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WO2010069362A1 - Capacity leasing - Google Patents

Capacity leasing Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2010069362A1
WO2010069362A1 PCT/EP2008/067541 EP2008067541W WO2010069362A1 WO 2010069362 A1 WO2010069362 A1 WO 2010069362A1 EP 2008067541 W EP2008067541 W EP 2008067541W WO 2010069362 A1 WO2010069362 A1 WO 2010069362A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
network
trading
usage
capacity
isp
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2008/067541
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Sandro Grech
Roman Pichna
Ravi Shankar Pandey
Original Assignee
Nokia Siemens Networks Oy
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Nokia Siemens Networks Oy filed Critical Nokia Siemens Networks Oy
Priority to PCT/EP2008/067541 priority Critical patent/WO2010069362A1/en
Publication of WO2010069362A1 publication Critical patent/WO2010069362A1/en

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L41/00—Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
    • H04L41/50—Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
    • H04L41/5003—Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
    • H04L41/5019—Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
    • H04L41/5025—Ensuring fulfilment of SLA by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L41/00—Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
    • H04L41/08—Configuration management of networks or network elements
    • H04L41/0896—Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L43/00—Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
    • H04L43/08—Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
    • H04L43/0876—Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W24/00—Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
    • H04W24/08—Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L41/00—Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
    • H04L41/50—Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
    • H04L41/5003—Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L41/00—Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
    • H04L41/50—Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
    • H04L41/5003—Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
    • H04L41/5009—Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L41/00—Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
    • H04L41/50—Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
    • H04L41/5003—Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
    • H04L41/5019—Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
    • H04L41/5022—Ensuring fulfilment of SLA by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W24/00—Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W28/00—Network traffic management; Network resource management
    • H04W28/16—Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to methods and systems for enforcing Service Level Agreements (SLA) and, in particular, to methods and systems for enforcing SLA to enable efficient capacity leasing in WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) networks.
  • SLA Service Level Agreements
  • WiMAX Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access
  • An SLA between a service provider, typically an Internet Service Provider (ISP) , and a Network Operator is typically a document that details the level of service provided to the ISP by the Network Provider.
  • the SLA defines several aspects of the service to be provided which typically includes at least a definition of the capacity that will be assigned to the ISP in the Network Operator's network.
  • the conventional network architecture also has the disadvantage that the Network Operator must provision the network so as to provide resources to handle at all times the maximum assigned capacity for each and every ISP as defined in each ISP's SLA.
  • the problems with statically pre-configured SLAs is particu- larly relevant to WiMAX networks as the geographical distribution of wireless access networks along with the mobility of the ISP subscribers results in a random clustering of ISP subscribers and therefore a random distribution of capacity being used in the WiMAX network.
  • Static enforcement at the higher levels of the network topology is unfair between ISPs at the lower layers of the network topology. For example, static enforcement of capacity at Border Gateways (BG) or Home Agents (HA) does not prevent a particular ISP from unfairly occupying Base Station (BS) ca- pacity and preventing other ISP' s subscribers from entering the network.
  • BG Border Gateways
  • HA Home Agents
  • Static enforcement at the lower levels of the network topology may lead to under utilisation of SLA limits for an ISP and adds complexity to the management of the network.
  • static enforcement at the BS may lead to under utilisation of the capacity in a BS as there may not be enough user traffic to/from a particular ISP's subscribers and therefore the aggregated data rate does not reach the agreed SLA limits.
  • a method comprising: determining network usage of each of at least two service providers; and adjusting network resources allocated to each of the service providers based on at least the determined network usage.
  • the present invention can adjust the network resources allocated to each of at least two service providers based on the determined network usage of each service provider. Therefore, a more flexible approach in enforcing SLAs of each service provider can be implemented so that the network is operated more efficiently and effectively. In other words, depending on the usage of each service provider the network can be adapted to provide the required capacity that each service provider requires .
  • the step of determining network usage may further comprise determining the data rate per class of traffic per service provider over a predetermined period of time.
  • the class of traffic may include any or all of best effort, voice, guaranteed bit rate, or any other real-time or non-real-time flows that operator chooses to group and treat separately based on the SLA. These flows can be identified, e.g., using a subset of IP 5-tuple; (Src IP, Dst IP, Src Port, Dst Port, Proto) .
  • the predetermined period of time may be set by the network operator and may be any time period required, for example, one minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour and so on .
  • a network element for example, the base stations may perform the step of determining the network usage of each of the at least two service providers.
  • a trading element may also per- form the step of adjusting the network resources allocated to each of the service providers.
  • the trading element may be an Operation & Management Server (OMS) which may receive the determined network usage of each service provider via the Operation & Maintenance channels.
  • OMS Operation & Management Server
  • the step of adjusting network resources may further comprise receiving the network usage of each service provider and based on a Service Level Agreement (SLA) and said network us- age adjusting said network resources allocated to each of said service providers.
  • SLA Service Level Agreement
  • the method may further comprise transmitting the adjusted network resources to the network elements enforcing the lim- its for each service provider.
  • the adjusted network resources may be transmitted via the Operation & Maintenance channels .
  • the embodiments of the present invention enable a slow adjustment procedure to be implemented in which the network resources are adjusted based on the determination of the network usage of each service provider over a period of time .
  • the step of determining network usage may further comprise determining the aggregate actual data rate or resource usage per class of traffic per service provider.
  • the actual network usage at any given time can be determined which enables the network resources to be efficiently distributed between the service providers based on the current network usage of each service provider.
  • a network element for example, a base station may perform the step of determining the network usage of each service provider.
  • a trading element may perform the step of adjusting the network resources.
  • the trading element may be a dedicated server or may be one or more of the network elements such as the ASN GWs.
  • the method may further comprise receiving at the trading element the determined network usage so that the trading element can perform the adjustment of the network resources allocated to each of the service providers.
  • the method may further comprise transmitting said adjusted network resources to network elements. Therefore, the network elements enforcing the capacity limits for each service provider are informed of the adjusted limits.
  • this embodiment enables a more dynamic adjustment of the network resources allocated to each service provider.
  • the actual network usage of each service provider is determined and based on the network usage at any given time the network resources allocated can be adjusted.
  • any fluctuations in the traffic for example, due to time of day, mobility of users, etc.
  • the required ca- pacity by each of the service providers can be effectively handled since the adjustment of the network resources allocated to each service provider can be made effectively in real-time based on the actual network usage of each service provider at any given time.
  • the step of determining network usage may further comprise identifying spare capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and transmitting at least part of said identi- fied spare capacity to a trading element.
  • the step of transmitting at least part of the spare capacity identified can be performed in a push manner, e.g. the network element pushes the data to the trading element, or in a pull manner, e.g. the trading element requests the data from the network ele- ment .
  • the trading element may maintain a pool of spare capacity per class of traffic per service provider. Accordingly, the trading element is informed of at least part of the spare ca- pacity identified in the network and the trading pool maintains the available spare capacity which may be used to trade between the service providers depending on their capacity requirements at a given time.
  • the embodiment may only provide part of the spare capacity identified from each of the ser- vice providers so that some spare capacity is retained for the service providers to use. However, as will be appreciated, all of the identified spare capacity may be sent to the trading pool .
  • the step of determining network usage may further comprise identifying a requirement for additional capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and transmitting said identified requirement for additional capacity to said trading element.
  • the step of adjusting network resources may further comprise allocating capacity from said trading pool in response to said identified requirement for additional capacity.
  • the network elements may identify spare capacity in the network and allocate this spare capacity for trading.
  • the spare capacity allocated for trading is stored in a pool in the trad- ing element. Therefore, if it is determined that a service provider requires additional capacity in the network then the trading element may allocate capacity to the service provider from the spare capacity maintained in the trading pool.
  • the slow adaptive procedure and the dynamic procedures may also be implemented at the same time in the network.
  • the OMS determines the overall enforcement limits in a periodical manner and a dynamic procedure is also implemented, preferably in the lower topological layer of the Wi- MAX network such as the BSs, so that capacity can be traded between ISPs within the limits set by the adaptive method.
