Traffic engineering in frame-based carrier networks

a carrier network and frame-based technology, applied in data switching networks, store-and-forward switching systems, digital transmission, etc., can solve problems such as incompatibility of inability to meet carrier requirements for providing guaranteed services, and instability of mpls standards

a carrier network and frame-based technology, applied in data switching networks, store-and-forward switching systems, digital transmission, etc., can solve problems such as incompatibility of inability to meet carrier requirements for providing guaranteed services, and instability of mpls standards

US20050220096A1Inactive Publication Date: 2005-10-06RPX CLEARINGHOUSE
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  • Traffic engineering in frame-based carrier networks
  • Traffic engineering in frame-based carrier networks
  • Traffic engineering in frame-based carrier networks

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

Embodiment Construction

[0044] Embodiments of the present invention are described below by way of example only. These examples represent the best ways of putting the invention into practice that are currently known to the Applicant although they are not the only ways in which this could be achieved.

[0045] To support guaranteed QoS to customers, what is required is: [0046] 1) an at least partially meshed carrier network; [0047] 2) the ability to establish explicitly routed connections across the carrier network between any two edge nodes (traffic engineering); and [0048] 3) the ability to enforce any bandwidth restrictions applied to the connections.

[0049] The present invention is primarily concerned with enabling requirements 1) and 2) above in frame-based networks such as Ethernet networks. Requirement 3) may be achieved using conventional mechanisms such as admission control at the ingress nodes of connections (trusted-edge policing).

[0050]FIG. 2 shows an arrangement of Ethernet switches and communica...

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PUM

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Abstract

The invention relates to enabling traffic engineering in frame-based networks such as Ethernet networks. There is described a method of and connection controller for establishing connections (76, 77) in a frame-based communications network comprising nodes (71-75 and 78) such as Ethernet switches. The connections are established by configuring, in various of the nodes, mappings for forwarding data frames, such as Ethernet frames. The mappings are from a combination of a) a destination address corresponding to a destination node (73) of the connection and b) an identifier, such as a VLAN tag. The mappings are to selected output ports of the various nodes. By using the combination of destination address AND identifier, the mappings enable data frames belonging to different connections (76, 77) to be forwarded differentially (ie forwarded on different output ports) at a node (75) despite the different connections having the same destination node. This enables flexibility in routing connections—ie the ability to perform traffic engineering.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to methods of, software for and apparatus for enabling traffic engineering in carrier networks. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION [0002] For many years now, telecommunications carriers have been deploying packet-switched networks in place of circuit-switched networks for reasons of efficiency and economy. Packet-switched networks such as Internet Protocol (IP) or Ethernet networks are intrinsically connectionless in nature and as a result suffer from Quality of Service (QoS) problems. Customers value services which are guaranteed in terms of bandwidth and QoS. [0003] Carriers may use Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) over a layer 2 network to create connection-oriented label switched paths (or tunnels) across the intrinsically connectionless network, and thereby to provide guaranteed QoS and bandwidth services to customers. However, MPLS is a relatively unstable standard and carriers desire an alternative. [0004] It is desire...

Claims

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Application Information

Patent Timeline
06 Oct 2005
Publication
US20050220096A1
IPC
H04L45/74; H04L12/46; H04L12/56; H04L45/50
CPC
H04L12/4645; H04L45/54; H04L45/64; H04L45/66; H04L49/205; H04L47/122; H04L49/254; H04L49/351
Inventors
FRISKNEY, ROBERT; BRAGG, NIGEL