Central Office Policy Control via Distributed Label Enforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
In broadband access networks, especially in 5G and CORD architectures, managing policy control information and bandwidth coordination across multiple service edges and access nodes is complex, requiring significant efforts for real-time traffic shaping and exact packet accounting, which is inefficient and resource-intensive.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a distributed policy enforcement mechanism within the control plane function of the central office point of delivery, where policy information is transmitted to access nodes and service edge nodes, enabling label-based policy enforcement on user plane traffic, allowing for centralized management of quality-of-service and accounting across multiple service edges and access nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If service edges or service edge nodes coordinate in real time the available bandwidth with the current shaping rates, then traffic shaping accuracy is improved, but system complexity and operational efforts increase considerably
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a control plane function as an intermediary between service edges and access nodes. This mediator distributes policy information containing shaping rates to access nodes, which then enforce traffic shaping locally using label information. This eliminates the need for real-time coordination between service edges while maintaining accurate traffic shaping through the intermediary's policy distribution mechanism.
2Measurement precision
If service edges or service edge nodes coordinate in real time the available bandwidth, then bandwidth allocation accuracy is improved, but operational efforts and resource consumption increase considerably
Solution Approach 1:
The control plane function performs preliminary actions by distributing policy information containing predetermined shaping rates to access nodes before traffic shaping is needed. Access nodes store this policy information and use it for local enforcement, eliminating the need for real-time coordination operations. The label information attached to data packets further enables automatic identification and enforcement without operational intervention.
3Measurement precision
If exact packet accounting is performed across multiple service edges, then accounting precision is improved, but system complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control plane function serves as an intermediary for accounting operations. It distributes policy information to access nodes, which perform packet accounting locally based on this information. The access nodes use the distributed policy information to accurately account for packets without requiring coordination with multiple service edges, thus maintaining accounting precision while reducing system complexity through the intermediary's centralized policy management.
Data Source
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Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for an improved and simplified operation of a central office point of delivery and/or for the enhanced distribution and/or use of policy control information, especially within the central office point of delivery and/or between network nodes external to the central office point of delivery, within a broadband access network of a telecommunications network, wherein the central office point of delivery and/or the broadband access network comprises at least a service edge node or a service edge functionality, and a plurality of access nodes or a plurality of access node functionality instances, wherein the broadband access network comprises a control plane function or a controller node realizing a control plane function, wherein the control plane function or the controller node realizing the control plane function implements a distributed policy enforcement regarding subscriber-related uplink and/or downlink user plane traffic within the broadband access network, wherein - in order to establish a subscriber session between, on the one hand, a specific customer premises equipment being connected to the broadband access network, and, on the other hand, a specific service edge node or a specific service edge functionality, and using a specific access node or a specific access node functionality instance - the method comprises the following steps: -- in a first step, a first policy information is transmitted, by the control plane function or the controller node realizing the control plane function, to the specific access node or the specific access node functionality instance, and a second policy information is transmitted, by the control plane function or the controller node realizing the control plane function, to the specific service edge node or to the specific service edge functionality, -- in a second step, subsequent to the first step, a label information - indicated by the first policy information - is provided or attached, by the specific service edge node or the specific service edge functionality, to data packets of downstream user plane traffic being transmitted, by the specific service edge node or the specific service edge functionality, to the specific customer premises equipment as part of the subscriber session, -- in a third step, subsequent to the second step, the label information of or attached to data packets of downstream user plane traffic is used by the specific access node or the specific access node functionality instance for policy enforcement in accordance to the second policy information.