  • the network usage could be more efficiently and effectively monitored and adjusted based on each service providers network usage and requirements.
  • a trading element adapted to receive from at least one network element, network usage of each of at least two service providers; and adjust network resources allocated to each of the service providers based on at least the received network usage.
  • the trading element may be further adapted to transmit the adjusted network resources to the at least one network element .
  • the trading element may be further adapted to receive an identification of spare capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and maintain a trading pool of spare capacity per class of traffic per service provider.
  • the trading element may be further adapted to receive a request for additional capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and allocate spare capacity from the trading pool in response to the request.
  • a network element adapted to: determine network usage of each of at least two service providers; transmit the determined network usage to at least one trading element; and receive from the at least one trading element adjusted net- work resources allocated to each of the service providers.
  • the network element may be further adapted to enforce the received adjusted network resources allocated to each of the service providers .
  • the step of determining network usage may further comprise determining the data rate per class of traffic per service provider over a predetermined period of time.
  • the step of determining network usage may further comprise determining the aggregate actual data rate or resource usage per class of traffic per service provider.
  • the network element may be further adapted to identify spare capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and transmit at least part of the identified spare capacity to the trading element.
  • the network element may be further adapted to identify a requirement for additional capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and transmit the identified requirement for additional capacity to the trading element.
  • a computer program product comprising computer readable executable code for: receiving from at least one network element, network usage of each of at least two ser- vice providers; and adjusting network resources allocated to each of the service providers based on at least the received network usage.
  • a computer program product comprising computer readable executable code for: determining network usage of each of at least two service providers; transmitting the determined network usage to at least one trading element; and receiving from the at least one trading element adjusted net- work resources allocated to each of the service providers.
  • Figure 1 shows a WiMAX network in accordance with the preferred embodiments .
  • Figure 2 is a flow chart of the initial provisioning of capacity in a network in accordance with the preferred embodiments .
  • Figure 3 is a flow chart of a slow adaptive capacity provisioning method in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention.
  • Figure 4 is a flow chart of a dynamic capacity provisioning method in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention .
  • Figure 5 is a flow chart of identifying spare capacity in a network in accordance with the embodiments of the present in- vention.
  • Figure 6 is a flow chart of allocating identified spare capacity in a network in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention.
  • the conventional systems and methods of providing static, or fixed, enforcement of SLAs in a network have several disadvantages.
  • the preferred embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems that enable a more flexible approach in enforcing SLAs so that the network is operated more efficiently and effectively.
  • an SLA is a document that defines the level of service provided to the ISP by the Network Operator.
  • the SLA can be as simple or complex as required by the parties involved and the preferred embodiments of the present invention enable more flexibility in the enforcement of the agreed SLA.
  • the preferred embodiments also enable a wider variety in SLAs to be offered by the Network Operator to the ISPs due to the ability to increase the flexibility in enforcing the SLA limits.
  • a simple SLA may define only a promised data rate to an ISP whilst more complex SLAs may also define a maximum/minimum promised data rate, may also define data rates per certain geographical areas and may also define data rates for certain times of the day. It is also possible using the preferred embodiments to define SLAs for different classes of traffic, for example, Internet traffic, VoIP (Voice over IP) , broadband media such as TV and so on.
  • SLAs for different classes of traffic, for example, Internet traffic, VoIP (Voice over IP) , broadband media such as TV and so on.
  • an SLA and the enforcement thereof can be implemented that more accurately reflects the requirements of each ISP at any given time.
  • a WiMAX network is shown which typically comprises several topological layers.
  • the lower topological layers are the network elements that are on the subscriber side of the network and the higher topological layers are the network elements on the ISP side of the network.
  • the higher level topology network elements of the Wi- MAX network include any number of Border Gateways (BG) which connect to any number of ISP providers on one side and the lower topology elements of the WiMAX network on the other side.
  • the WiMAX network may then optionally include any number of Home Agents (HA) which connect to the BGs on one side and to any number of Access Service Network Gateways (ASN GW) on the other side.
  • HA Home Agents
  • the WiMAX network does not include any HAs then the ASN GWs are connected directly to the BGs.
  • the ASN GWs are connected directly to the BGs.
  • the ASN GWs are connected directly to the BGs.
  • BS Base Stations
  • the WiMAX may also comprise an Operation and Maintenance Server (OMS) 110, or more typically a group of OMSs 110.
  • OMS 110s are typically hierarchically organised with hierarchically distributed functionality.
  • Each of the network ele- ments in the WiMAX also typically has Operation and Maintenance (O&M) functionality which enables the OMS 110 to opera- tively connect to the network elements in order to collect information from the network elements and to distribute information to the network elements.
  • OMS Operation and Maintenance Server
  • WiMAX WiMAX Forum Network Architecture Stage 2 - 3: Release 1, Version 1.2 which can be found at:
  • the main interfaces in the preferred embodiments of the present invention are the R6 interface, which defines the inter- face between the ASN GW and the BS, and the R4 interface, which defines the interface between two ASN GWs.
  • the preferred embodiments of the present invention can also be applied to the other interfaces in the network architec- ture such as the R3 interface which defines the interface between the ASN GW and the HA.
  • the preferred embodiments of the present invention enable a flexible approach to enforcing SLA limits as the limits per ISP are altered in response to network usage and utilisation by each ISP.
  • the addition, deletion or change of a service flow for an ISP follows a standard procedure that is known in the art for setting up and changing the various service flows in a static manner, as shown in Figure 2.
  • the preferred embodiments of the present invention builds on the static provisioning procedure by further including the steps of constantly and peri- odically adjusting the enforcement limits per ISP during the operation of the network after the static enforcement limits have been set up.
  • step 201 the Network Operator receives a request to add, delete, or change the service flow which includes dynamic QoS (MS-originated or policy and control framework-originated flow creation or modification) , network entry, Idle/Active transition, handover procedures and so on .
  • dynamic QoS MS-originated or policy and control framework-originated flow creation or modification
  • An MS is a terminal device that a subscriber uses which may be, for example, a WiMAX phone, a laptop with radio, a WiMAX modem Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) and so on.
  • Each of the MSs will have a subscription from an ISP and use the physical network provided by a network operator. If a subscriber has a phone line connected to their WiMAX modem or there is a Voice Over IP (VoIP) client installed in the subscriber' s WiMAX terminal or WiMAX laptop then when the subscriber makes a call a VoIP QoS is required.
  • VoIP Voice Over IP
  • the MS re- quests a VoIP flow from the WiMAX access network, or the VoIP server in the core network signals to the access network the request.
  • any application either in the MS or in the network can request a new service flow, delete a service flow or change a service flow.
  • the MS is categorised into ISP groups.
  • Each MS is used by a subscriber that has a service subscription with an ISP and includes a service agreement between the ISP and subscriber.
  • the access network can categorise the subscriber into a pool of subscribers belonging to certain ISP.
  • the ISP identifier ISP ID is used to perform the step of categorizing the subscriber into the pool of subscribers belonging to a certain ISP.
  • step 203 the MS subscription limits per QoS Service class per ISP are aggregated. All MSs from a given ISP have cer- tain subscribed flows. The aggregate of the subscriber flows has to be within the limits that a particular network element enforces for the given ISP.
  • step 204 the system determines whether the requested ad- dition / deletion / change to the service flow will exceed the limit for over-provisioning. If the requested addition/deletion/change to the service flow will exceed the limits for over provisioning then the in step 205 the addition/deletion/change to the service flow is rejected. If the requested addition / deletion / change to the service flow does not exceed the limits for over provisioning then the requested addition / deletion / change to the service flow are accepted in step 206.
  • step 207 the system performs traffic shaping and limitation per QoS Service class per MS and per service provider. Traffic shapers ensure that a subscriber cannot go beyond their subscribed limits and also that each ISP's group of subscribers cannot go beyond the limits set by the ISP' s SLA as defined by the limits that are enforced by the network elements .
  • the service flows per ISP are set up statically or changed statically on request of the ISP.
  • steps 208 and 209 which enable a fast and/or slow adjustment of the enforcement limits during the network operation based on the usage per ISP of the network resources.
