Systems and methods for policy-enabled communications networks
AssigneeBellSouth Intellectual Property Corporation
InventorSteven A. Wright
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and methods for policy-based management of a multiprotocol label switching (“MPLS”) network. In an embodiment, a system includes a policy-based network administration system, and the policy-based network administration system includes a plurality of policies. The system also includes an MPLS network, which is coupled to the policy-based network administration system.
Claims18
A system for policy-based control of a label switching network carrying one or more of voice and data traffic, the system comprising:
- a central office, the central office including a trunk gateway;
- the label switching network being coupled to the trunk gateway of the central office;
- a network administration system, the network administration system including a plurality of policies stored in a policy repository each policy of at least a subset of the plurality of policies controlling, at least in part, the operation of the label switching network wherein a policy is one of an admission policy and a life cycle policy wherein further an admission policy maps packet traffic flows onto one or more label switched paths within the label switching network and a life cycle policy creates, deletes and monitors the one or more label switched paths within the label switching network;
- and
- a call control complex, the call control complex coupled to the network administration system and the label switching network.
A method of operating a label switching network with policy based management, the method comprising:
- operating at least a portion of the label switching network based at least in part on a first policy, wherein a policy is one of an admission policy and a life cycle policy wherein further an admission policy maps packet traffic flows onto one or more label switched paths within the label switching network and a life cycle policy creates and deletes the one or more label switched paths within the label switching network;
- receiving a control input;
- selecting a second policy based at least in part on the control input, the second policy being different from the first policy;
- and
- operating at least the portion of the label switching network based at least in part on the second policy.
A method for policy-based management of a label switching network, the method comprising:
- a step for operating at least a portion of the label switching network based at least in part on a first policy, wherein a policy is one of an admission policy and a life cycle policy wherein further an admission policy maps packet traffic flows onto one or more label switched paths within the label switching network and a life cycle policy creates deletes and configures the one or more label switched paths within the label switching network;
- a step for receiving a control input;
- a step for selecting a second policy based at least in part on the control input, the second policy being different from the first policy;
- and
- a step for operating at least the portion of the label switching network based at least in part on the second policy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.