Intelligent policy server system and method for bandwidth control in an ATM network

A policy server comprising:

• a memory to store entries that relate subscribers to policies associated with a plurality of policy features,
• the policy server being included in an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network to establish communications between a calling party and a called party, the ATM network comprising:
• an ATM switch serving a customer premises equipment (CPE) operated by the calling party, and
• a signaling intercept processor associated with the ATM switch, the signaling intercept processor to intercept a first signaling message and a second signaling message related to the calling party and the called party, and
• a processor to:
• receive, from the signaling intercept processor, information associated with the first signaling message and the second signaling message,
• determine a policy, of the policies in the memory, for the calling party,
• identify one or more policy features associated with the policy for the calling party, and
• determine whether at least one policy condition, associated with the one or more policy features for the calling party, is satisfied with respect to the first signaling message and the second signaling message, a first connection path being established when the at least one policy condition is satisfied with respect to the first signaling message, a second connection path being established when the at least one policy condition is satisfied with respect to the second signaling message, the first connection path and the second connection path including a particular network port authorized for use by the calling party, the particular network port being associated with a maximum burst size limit, and
• the processor, when determining whether the at least one policy condition is satisfied, being further to:
• identify an available forward bandwidth between the calling party and the called party via the particular network port, the available forward bandwidth being based on modifying an actual forward bandwidth, between the calling party and the called party via the particular network port, by a forward overbooking factor,
• identify an available reverse bandwidth between the called party and the calling party via the particular network port, the available reverse bandwidth being based on modifying an actual reverse bandwidth, between the calling party and the called party via the particular network port, by a reverse overbooking factor that differs from the forward overbooking factor,
• determine a first burst size associated with the first signaling message and a second burst size associated with the second signaling message,
• calculate a first requested bandwidth associated with the first signaling message, the first requested bandwidth including a first forward requested bandwidth between the calling party and the called party and a first reverse requested bandwidth between the called party and the calling party,
• determine that the at least one policy condition is satisfied for the first signaling message based on determining that the available forward bandwidth exceeds the first forward requested bandwidth, the available reverse bandwidth exceeds the first reverse requested bandwidth, and the first burst size does not exceed the maximum burst size limit,
• calculate a second requested bandwidth associated with the second signaling message, the second requested bandwidth including a second forward requested bandwidth between the calling party and the called party and a second reverse requested bandwidth between the called party and the calling party, and
• determine that the at least one policy condition is not satisfied for the second signaling message based on determining an occurrence of at least one of:
• a total forward requested bandwidth, including the first forward requested bandwidth and the second forward requested bandwidth, exceeds the available forward bandwidth,
• a total reverse requested bandwidth, including the first reverse requested bandwidth and the second reverse requested bandwidth, exceeds the available reverse bandwidth, or
• a total burst size, including the first burst size and the second burst size, exceeds the maximum burst size limit.

A non-transitory computer-readable to store instructions, the instructions comprising:

• one or more instructions which, when executed by an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network node in an ATM network, cause the ATM network node to receive a first signaling message and a second signaling message associated with, respectively, a first call and a second call from a calling party, the first signaling message and the second signaling message being received from an intercept processor associated with the ATM network;
• one or more instructions which, when executed by the ATM network node, cause the ATM network node to identify, based on at least one of the first signaling message or the second signaling message, a policy, for the calling party, from a plurality of policies, the policy identifying one or more policy features, of a group of policy features, associated with the calling party, at least one of the plurality of policies not being associated with the calling party, and at least one of the group of the policy features not being associated with the policy for the calling party;
• one or more instructions which, when executed by the ATM network node, cause the ATM network node to determine whether a policy condition associated with each policy feature, of the one or more policy features, is satisfied with respect to the first signaling message and the second signaling message, the determining whether the policy condition associated with each policy feature is satisfied comprising:
• one or more instructions to identify, based on the policy, a particular network port, in the ATM network, that the calling party is authorized to use, the network port being associated with a maximum burst size limit,
• one or more instructions to identify an available forward bandwidth on a virtual path from an ingress switch, associated with the calling party, to an egress switch, associated with a called party, where the virtual path includes the particular network port, the available forward bandwidth being based on modifying an actual forward bandwidth, for the virtual path, by a forward overbooking factor associated with the virtual path,
• one or more instructions to identify an available reverse bandwidth from the egress switch to the ingress switch along the virtual path, the available reverse bandwidth being based on modifying an actual reverse bandwidth, for the virtual path, by a reverse overbooking factor, associated with the virtual path, that differs from the forward overbooking factor,
• one or more instructions to calculate a first requested bandwidth associated with the first signaling message, the first requested bandwidth including a first forward requested bandwidth from the ingress switch to the egress switch along the virtual path and a first reverse requested bandwidth from the egress switch to the ingress switch along the virtual path,
• one or more instructions to calculate a first burst size associated with the first signaling message and a second burst size associated with the second signaling message,
• one or more instructions to determine that the policy is satisfied for the first signaling message based on determining that:
• the available forward bandwidth exceeds the first forward requested bandwidth,
• the available reverse bandwidth exceeds the first reverse requested bandwidth, and
• the first burst size does not exceed the maximum burst size limit,
• one or more instructions to calculate a second requested bandwidth associated with the second signaling message, the second requested bandwidth including a second forward requested bandwidth from the ingress switch to the egress switch along the virtual path and a second reverse requested bandwidth from the egress switch to the ingress switch along the virtual path,
• one or more instructions to determine that the policy is not satisfied for the second signaling message based on determining an occurrence of at least one of:
• a total forward requested bandwidth, including the first forward requested bandwidth and the second forward requested bandwidth, exceeds the available forward bandwidth,
• a total reverse requested bandwidth, including the first reverse requested bandwidth and the second reverse requested bandwidth, exceeds the available reverse bandwidth, or
• a total burst size, including the first burst size and the second burst size, exceeds the maximum burst size limit;
• and
• one or more instructions which, when executed by the ATM network node, cause the ATM network node to cause, responsive determining that the policy for the calling party is satisfied with respect to the first signaling message, a communication, related to the first signaling message, to be established between the calling party and the called party along the virtual path.