  • the fast and/or slow adjust- ments of the enforcement limits are performed to more effectively and efficiently distribute and allocate capacity within the network in the bounds of the SLAs agreed with each of the ISPs.
  • the slow adjustment procedure relates to an adaptive provisioning of capacity which is described in more detail below with reference to Figure 3.
  • the fast adjustment procedure relates to a dynamically provisioned and/or traded capacity which is described in more detail below with reference to Figures 4 to 6.
  • both the slow and fast adjustment procedures can be imple- merited in a network in order to further improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the network.
  • the adaptive capacity provisioning procedure uses the known Operation and Maintenance Server (OMS) present in the network architecture to perform the adaptive provisioning method and adjust the enforcement lim- its per ISP.
  • OMS Operation and Maintenance Server
  • the OMS 110 distributes the adjusted enforcement limits into the Network Elements (NE) such as the Base Stations (BS) and/or the ASN GWs which will enforce the new capacity limits for each ISP.
  • NE Network Elements
  • BS Base Stations
  • ASN GWs which will enforce the new capacity limits for each ISP.
  • the OMS 110 acts as a Trading Element (TE) as it determines and distrib- utes the new enforcement limits to the NE' s enforcing the limits in the network.
  • TE Trading Element
  • the OMS 110 functions are typically provided by a group of servers.
  • the servers are typically hierarchically organised with hierarchically distributed functionality.
  • Each of the network elements in the WiMAX network will include Operation and Maintenance (O&M) functionality and the OMS 110 connects to each of the network elements using the O&M functionality in order to collects information from and distribute information to each of the network elements .
  • O&M Operation and Maintenance
  • the OMS pre-configures the BSs and the ASN GWs with the resource and capacity limits for each ISP based on the individual SLAs that have been agreed with each ISP in step 301, which relates to the creation of the static enforcement limits shown in Figure 2.
  • the NEs enforcing the limits in the network which may include any of the BSs, the ASN GWs and so on, monitor and measure the network resource usage and data traffic passing through the NE in both the uplink and downlink directions.
  • the NEs also categorise the network usage and data traffic per ISP so that the current usage of the network for each ISP can be determined.
  • the collected data at the NEs regarding the data traffic per ISP is used to determine usage statistics per ISP in the NEs.
  • the OMS starts the adaptive provisioning procedure to define new adjusted limits per ISP.
  • the adaptive provisioning procedure can be performed by the OMS periodically, when initiated by the Network Operator, when the ISP requests to add, delete or change a service flow, or at any other time that the SLA enforcement limits are to be adjusted such as for certain geographical areas or the time-of-day when different SLAs can be implemented for a particular ISP, and so on.
  • the adaptive provi- sioning procedure is performed periodically to ensure that the WiMAX network is operating efficiently.
  • the OMS collects the usage statistics that have been collated by the NEs in the WiMAX net- work which enforce the SLA limits in the WiMAX network in step 303.
  • the OMS is extremely busy and therefore will collect, or pull, the required network usage information from the network elements, such as the BSs rather than automatically receive the information from the network elements so that the OMS is not flooded with requests and network usage information from the network elements .
  • the data relating to the usage statistics per ISP are collected over a period of time where the time period is defined as being the time interval between consecutive adaptive provisioning procedures.
  • This time period can be any period of time defined by the Network Operator, for example, every 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 30 minutes and so on depending on the requirements of the Network Operator.
  • the adaptive provisioning procedure described hereinabove is a slow procedure since it adjusts the enforce- ment limits per ISP based on usage statistics collected per ISP over a period of time.
  • step 304 the OMS uses the collected usage statistics to perform an optimisation of the enforcement limits per ISP for each NE and determines the adjusted enforcement limits per ISP.
  • the OMS can re-calculate the enforcement limits per ISP for each NE in many different ways. For example, the OMS may consider the current volume of traffic of a particular ISP averaged over time for each participating network element and determine the enforcement limits proportionally to the load or traffic in each of the participating network elements. Therefore, the under used network elements capacity may be distributed to the network elements that require the additional capacity and thus, the aggregate SLA usage is maximised.
  • the OMS distributes, via the OMS channels in the WiMAX network, the new enforcement limits per ISP to the NEs that will enforce the new limits in the network.
  • the OMS channels are defined by the well known OMS protocols. In the technology field of telecommunications they are typically proprietary protocols between network elements and OMS. Accordingly, in this embodiment the enforcement limits per ISP can adaptively be provisioned and adjusted based on data usage statistics per ISP in the WiMAX network collected over a predetermined period of time. Therefore, the capacity usage in the network can be more efficiently optimised since the capacity provisioned to a given ISP and enforced by the NEs can be adjusted based on the periodical resource usage per ISP.
  • the above described adaptive method is performed on a periodic basis using statistics collected in the network elements in the period prior to the performance of the adaptive provisioning procedure. Therefore, this adaptive provisioning procedure adjusts the enforcement limits based on the network usage over a period of time.
  • further embodiments provide dynamic procedures for provisioning and/or trading capacity in the network which provisions and adjusts capacity in the network based on substantially the real-time network usage per ISP.
  • the dynamic procedures of the preferred embodiments are most efficient and effective if performed at the network topology layers where the aggregate ISP data traffic fluctuation can be matched by the achievable speeds of the dynamic procedures.
  • the trading functionality that performs the dynamic procedures may be centralised in one network element, for example, in one ASN GW or in a dedicated trading server, or may be distributed into several NEs at a particular topology layer, for example, distributed between a plurality of ASN GWs in the WiMAX network.
  • the NEs enforcing the capacity trading limits for each ISP can also be at any topological level, for example, at the ASN GW or the HA (if present in the WiMAX network) .
  • the NE ele- ment enforcing the capacity limits also monitor and measure the data traffic, in both the uplink and downlink directions, and categorises the data traffic and resource usage per ISP.
  • the BSs will enforce the capacity limits per ISP.
  • the dynamic procedures enable the Network Operator to trade and/or provision capacity in the network dynamically and therefore effectively in real-time and based on the actual data traffic and resource usage per ISP in the network at any given time.
  • the dynamic procedures can be performed as frequently as required and if the dynamic procedures are performed substantially continuously then the capacity in the network will be utilised most efficiently and effectively between the ISPs, within the bounds of the SLAs agreed with each ISP.
  • the trading and/or provisioning of capacity occurs across the R6 interface which is the interface be- tween the BSs and the ASN GWs.
  • the dynamic procedures can be used to enable capacity trading and/or provisioning across the R4 interface (which is the interface between ASN GWs) or the R3 interface (which is the interface between the ASN GW and the HA) .
  • the BSs continuously collect statistics on the traffic in the network, including the aggregate actual data rata and/or resource usage per Quality of Service (QoS) service or class per ISP.
  • QoS Quality of Service
  • the QoS service relates to a flow with certain QoS parameters that the ISP expects to be delivered based on the agreed SLA between the ISP and the Network Operator.
  • the statistics collected by the BS are substantially continuously reported to a Trading Element (TE) .
  • the BS may collect the statistics and report the collected statistics to the TE at a predetermined frequency which is preferably at a rate that enables the collection and reporting of the statistics to be performed substantially in real-time thereby matching the data traffic fluctuations in the network.
  • the BS could collect and report the statistics at any predetermined frequency, for example, every 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 30 minutes and so on depending on the requirements of the Network Operator.
  • one of the ASN GWs in the network performs the tasks of the TE.
  • a dedicated server may alternatively be used as the TE which is dedicated to the purpose of dynamically trading and/or provisioning capacity in the network or the functions of the TE may be distributed between more than one ASN GW in the network.
  • the TE On receipt of the usage statistics collected by the BSs the TE dynamically trades and/or provisions capacity in the network between the ISPs. The new enforcement limits are then transmitted from the TE to the network elements that enforce those limits which, in the preferred embodiments, are the BSs. As the TE continuously receiving usage statistics then the TE can continuously adjust the capacity limits per ISP to match the data traffic fluctuations and requirements so as to efficiently optimise the network for the data flow in the network .
