US 8,948,191 B2Granted

Intelligent traffic quota management

AssigneeTelefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (publ)

InventorsBrian Kean, Suraj Jaiswal, Swapna Yelamanchi

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Abstract

A network element acts as a gateway to a data network for a subscriber end station. The network element includes control plane operable to communicate with a first network processing unit (NPU) and a second NPU, which are operable to communicate with the subscriber end station. The control plane includes a quota management module, which determines a quota amount to be assigned to the first NPU and the second NPU. The quota management module assigns a portion of the quota amount to the first NPU and another portion of the quota amount to the second NPU. The quota management module may determine to change the distribution of an unconsumed quota amount between the first NPU and the second NPU, determine the unconsumed quota amount, and assign a portion of the unconsumed quota amount to the first NPU and another portion of the unconsumed quota amount to the second NPU.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus comprising:

a network element, which is to be coupled between a data network and a subscriber end station, to act as a gateway to the data network for the subscriber end station and perform intelligent quota management of a quota that limits an amount of traffic sent through a subscriber traffic flow between the data network and the subscriber end station, the network element including:
a first network processing unit (NPU) operable to communicate with the subscriber end station;
a second NPU operable to communicate with the subscriber end station;
a control plane, operable to communicate with the first NPU and second NPU, comprising a quota management module operable to:
determine a quota amount for the quota associated with the subscriber traffic flow to be assigned to the first NPU and second NPU,
assign a first portion of the quota amount to the first NPU and a second portion of the quota amount to the second NPU,
determine to change the distribution of an unconsumed quota amount between the first NPU and the second NPU,
determine the unconsumed quota amount,
assign a portion of the unconsumed quota amount to the first NPU and another portion of the unconsumed quota amount to the second NPU, and
send a quota consumed report message to a remote quota server, wherein the quota consumed report message includes a consumed quota amount, and wherein the consumed quota amount is to indicate an amount of the quota amount that has been consumed by the first NPU and the second NPU, and
the control plane further comprising a quota tracking module operable to track a quota consumed amount, wherein the quota consumed amount is a portion of the quota amount that has been consumed by the first NPU and the second NPU, and wherein sending the quota consumed report message to the remote quota server is to occur in response to the quota consumed amount exceeding a request threshold, wherein the request threshold is to indicate a fraction of the quota amount that is to be consumed before sending the quota consumed report message to the remote quota server.

8 more elements

A method in a network element acting as a gateway in a communications network for intelligent quota management, the method comprising:

managing a first quota that is associated with a subscriber traffic flow and that limits an amount of traffic travelling between the network element and a subscriber end station in the subscriber traffic flow, the managing including:
assigning a first quota portion to a first network processing unit (NPU), wherein the first quota portion is a portion of the first quota;
assigning a second quota portion to a set of one or more other NPUs, wherein the second quota portion is another portion of the first quota;
determining to change the distribution of an unconsumed quota amount of the first quota;
determining the unconsumed quota amount of the first quota;
assigning a third quota portion to the first NPU, wherein the third quota portion is a portion of the unconsumed quota amount of the first quota;
and
assigning a fourth quota portion to the set of other NPUs, wherein the fourth quota portion is another portion of the unconsumed quota amount of the first quota;
and
sending a quota consumed report message for the first quota to a remote quota server, wherein the quota consumed report message includes a consumed quota amount, wherein the consumed quota amount indicates an amount of the first quota that has been consumed by the first NPU and the set of other NPUs;
wherein the sending the quota consumed report message for the first quota to the remote quota server occurs when a quota consumed amount exceeds a request threshold, wherein the quota consumed amount is a portion of the first quota that has been consumed by the first NPU and the set of other NPUs since a last quota provision message for the first quota was received from the remote quota server, wherein a quota provision message includes a quota provision amount, the quota provision amount indicating a quota amount to be added to the first quota, and wherein the request threshold indicates a fraction of the quota amount that is to be consumed before sending the quota consumed report message to the remote quota server.

8 more elements

An apparatus comprising:

a network element, which is to be coupled between a data network and a subscriber end station, to act as a gateway to the data network for the subscriber end station and perform intelligent quota management of a quota that limits an amount of traffic sent through a subscriber traffic flow between the data network and the subscriber end station, the network element including:
a first network processing unit (NPU) operable to communicate with the subscriber end station;
a second NPU operable to communicate with the subscriber end station;
a control plane, operable to communicate with the first NPU and second NPU, comprising a quota management module operable to:
determine a quota amount for the quota associated with the subscriber traffic flow to be assigned to the first NPU and second NPU,
assign a first portion of the quota amount to the first NPU and a second portion of the quota amount to the second NPU,
determine to change the distribution of an unconsumed quota amount between the first NPU and the second NPU,
determine the unconsumed quota amount,
assign a portion of the unconsumed quota amount to the first NPU and another portion of the unconsumed quota amount to the second NPU, and
send a quota consumed report message to a remote quota server, wherein the quota consumed report message includes a consumed quota amount, and wherein the consumed quota amount is to indicate an amount of the quota amount that has been consumed by the first NPU and the second NPU;
and
the control plane further comprising a quota tracking module operable to track a redistribution count, wherein the redistribution count is the number of times the quota amount has been redistributed between the first NPU and the second NPU, wherein sending the quota consumed report message to the remote quota server occurs in response to the redistribution count being equal to a redistribution limit, wherein the redistribution limit is to indicate the number of times the quota amount is to be redistributed before sending the quota consumed report message to the remote quota server.

9 more elements

A method in a network element acting as a gateway in a communications network for intelligent quota management, the method comprising:

managing a first quota that is associated with a subscriber traffic flow and that limits an amount of traffic travelling between the network element and a subscriber end station in the subscriber traffic flow, the managing including:
assigning a first quota portion to a first network processing unit (NPU), wherein the first quota portion is a portion of the first quota;
assigning a second quota portion to a set of one or more other NPUs, wherein the second quota portion is another portion of the first quota;
determining to change the distribution of an unconsumed quota amount of the first quota;
determining the unconsumed quota amount of the first quota;
assigning a third quota portion to the first NPU, wherein the third quota portion is a portion of the unconsumed quota amount of the first quota;
and
assigning a fourth quota portion to the set of other NPUs, wherein the fourth quota portion is another portion of the unconsumed quota amount of the first quota;
and
sending a quota consumed report message for the first quota to a remote quota server, wherein the quota consumed report message includes a consumed quota amount, wherein the consumed quota amount indicates an amount of the first quota that has been consumed by the first NPU and the set of other NPUs;
wherein the sending the quota consumed report message for the first quota occurs responsive to a redistribution count being equal to a redistribution limit, wherein the redistribution count is a number of times the determination to change the distribution of the first quota has occurred since a last quota provision message for the first quota was received from the remote quota server, wherein a quota provision message includes a quota provision amount, the quota provision amount indicating a quota amount to be added to the first quota, and wherein the redistribution limit is a defined number of times the amount of the first quota that is unconsumed is to be redistributed to a set of one or more NPUs before sending the quota consumed report message to the remote quota server.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/316,281Filed 9 Dec 2011
Published: US 2013/0148668 A113 Jun 2013
Granted: 3 Feb 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

H04L 47/70
Traffic control in data switching networks: admission control; Resource allocation
H04L 12/1435
Metric aspects: volume-based
H04L 12/1467
Methods or systems for payment or settlement of the charges for data transmission involving significant interaction with the data transmission…
H04L 41/50
Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks: network service…