree, said target uniquely identified as a node in the policy tree;
• select a subset of policy information from the policy tree of the communication network relevant to the target, said first subset of policy information being obtained from a superset of policy information;
• and
• download to the target only the subset of the policy information to implement the subset at the target.

A communication network system comprising a policy server configured to:

• match a first subset of policy information to be modified to policy information relevant to a node of a policy tree, said first subset being a subset of the policy tree having a hierarchical data structure, said first subset of policy information being obtained from a superset of policy information;
• identify a target corresponding to the node and containing a second subset of the policy tree, said second subset corresponding to the first subset that is unmodified;
• and
• notify the target containing the second subset about the first subset to be modified.

A communication network system comprising:

• a parent server containing a superset of a policy database having a hierarchical data structure;
• secondary servers each containing a respective subset of the policy database;
• and
• targets each containing a respective portion of the subset of the policy database, wherein the subsets of the policy database are replicated to the secondary servers and the portions of the subsets are replicated to the targets based on information describing the targets.

An article comprising a computer-readable medium that stores computer-executable instructions for causing a computer system to:

• identify a target in a communication network that is represented by a policy tree, said target uniquely identified as a node in the policy tree;
• select a subset of policy information from the policy tree of the network relevant to the target, said subset of policy information being obtained from a superset of policy information;
• and
• download to the target only the subset of the policy information to implement the subset at the target.

An article comprising a computer-readable medium that stores computer-executable instructions for causing a computer system to:

• match a first subset of policy information to policy information relevant to a node of a policy tree, said first subset being a subset of the policy tree having a hierarchical data structure, said first subset of policy information being obtained from a superset of policy information;
• identify a target corresponding to the node and containing a second subset of the policy tree, said second subset corresponding to the first subset that is unmodified;
• and
• notify the target containing the second subset about the first subset to be modified.