  • the dynamic procedures advantageously enable the capacity in the network to be dynamically allocated between the ISPs depending on the actual usage of the network resources and data traffic thereby more efficiently and effec- tively allocating and using the network capacity.
  • FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram for the dynamic provisioning of capacity in a WiMAX network.
  • This dynamic procedure starts in step 401 in which the BS collects statistics on the usage including the aggregate actual data rates and/or the resource usage per QoS service class per ISP.
  • the BS station reports the collected statistics to the TE, which in this embodiment is an ASN GW.
  • the ASN GW re-calculates and re-distributes the adjusted enforcement limits per ISP to the BSs.
  • the TE can re-calculate the enforcement limits per ISP for each NE in many different ways. For example, the TE may consider the current volume of traffic of a particular ISP averaged over time for each participating network element and determine the enforcement limits proportionally to the load or traffic in each of the participating network elements. Therefore, the under used network elements capacity may be distributed to the network elements that require the additional capacity and thus, the aggregate SLA usage is maximised.
  • FIG. 5 shows a dynamic procedure for trading spare capacity between ISPs.
  • the TE preferably the ASN GW, maintains a trading pool of any spare or unused capacity at a particular time.
  • step 501 the enforcing network elements, which in this embodiment are the BSs, collect statistics on the usage in the network which includes the aggregate actual data rate usage per QoS service class per ISP.
  • the BSs identify spare capacity per ISP per QoS service class in the network and allocate at least part of the identified spare capacity per ISP per QoS service class for trading.
  • the BS will allocate all of the identified spare capacity for trading except for a small amount of capacity for each ISP in order to provide a safety margin to accommodate variations in the required resources for each ISP due to mobility of subscribers, idle/active transitions and so on.
  • the BS reports the spare capacity per ISP that has been identified and is to be allocated for trading to the trading pool in the TE.
  • the BS may report the capacity allo- cated for trading to the TE in a pushed or pulled manner.
  • the BS may automatically report it to the TE, i.e. push the information to the TE, or the TE may obtain the spare capacity identified and allocated for trading from the BS i.e. pull the information from the BS.
  • the TE maintains an up-to-date trading pool of spare capacity in the network which the TE can use to trade between the ISPs depending on their requirements for capacity at a particular time .
  • the procedure for dynamically allocating the spare capacity maintained in the trading pool is shown in Figure 6.
  • the BS collects statistics on the network usage which includes the aggregate actual data rate usage per QoS service class per ISP.
  • the BS also uses the col- lected statistics to determine whether there is a need for additional capacity per ISP per QoS service class.
  • step 603 the BS signals to the TE which maintains the trading pool the additional capacity required per ISP per QoS service class.
  • step 604 the TE checks the trading pool and allocates any available spare capacity to the ISP that has been identified as requiring additional capacity in the network.
  • the TE dis- tributes the new enforcement limits according to the capacity that has been allocated to the ISP per QoS service class to the BSs.
  • this embodiment enables the Network Operator to trade spare capacity between ISPs based on effectively the real-time network usage of each ISP so that the available capacity in the network is utilised in an efficient and optimised manner.
  • both the adaptive and a dynamic procedure can be implemented at the same time in a WiMAX network in order to further optimise the network resources and usage.
  • the adaptive provisioning method is implemented so that the OMS 110 determines the overall enforcement limits in a periodical manner as described above.
  • a dynamic procedure is then also implemented, preferably in the lower topological layer of the WiMAX network such as the BSs, so that capacity can be traded between ISPs within the limits set by the adaptive method.
  • This hybrid method further optimises the network usage as the OMS 110 based adaptive method distributes capacity in the network, for example, it may distribute capacity to certain geographical areas depending on the network requirements and usage, and the dynamic procedures can then quickly trade the distributed capacity depending on the network usage per ISP at any given time.
  • statistics of the network usage per ISP is determined so that the capacity in the network can be adaptively and/or dynamically provisioned and traded in order to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the network usage between the ISPs.
  • the ISP identity for a particular subscriber flow is not always available because some ISP WiMAX inter-working architectures may completely hide the ISP identity from the Wi- MAX access.
  • the WiMAX Network Access Identifier (NAI) used in the subscriber authentication process may be WiMAX access Network Operator specific rather than identify the ISP of the subscriber. If the ISP identity is not available during the authentication process, e.g. the subscriber flow has the WiMAX network Operator's identity in the NAI, then the ISP identity needs to be signalled to the capacity enforcing elements so that those elements can collate the necessary statistics on the network usage per ISP.
  • the ASN GW receives the ISP identity in an authorisation pro- cedure via a proprietary extension of the information element in the R3 interface.
  • the ISP ID will be visible in the Network Access Identifier (NAI) used by the MS.
  • NAI Network Access Identifier
  • the network operator can use different NAI for subscribers of different ISPs, or simply maintain a map between subscription and ISP ID in the Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) process and deliver it to the access network elements with the authorisation message via a new proprietary extension of the authorisation message.
  • AAA Authentication, Authorization and Accounting
  • the BS If the BS is the enforcing element in the network then the BS receives the ISP identity from the authorisation procedure in the R6 interface.
  • the NAI used by the MS will be hidden from the BSs because it is encrypted. Therefore, typically only the ASN- GWs will know the true ISP ID and, as described above, the ASN-GW will determine the ISP ID either from the subscribers NAI or from the AAA in the authorisation message.
  • the association of MS with a certain ISP ID has to be propagated to all network elements that will enforce the ISP specific limits, such as the BSs. Accordingly, the BSs will receive the ISP ID via a new information element or dedicated message from the R6 interface.
  • the HA receives the ISP identity from the WiMAX Authentication, Authorisation and Accounting (AAA) server via the Mobile IP access authorisation signalling between the Mobile IP HA and the WiMAX AAA.
  • AAA WiMAX Authentication, Authorisation and Accounting
  • the MIP uses an authorisation extension.
  • the HA may verify whether the correct subscriber has sent a registration request and the HA fetches keying material from the AAA.
  • the ISP ID is added to this process such that the HA sessions can be associated with the subscriber's ISP ID.
  • the ISP identity is passed to other network elements during the handover signalling and optionally in the context transfer.
  • an MS enters the network, it is associated with certain ISP and its ISP ID. This information regarding the ISP ID is passed to the BS receiving the MS.
  • the ISP ID has also to be handed over to the new BS. This can be achieved by either transferring the ISP ID in the BS context between BSs or the ISP ID may be signalled to the new BS dur- ing the hand-over signalling from ASN-GW.
  • the preferred embodiments of the present invention enable an operator of a network, preferably a WiMAX network, to offer flexible SLAs to ISPs and to provide a more efficient and op- timised use of the capacity in the network. This is because the preferred embodiments provide the ability to adjust the enforcement limits per ISP in the network. The adjustment can be made using an adaptive provisioning procedure, a dy- namic provisioning and/or trading procedure or a combination of the adaptive and dynamic procedures.

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Abstract

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for determining in at least one network element (106), network usage of each of at least two service providers (102) and adjusting in at least one trading element (105, 110) network resources allocated to each of the service providers (102) based on at least the determined network usage.

Description

Capacity Leasing
The present invention relates to methods and systems for enforcing Service Level Agreements (SLA) and, in particular, to methods and systems for enforcing SLA to enable efficient capacity leasing in WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) networks.
An SLA between a service provider, typically an Internet Service Provider (ISP) , and a Network Operator is typically a document that details the level of service provided to the ISP by the Network Provider. The SLA defines several aspects of the service to be provided which typically includes at least a definition of the capacity that will be assigned to the ISP in the Network Operator's network.
Current network architectures enforce the SLA for an ISP us- ing statically pre-configured rules to ensure that the ISP always has the assigned capacity, defined by the SLA, available in the network. Therefore, in the conventional network architectures the capacity is used inefficiently and ineffectively as capacity assigned to a particular ISP which is not fully utilised at a given time by the ISP is left unused in the network. This is particularly disadvantageous when a further ISP is, at that time, utilising its maximum assigned capacity in accordance with its SLA and therefore is not able to handle any further traffic from its subscribers.
