Centralized Bandwidth Reservation for Versioned Network Services
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current decentralized network bandwidth reservation protocols, such as RSVP and RSVP-TE, are inadequate for guaranteeing bandwidth reservation across all service versions in a network service family, especially when older or non-compliant network elements are involved, leading to insufficient reserved bandwidth and excess unnecessary reservations.
Innovation Solution
A centralized bandwidth reservation method within a network service manager server that calculates and reserves the total bandwidth required for all non-obsolete service versions across network links, ensuring sufficient bandwidth for any active service version while minimizing excess reservation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If decentralized bandwidth reservation protocols (RSVP/RSVP-TE) are used, then bandwidth reservation can be performed at network element level, but insufficient reserved bandwidth and excess unnecessary reservations occur when multiple service versions exist
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a network service manager as an intermediary between service versions and network elements. This manager calculates the actual bandwidth requirements by analyzing all service versions and their bandwidth representations, then coordinates reservations to ensure sufficient bandwidth is reserved without excessive allocation, resolving the contradiction between reliability and quantity of reserved bandwidth
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of bandwidth reservation from individual service version level to family level by calculating maximum bandwidth requirements across all versions. This parameter transformation allows the system to guarantee bandwidth for any active version while avoiding unnecessary reservations, thus improving reliability without excessive bandwidth consumption
2Adaptability or versatility
If bandwidth is reserved for all service versions, then any service version can be activated without bandwidth issues, but excess unnecessary bandwidth reservation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by reserving bandwidth based on the maximum requirements of any single service version rather than summing all versions' requirements. This ensures adaptability for any version activation while avoiding the waste of reserving bandwidth for all versions simultaneously, thus achieving the desired balance
3Extent of automation
If decentralized reservation protocol is used, then network elements can autonomously reserve bandwidth, but compliance issues arise with older or non-compliant network elements
Solution Approach 1:
The network service manager acts as an intermediary that centralizes the reservation logic, eliminating dependency on decentralized protocol compliance at network elements. This approach maintains automation benefits while ensuring reliable bandwidth reservation even with older or non-compliant network elements by removing the compliance requirement entirely
4Measurement precision
If centralized bandwidth calculation is performed, then accurate bandwidth allocation for service families is achieved, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the bandwidth calculation for all service versions into a single centralized computation at the network service manager. By combining the analysis of all service versions and their bandwidth representations into one unified calculation, accurate bandwidth allocation is achieved while avoiding the complexity of distributed calculations across multiple elements
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods and apparatus to minimize the amount of bandwidth reserved for versioned network services are described. According to one embodiment of the invention, a bandwidth reservation component in a network service manager server receives a change to a service version in a service family. The bandwidth reservation component determines that the change would affect a reserved bandwidth on at least one of the network links of the service version. The bandwidth reservation component analyzes whether to accept the change based on how the change would affect the reserved bandwidth. The bandwidth reservation component changes on each of the network links the reserved bandwidth according to the change if the change is accepted.