Service Quality Indication for IP Network Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current QoS mechanisms in IP networks fail to guarantee absolute end-to-end service quality due to lack of awareness about available network resources across different domains, leading to service degradation and user dissatisfaction, especially in situations where network capacity is insufficient.
Innovation Solution
A network-centric feedback system that utilizes web services to evaluate end-to-end network capabilities and service requirements, providing users with realizable service quality information and enabling adaptive service provisioning to avoid overbooking, without requiring additional hardware or software on the user's terminal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If QoS mechanisms are applied in network architectures to manage network performance, then network performance is improved, but network capacity insufficiency in some network segments still leads to service degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the application server receives information about available network resources from network elements along the data path. This feedback loop enables the server to adapt service delivery to actual network conditions, resolving the contradiction between QoS mechanisms and network capacity limitations by making the system responsive to real-time resource availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary component that mediates between the application server and network elements. This intermediary facilitates communication about network resource availability, enabling the server to make informed decisions about service quality without direct complex interactions with multiple network elements, thus improving adaptability while maintaining reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the application server is not aware of degraded network performance, then service adaptation cannot occur, but implementing awareness mechanisms increases system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the application server to self-serve by automatically receiving and processing network resource information from network elements. The server independently makes adaptation decisions based on received feedback without requiring complex external control systems, thus achieving service adaptation capability while minimizing additional system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediary component simplifies the complexity burden by centralizing the communication interface between the application server and network elements. It handles the complexity of gathering and standardizing network resource information, allowing the server to adapt services without directly managing complex monitoring infrastructure.
3Measurement precision
If network-centric evaluation is implemented to assess realizable service quality, then service quality information accuracy is improved, but additional software features and evaluation infrastructure increase device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages existing network elements along the data path to provide evaluation information. These network elements, which already exist in the infrastructure, contribute their resource availability data to the evaluation process without requiring new dedicated evaluation hardware or software, thus improving measurement accuracy while avoiding significant increases in infrastructure complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes existing network elements serve multiple functions: their primary networking function plus providing resource availability information for service quality evaluation. This multi-functionality approach improves measurement accuracy by utilizing existing infrastructure rather than adding separate evaluation systems, thereby minimizing complexity increases.
4Reliability
If QoS mechanisms differentiate packets at ingress and egress levels, then network performance management is improved, but absolute end-to-end service quality guarantees cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent supplements existing QoS mechanisms with a feedback loop that provides end-to-end service quality information to the application server. While QoS mechanisms manage network performance at ingress and egress levels, the feedback mechanism closes the loop by returning actual service quality measurements, enabling both performance management and precise end-to-end quality assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds another dimension to QoS management by introducing application-layer awareness of network conditions. Instead of relying solely on network-layer QoS mechanisms, the solution operates at the application layer, receiving feedback about actual service quality delivered, thus achieving both performance management and precise end-to-end measurement through multi-layered approach.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention provides a method and system to evaluate realizable service quality for delivery of services between a content provider and a user over an IP-based network with a plurality of network segments. The method comprises the steps: a) sending an application service request from the user to the content provider; b) initiating on an evaluation entity (SQI) a network capability discovery process for the requested application service; c) requesting application service related requirements regarding network performance from an evaluation entity support entity (SQII) at the content provider; d) sending application service related requirements regarding network performance from an evaluation entity support entity (SQII) at the content provider to the evaluation entity (SQI); e) requesting network performance information from evaluation entity support entities (SQII) on said network segments; sending available network performance information on available network capability on said network segments from evaluation entity support entities (SQII) in said network segments to said evaluation entity; f) comparing in the evaluation entity (SQI) the received available network performance information with the application service related requirements on network performance, results in the information whether the requested application service is providable in the requested quality; and g) sending a result on the basis of said comparing from the evaluation entity (SQI) to the evaluation entity support entity (SQII) at the content provider such that the content provider is aware whether the requested application service is realizable.