The conventional network architecture also has the disadvantage that the Network Operator must provision the network so as to provide resources to handle at all times the maximum assigned capacity for each and every ISP as defined in each ISP's SLA.
The problems with statically pre-configured SLAs is particu- larly relevant to WiMAX networks as the geographical distribution of wireless access networks along with the mobility of the ISP subscribers results in a random clustering of ISP subscribers and therefore a random distribution of capacity being used in the WiMAX network.
Conventional static SLA enforcement can be implemented at different levels of the network topology. However, static enforcement has several disadvantages.
Static enforcement at the higher levels of the network topology is unfair between ISPs at the lower layers of the network topology. For example, static enforcement of capacity at Border Gateways (BG) or Home Agents (HA) does not prevent a particular ISP from unfairly occupying Base Station (BS) ca- pacity and preventing other ISP' s subscribers from entering the network.
Static enforcement at the lower levels of the network topology may lead to under utilisation of SLA limits for an ISP and adds complexity to the management of the network. For example, static enforcement at the BS may lead to under utilisation of the capacity in a BS as there may not be enough user traffic to/from a particular ISP's subscribers and therefore the aggregated data rate does not reach the agreed SLA limits.
Further disadvantages with static or fixed SLA enforcement in WiMAX networks include the impact on network dimensioning and BS site solutions. This is because the uses of static and fixed rules for sharing capacity at BSs wastes resources as the BSs have to be provisioned with static limits irrespective of the actual usage at any given time. Also, subscriber behaviour in mobile networks has a significant impact on ca- pacity utilisation in the network and static fixed enforcement of the SLAs does not enable flexibility in the network to cope with the subscriber behaviour which may include a random distribution and clustering of ISP subscribers.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method comprising: determining network usage of each of at least two service providers; and adjusting network resources allocated to each of the service providers based on at least the determined network usage.
Accordingly, the present invention can adjust the network resources allocated to each of at least two service providers based on the determined network usage of each service provider. Therefore, a more flexible approach in enforcing SLAs of each service provider can be implemented so that the network is operated more efficiently and effectively. In other words, depending on the usage of each service provider the network can be adapted to provide the required capacity that each service provider requires .
The step of determining network usage may further comprise determining the data rate per class of traffic per service provider over a predetermined period of time. The class of traffic may include any or all of best effort, voice, guaranteed bit rate, or any other real-time or non-real-time flows that operator chooses to group and treat separately based on the SLA. These flows can be identified, e.g., using a subset of IP 5-tuple; (Src IP, Dst IP, Src Port, Dst Port, Proto) . The predetermined period of time may be set by the network operator and may be any time period required, for example, one minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour and so on .
A network element, for example, the base stations may perform the step of determining the network usage of each of the at least two service providers. A trading element may also per- form the step of adjusting the network resources allocated to each of the service providers.
The trading element may be an Operation & Management Server (OMS) which may receive the determined network usage of each service provider via the Operation & Maintenance channels.
The step of adjusting network resources may further comprise receiving the network usage of each service provider and based on a Service Level Agreement (SLA) and said network us- age adjusting said network resources allocated to each of said service providers.
The method may further comprise transmitting the adjusted network resources to the network elements enforcing the lim- its for each service provider. The adjusted network resources may be transmitted via the Operation & Maintenance channels .
Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention enable a slow adjustment procedure to be implemented in which the network resources are adjusted based on the determination of the network usage of each service provider over a period of time . The step of determining network usage may further comprise determining the aggregate actual data rate or resource usage per class of traffic per service provider. Thus, the actual network usage at any given time can be determined which enables the network resources to be efficiently distributed between the service providers based on the current network usage of each service provider.
A network element, for example, a base station may perform the step of determining the network usage of each service provider. A trading element may perform the step of adjusting the network resources. The trading element may be a dedicated server or may be one or more of the network elements such as the ASN GWs.
The method may further comprise receiving at the trading element the determined network usage so that the trading element can perform the adjustment of the network resources allocated to each of the service providers.
The method may further comprise transmitting said adjusted network resources to network elements. Therefore, the network elements enforcing the capacity limits for each service provider are informed of the adjusted limits.
Accordingly, this embodiment enables a more dynamic adjustment of the network resources allocated to each service provider. In this embodiment, the actual network usage of each service provider is determined and based on the network usage at any given time the network resources allocated can be adjusted.
Therefore, any fluctuations in the traffic (for example, due to time of day, mobility of users, etc.) and the required ca- pacity by each of the service providers can be effectively handled since the adjustment of the network resources allocated to each service provider can be made effectively in real-time based on the actual network usage of each service provider at any given time.
The step of determining network usage may further comprise identifying spare capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and transmitting at least part of said identi- fied spare capacity to a trading element. The step of transmitting at least part of the spare capacity identified can be performed in a push manner, e.g. the network element pushes the data to the trading element, or in a pull manner, e.g. the trading element requests the data from the network ele- ment .
The trading element may maintain a pool of spare capacity per class of traffic per service provider. Accordingly, the trading element is informed of at least part of the spare ca- pacity identified in the network and the trading pool maintains the available spare capacity which may be used to trade between the service providers depending on their capacity requirements at a given time. The embodiment may only provide part of the spare capacity identified from each of the ser- vice providers so that some spare capacity is retained for the service providers to use. However, as will be appreciated, all of the identified spare capacity may be sent to the trading pool .
The step of determining network usage may further comprise identifying a requirement for additional capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and transmitting said identified requirement for additional capacity to said trading element. The step of adjusting network resources may further comprise allocating capacity from said trading pool in response to said identified requirement for additional capacity.
Accordingly, in this embodiment the network elements, such as the base stations, may identify spare capacity in the network and allocate this spare capacity for trading. The spare capacity allocated for trading is stored in a pool in the trad- ing element. Therefore, if it is determined that a service provider requires additional capacity in the network then the trading element may allocate capacity to the service provider from the spare capacity maintained in the trading pool.
The slow adaptive procedure and the dynamic procedures may also be implemented at the same time in the network. In this case, the OMS determines the overall enforcement limits in a periodical manner and a dynamic procedure is also implemented, preferably in the lower topological layer of the Wi- MAX network such as the BSs, so that capacity can be traded between ISPs within the limits set by the adaptive method. Thus, the network usage could be more efficiently and effectively monitored and adjusted based on each service providers network usage and requirements.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a trading element adapted to receive from at least one network element, network usage of each of at least two service providers; and adjust network resources allocated to each of the service providers based on at least the received network usage. The trading element may be further adapted to transmit the adjusted network resources to the at least one network element .
The trading element may be further adapted to receive an identification of spare capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and maintain a trading pool of spare capacity per class of traffic per service provider.
The trading element may be further adapted to receive a request for additional capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and allocate spare capacity from the trading pool in response to the request.
According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a network element adapted to: determine network usage of each of at least two service providers; transmit the determined network usage to at least one trading element; and receive from the at least one trading element adjusted net- work resources allocated to each of the service providers.
The network element may be further adapted to enforce the received adjusted network resources allocated to each of the service providers .
The step of determining network usage may further comprise determining the data rate per class of traffic per service provider over a predetermined period of time.
The step of determining network usage may further comprise determining the aggregate actual data rate or resource usage per class of traffic per service provider. The network element may be further adapted to identify spare capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and transmit at least part of the identified spare capacity to the trading element.
The network element may be further adapted to identify a requirement for additional capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and transmit the identified requirement for additional capacity to the trading element.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a computer program product comprising computer readable executable code for: receiving from at least one network element, network usage of each of at least two ser- vice providers; and adjusting network resources allocated to each of the service providers based on at least the received network usage.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a computer program product comprising computer readable executable code for: determining network usage of each of at least two service providers; transmitting the determined network usage to at least one trading element; and receiving from the at least one trading element adjusted net- work resources allocated to each of the service providers.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows a WiMAX network in accordance with the preferred embodiments . Figure 2 is a flow chart of the initial provisioning of capacity in a network in accordance with the preferred embodiments .
Figure 3 is a flow chart of a slow adaptive capacity provisioning method in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a flow chart of a dynamic capacity provisioning method in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention .
Figure 5 is a flow chart of identifying spare capacity in a network in accordance with the embodiments of the present in- vention.
Figure 6 is a flow chart of allocating identified spare capacity in a network in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention.
As described above, the conventional systems and methods of providing static, or fixed, enforcement of SLAs in a network, in particular in a WiMAX network, have several disadvantages. The preferred embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems that enable a more flexible approach in enforcing SLAs so that the network is operated more efficiently and effectively.
The preferred embodiments of the present invention are de- scribed in relation to a WiMAX network however, as a person skilled in the art will appreciate, the methods and systems for enforcing SLAs described herein can be used with other network architectures. As mentioned above, an SLA is a document that defines the level of service provided to the ISP by the Network Operator. The SLA can be as simple or complex as required by the parties involved and the preferred embodiments of the present invention enable more flexibility in the enforcement of the agreed SLA. The preferred embodiments also enable a wider variety in SLAs to be offered by the Network Operator to the ISPs due to the ability to increase the flexibility in enforcing the SLA limits.
A simple SLA may define only a promised data rate to an ISP whilst more complex SLAs may also define a maximum/minimum promised data rate, may also define data rates per certain geographical areas and may also define data rates for certain times of the day. It is also possible using the preferred embodiments to define SLAs for different classes of traffic, for example, Internet traffic, VoIP (Voice over IP) , broadband media such as TV and so on.
Therefore, by providing a flexible and efficient method of provisioning and/or trading capacity in the network between the ISPs then an SLA and the enforcement thereof can be implemented that more accurately reflects the requirements of each ISP at any given time.
With reference to Figure 1, a WiMAX network is shown which typically comprises several topological layers. The lower topological layers are the network elements that are on the subscriber side of the network and the higher topological layers are the network elements on the ISP side of the network. The higher level topology network elements of the Wi- MAX network include any number of Border Gateways (BG) which connect to any number of ISP providers on one side and the lower topology elements of the WiMAX network on the other side. The WiMAX network may then optionally include any number of Home Agents (HA) which connect to the BGs on one side and to any number of Access Service Network Gateways (ASN GW) on the other side. However, if the WiMAX network does not include any HAs then the ASN GWs are connected directly to the BGs. At the lowest topology level of the WiMAX network sits any number of Base Stations (BS) which are connected to the ASN GWs and are the point of entry into the WiMAX network for the ISP mobile subscribers.
The WiMAX may also comprise an Operation and Maintenance Server (OMS) 110, or more typically a group of OMSs 110. The OMS 110s are typically hierarchically organised with hierarchically distributed functionality. Each of the network ele- ments in the WiMAX also typically has Operation and Maintenance (O&M) functionality which enables the OMS 110 to opera- tively connect to the network elements in order to collect information from the network elements and to distribute information to the network elements.
The architecture of a WiMAX network and the interfaces between the network elements are defined in the standard WiMAX Forum Network Architecture Stage 2 - 3: Release 1, Version 1.2 which can be found at:
htrp : //www. wi maxforum . org/ documents /documents /
The main interfaces in the preferred embodiments of the present invention are the R6 interface, which defines the inter- face between the ASN GW and the BS, and the R4 interface, which defines the interface between two ASN GWs. However, the preferred embodiments of the present invention can also be applied to the other interfaces in the network architec- ture such as the R3 interface which defines the interface between the ASN GW and the HA.
The preferred embodiments of the present invention enable a flexible approach to enforcing SLA limits as the limits per ISP are altered in response to network usage and utilisation by each ISP.
The addition, deletion or change of a service flow for an ISP follows a standard procedure that is known in the art for setting up and changing the various service flows in a static manner, as shown in Figure 2. The preferred embodiments of the present invention builds on the static provisioning procedure by further including the steps of constantly and peri- odically adjusting the enforcement limits per ISP during the operation of the network after the static enforcement limits have been set up.
If the Mobile Station (MS) belonging to an ISP requests to add, delete, or change their service flow then the procedure is shown in Figure 2. In step 201, the Network Operator receives a request to add, delete, or change the service flow which includes dynamic QoS (MS-originated or policy and control framework-originated flow creation or modification) , network entry, Idle/Active transition, handover procedures and so on .
An MS is a terminal device that a subscriber uses which may be, for example, a WiMAX phone, a laptop with radio, a WiMAX modem Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) and so on. Each of the MSs will have a subscription from an ISP and use the physical network provided by a network operator. If a subscriber has a phone line connected to their WiMAX modem or there is a Voice Over IP (VoIP) client installed in the subscriber' s WiMAX terminal or WiMAX laptop then when the subscriber makes a call a VoIP QoS is required. The MS re- quests a VoIP flow from the WiMAX access network, or the VoIP server in the core network signals to the access network the request. In principle any application either in the MS or in the network can request a new service flow, delete a service flow or change a service flow.
In step 202, the MS is categorised into ISP groups. Each MS is used by a subscriber that has a service subscription with an ISP and includes a service agreement between the ISP and subscriber. Thus, when an MS is implemented in the network it is associated with the ISP in the authentication and authorization step of network entry. At that moment the access network can categorise the subscriber into a pool of subscribers belonging to certain ISP. Typically, the ISP identifier (ISP ID) is used to perform the step of categorizing the subscriber into the pool of subscribers belonging to a certain ISP.
In step 203, the MS subscription limits per QoS Service class per ISP are aggregated. All MSs from a given ISP have cer- tain subscribed flows. The aggregate of the subscriber flows has to be within the limits that a particular network element enforces for the given ISP.
In step 204, the system determines whether the requested ad- dition / deletion / change to the service flow will exceed the limit for over-provisioning. If the requested addition/deletion/change to the service flow will exceed the limits for over provisioning then the in step 205 the addition/deletion/change to the service flow is rejected. If the requested addition / deletion / change to the service flow does not exceed the limits for over provisioning then the requested addition / deletion / change to the service flow are accepted in step 206.
In step 207, the system performs traffic shaping and limitation per QoS Service class per MS and per service provider. Traffic shapers ensure that a subscriber cannot go beyond their subscribed limits and also that each ISP's group of subscribers cannot go beyond the limits set by the ISP' s SLA as defined by the limits that are enforced by the network elements .
Accordingly, in the conventional systems the service flows per ISP are set up statically or changed statically on request of the ISP.
The preferred embodiments are shown in Figure 2 as steps 208 and 209 which enable a fast and/or slow adjustment of the enforcement limits during the network operation based on the usage per ISP of the network resources.
In the preferred embodiments, the fast and/or slow adjust- ments of the enforcement limits are performed to more effectively and efficiently distribute and allocate capacity within the network in the bounds of the SLAs agreed with each of the ISPs. The slow adjustment procedure relates to an adaptive provisioning of capacity which is described in more detail below with reference to Figure 3. The fast adjustment procedure relates to a dynamically provisioned and/or traded capacity which is described in more detail below with reference to Figures 4 to 6. Moreover, in further embodiments both the slow and fast adjustment procedures can be imple- merited in a network in order to further improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the network.
With reference to Figure 3, there is shown an adaptive capac- ity provisioning procedure in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The adaptive capacity provisioning procedure uses the known Operation and Maintenance Server (OMS) present in the network architecture to perform the adaptive provisioning method and adjust the enforcement lim- its per ISP. The OMS 110 distributes the adjusted enforcement limits into the Network Elements (NE) such as the Base Stations (BS) and/or the ASN GWs which will enforce the new capacity limits for each ISP. In this embodiment the OMS 110 acts as a Trading Element (TE) as it determines and distrib- utes the new enforcement limits to the NE' s enforcing the limits in the network.
As described hereinabove, in a WiMAX network the OMS 110 functions are typically provided by a group of servers. The servers are typically hierarchically organised with hierarchically distributed functionality. Each of the network elements in the WiMAX network will include Operation and Maintenance (O&M) functionality and the OMS 110 connects to each of the network elements using the O&M functionality in order to collects information from and distribute information to each of the network elements .
As shown in Figure 3, the OMS pre-configures the BSs and the ASN GWs with the resource and capacity limits for each ISP based on the individual SLAs that have been agreed with each ISP in step 301, which relates to the creation of the static enforcement limits shown in Figure 2. The NEs enforcing the limits in the network which may include any of the BSs, the ASN GWs and so on, monitor and measure the network resource usage and data traffic passing through the NE in both the uplink and downlink directions. The NEs also categorise the network usage and data traffic per ISP so that the current usage of the network for each ISP can be determined. The collected data at the NEs regarding the data traffic per ISP is used to determine usage statistics per ISP in the NEs.
In step 302, the OMS starts the adaptive provisioning procedure to define new adjusted limits per ISP. The adaptive provisioning procedure can be performed by the OMS periodically, when initiated by the Network Operator, when the ISP requests to add, delete or change a service flow, or at any other time that the SLA enforcement limits are to be adjusted such as for certain geographical areas or the time-of-day when different SLAs can be implemented for a particular ISP, and so on. In the preferred embodiments, the adaptive provi- sioning procedure is performed periodically to ensure that the WiMAX network is operating efficiently.
With reference to Figure 3, the OMS collects the usage statistics that have been collated by the NEs in the WiMAX net- work which enforce the SLA limits in the WiMAX network in step 303. Typically, the OMS is extremely busy and therefore will collect, or pull, the required network usage information from the network elements, such as the BSs rather than automatically receive the information from the network elements so that the OMS is not flooded with requests and network usage information from the network elements .
In this embodiment the data relating to the usage statistics per ISP are collected over a period of time where the time period is defined as being the time interval between consecutive adaptive provisioning procedures. This time period can be any period of time defined by the Network Operator, for example, every 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 30 minutes and so on depending on the requirements of the Network Operator.
Accordingly, the adaptive provisioning procedure described hereinabove is a slow procedure since it adjusts the enforce- ment limits per ISP based on usage statistics collected per ISP over a period of time.
In step 304, the OMS uses the collected usage statistics to perform an optimisation of the enforcement limits per ISP for each NE and determines the adjusted enforcement limits per ISP.
As a person skilled in the art will appreciate, the OMS can re-calculate the enforcement limits per ISP for each NE in many different ways. For example, the OMS may consider the current volume of traffic of a particular ISP averaged over time for each participating network element and determine the enforcement limits proportionally to the load or traffic in each of the participating network elements. Therefore, the under used network elements capacity may be distributed to the network elements that require the additional capacity and thus, the aggregate SLA usage is maximised.
In step 305, the OMS distributes, via the OMS channels in the WiMAX network, the new enforcement limits per ISP to the NEs that will enforce the new limits in the network. The OMS channels are defined by the well known OMS protocols. In the technology field of telecommunications they are typically proprietary protocols between network elements and OMS. Accordingly, in this embodiment the enforcement limits per ISP can adaptively be provisioned and adjusted based on data usage statistics per ISP in the WiMAX network collected over a predetermined period of time. Therefore, the capacity usage in the network can be more efficiently optimised since the capacity provisioned to a given ISP and enforced by the NEs can be adjusted based on the periodical resource usage per ISP. For example, if one ISP's data traffic and resource usage in the network drops to a low value over a predetermined period of time then the excess capacity that has been provisioned to the ISP can be re-distributed to another ISP which has a need for more capacity by adjusting the enforcement limits.
The above described adaptive method is performed on a periodic basis using statistics collected in the network elements in the period prior to the performance of the adaptive provisioning procedure. Therefore, this adaptive provisioning procedure adjusts the enforcement limits based on the network usage over a period of time.
In order to further increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the network, in terms of the fair and efficient use of the capacity in the network, further embodiments provide dynamic procedures for provisioning and/or trading capacity in the network which provisions and adjusts capacity in the network based on substantially the real-time network usage per ISP.
The dynamic procedures of the preferred embodiments are most efficient and effective if performed at the network topology layers where the aggregate ISP data traffic fluctuation can be matched by the achievable speeds of the dynamic procedures. The trading functionality that performs the dynamic procedures may be centralised in one network element, for example, in one ASN GW or in a dedicated trading server, or may be distributed into several NEs at a particular topology layer, for example, distributed between a plurality of ASN GWs in the WiMAX network.
The NEs enforcing the capacity trading limits for each ISP can also be at any topological level, for example, at the ASN GW or the HA (if present in the WiMAX network) . The NE ele- ment enforcing the capacity limits also monitor and measure the data traffic, in both the uplink and downlink directions, and categorises the data traffic and resource usage per ISP. In the preferred embodiments the BSs will enforce the capacity limits per ISP.
The dynamic procedures enable the Network Operator to trade and/or provision capacity in the network dynamically and therefore effectively in real-time and based on the actual data traffic and resource usage per ISP in the network at any given time. The dynamic procedures can be performed as frequently as required and if the dynamic procedures are performed substantially continuously then the capacity in the network will be utilised most efficiently and effectively between the ISPs, within the bounds of the SLAs agreed with each ISP.
In the preferred embodiments, as the BSs enforce the capacity limits per ISP then the trading and/or provisioning of capacity occurs across the R6 interface which is the interface be- tween the BSs and the ASN GWs. However, as will be appreciated, the dynamic procedures can be used to enable capacity trading and/or provisioning across the R4 interface (which is the interface between ASN GWs) or the R3 interface (which is the interface between the ASN GW and the HA) . In the dynamic procedures the BSs continuously collect statistics on the traffic in the network, including the aggregate actual data rata and/or resource usage per Quality of Service (QoS) service or class per ISP. The QoS service relates to a flow with certain QoS parameters that the ISP expects to be delivered based on the agreed SLA between the ISP and the Network Operator.
The statistics collected by the BS are substantially continuously reported to a Trading Element (TE) . The BS may collect the statistics and report the collected statistics to the TE at a predetermined frequency which is preferably at a rate that enables the collection and reporting of the statistics to be performed substantially in real-time thereby matching the data traffic fluctuations in the network. However, the BS could collect and report the statistics at any predetermined frequency, for example, every 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 30 minutes and so on depending on the requirements of the Network Operator.
In the preferred embodiments one of the ASN GWs in the network performs the tasks of the TE. However, a dedicated server may alternatively be used as the TE which is dedicated to the purpose of dynamically trading and/or provisioning capacity in the network or the functions of the TE may be distributed between more than one ASN GW in the network.
On receipt of the usage statistics collected by the BSs the TE dynamically trades and/or provisions capacity in the network between the ISPs. The new enforcement limits are then transmitted from the TE to the network elements that enforce those limits which, in the preferred embodiments, are the BSs. As the TE continuously receiving usage statistics then the TE can continuously adjust the capacity limits per ISP to match the data traffic fluctuations and requirements so as to efficiently optimise the network for the data flow in the network .
Accordingly, the dynamic procedures advantageously enable the capacity in the network to be dynamically allocated between the ISPs depending on the actual usage of the network resources and data traffic thereby more efficiently and effec- tively allocating and using the network capacity.
Figure 4 shows a flow diagram for the dynamic provisioning of capacity in a WiMAX network. This dynamic procedure starts in step 401 in which the BS collects statistics on the usage including the aggregate actual data rates and/or the resource usage per QoS service class per ISP. In step 402 the BS station reports the collected statistics to the TE, which in this embodiment is an ASN GW. The ASN GW re-calculates and re-distributes the adjusted enforcement limits per ISP to the BSs.
As a person skilled in the art will appreciate, the TE can re-calculate the enforcement limits per ISP for each NE in many different ways. For example, the TE may consider the current volume of traffic of a particular ISP averaged over time for each participating network element and determine the enforcement limits proportionally to the load or traffic in each of the participating network elements. Therefore, the under used network elements capacity may be distributed to the network elements that require the additional capacity and thus, the aggregate SLA usage is maximised.
Turning to Figures 5 and 6, these Figures shows a dynamic procedure for trading spare capacity between ISPs. In this embodiment the TE, preferably the ASN GW, maintains a trading pool of any spare or unused capacity at a particular time.
The method of identifying the spare capacity and maintaining the trading pool is shown in Figure 5. In step 501, the enforcing network elements, which in this embodiment are the BSs, collect statistics on the usage in the network which includes the aggregate actual data rate usage per QoS service class per ISP.
In step 502, the BSs identify spare capacity per ISP per QoS service class in the network and allocate at least part of the identified spare capacity per ISP per QoS service class for trading.
Typically, the BS will allocate all of the identified spare capacity for trading except for a small amount of capacity for each ISP in order to provide a safety margin to accommodate variations in the required resources for each ISP due to mobility of subscribers, idle/active transitions and so on.
In step 503, the BS reports the spare capacity per ISP that has been identified and is to be allocated for trading to the trading pool in the TE. The BS may report the capacity allo- cated for trading to the TE in a pushed or pulled manner. In other words, once the BS identifies and allocates spare capacity for trading it may automatically report it to the TE, i.e. push the information to the TE, or the TE may obtain the spare capacity identified and allocated for trading from the BS i.e. pull the information from the BS. In either method, the TE maintains an up-to-date trading pool of spare capacity in the network which the TE can use to trade between the ISPs depending on their requirements for capacity at a particular time . The procedure for dynamically allocating the spare capacity maintained in the trading pool is shown in Figure 6. In step 601, the BS, as mentioned above, collects statistics on the network usage which includes the aggregate actual data rate usage per QoS service class per ISP.
In step 602, as well as the BS identifying the spare capacity for trading as discussed above, the BS also uses the col- lected statistics to determine whether there is a need for additional capacity per ISP per QoS service class.
In step 603, the BS signals to the TE which maintains the trading pool the additional capacity required per ISP per QoS service class.
In step 604, the TE checks the trading pool and allocates any available spare capacity to the ISP that has been identified as requiring additional capacity in the network. The TE dis- tributes the new enforcement limits according to the capacity that has been allocated to the ISP per QoS service class to the BSs.
Accordingly, this embodiment enables the Network Operator to trade spare capacity between ISPs based on effectively the real-time network usage of each ISP so that the available capacity in the network is utilised in an efficient and optimised manner.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, both the adaptive and a dynamic procedure can be implemented at the same time in a WiMAX network in order to further optimise the network resources and usage. In this embodiment the adaptive provisioning method is implemented so that the OMS 110 determines the overall enforcement limits in a periodical manner as described above. A dynamic procedure is then also implemented, preferably in the lower topological layer of the WiMAX network such as the BSs, so that capacity can be traded between ISPs within the limits set by the adaptive method.
This hybrid method further optimises the network usage as the OMS 110 based adaptive method distributes capacity in the network, for example, it may distribute capacity to certain geographical areas depending on the network requirements and usage, and the dynamic procedures can then quickly trade the distributed capacity depending on the network usage per ISP at any given time.
In all of the embodiments described above statistics of the network usage per ISP is determined so that the capacity in the network can be adaptively and/or dynamically provisioned and traded in order to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the network usage between the ISPs.
Accordingly, there is a need to effectively identify and categorise the usage and resource utilisation per ISP in a network element wherein the mapping of subscriber flows to ISP identity has to be established. However, in WiMAX networks the ISP identity for a particular subscriber flow is not always available because some ISP WiMAX inter-working architectures may completely hide the ISP identity from the Wi- MAX access. Furthermore, the WiMAX Network Access Identifier (NAI) used in the subscriber authentication process may be WiMAX access Network Operator specific rather than identify the ISP of the subscriber. If the ISP identity is not available during the authentication process, e.g. the subscriber flow has the WiMAX network Operator's identity in the NAI, then the ISP identity needs to be signalled to the capacity enforcing elements so that those elements can collate the necessary statistics on the network usage per ISP.
If the ASN GW is the enforcing element in the network then the ASN GW receives the ISP identity in an authorisation pro- cedure via a proprietary extension of the information element in the R3 interface.
In some cases the ISP ID will be visible in the Network Access Identifier (NAI) used by the MS. However, typically it will be the case that the ISP will not be part of the authentication at all and therefore unknown to the ASN GW as the enforcing network element. In this case the network operator can use different NAI for subscribers of different ISPs, or simply maintain a map between subscription and ISP ID in the Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) process and deliver it to the access network elements with the authorisation message via a new proprietary extension of the authorisation message.
If the BS is the enforcing element in the network then the BS receives the ISP identity from the authorisation procedure in the R6 interface.
Typically, the NAI used by the MS will be hidden from the BSs because it is encrypted. Therefore, typically only the ASN- GWs will know the true ISP ID and, as described above, the ASN-GW will determine the ISP ID either from the subscribers NAI or from the AAA in the authorisation message. The association of MS with a certain ISP ID has to be propagated to all network elements that will enforce the ISP specific limits, such as the BSs. Accordingly, the BSs will receive the ISP ID via a new information element or dedicated message from the R6 interface.
If the HA is the enforcing element in the network then the HA receives the ISP identity from the WiMAX Authentication, Authorisation and Accounting (AAA) server via the Mobile IP access authorisation signalling between the Mobile IP HA and the WiMAX AAA.
In order to prevent hackers from hijacking one subscriber's Mobile IP (MIP) sessions in the HA, the MIP, as typically used in WiMAX, uses an authorisation extension. In the au- thorisation extension the HA may verify whether the correct subscriber has sent a registration request and the HA fetches keying material from the AAA. In this case the ISP ID is added to this process such that the HA sessions can be associated with the subscriber's ISP ID.
The ISP identity is passed to other network elements during the handover signalling and optionally in the context transfer. In other words, when an MS enters the network, it is associated with certain ISP and its ISP ID. This information regarding the ISP ID is passed to the BS receiving the MS.
However, when the MS is mobile and hands-over to a new BS the ISP ID has also to be handed over to the new BS. This can be achieved by either transferring the ISP ID in the BS context between BSs or the ISP ID may be signalled to the new BS dur- ing the hand-over signalling from ASN-GW.
The preferred embodiments of the present invention enable an operator of a network, preferably a WiMAX network, to offer flexible SLAs to ISPs and to provide a more efficient and op- timised use of the capacity in the network. This is because the preferred embodiments provide the ability to adjust the enforcement limits per ISP in the network. The adjustment can be made using an adaptive provisioning procedure, a dy- namic provisioning and/or trading procedure or a combination of the adaptive and dynamic procedures.
While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that such embodiments are described by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Accordingly, it is intended that the following claims cover all such variations or equivalents as fall within the spirit and the scope of the invention .

Claims

Claims
1. A method comprising: determining in at least one network element, network usage of each of at least two service providers; and adjusting in at least one trading element network resources allocated to each of the service providers based on at least the determined network usage.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1 in which the step of determining network usage may further comprise: determining the data rate per class of traffic per service provider over a predetermined period of time.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which said network element transmits said determined network usage to said trading element.
4. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising: transmitting said adjusted network resources to said network elements from said trading element.
5. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the step of determining network usage may further comprise determining the aggregate actual data rate or resource usage per class of traffic per service provider .
6. The method as claimed in claim 5 further comprising: receiving at a trading element said determined aggregate actual data rate or resource usage per class of traffic per service provider.
7. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which said step of determining network usage may further comprise: identifying spare capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and transmitting at least part of said identified spare capacity to said trading element.
8. The method as claimed in claim 7 further comprising: maintaining a pool of spare capacity per class of traffic per service provider in said trading element.
9. The method as claimed in claim 7 or 8 in which said step of determining network usage further comprises: identifying a requirement for additional capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and transmitting said identified requirement for additional capacity to said trading element.
10. The method as claimed in claim 9 in which said step of adjusting network resources further comprises: allocating capacity from said trading pool in response to said identified requirement for additional capacity.
11. A trading element adapted to: receive from at least one network element, network usage of each of at least two service providers; and adjust network resources allocated to each of the service providers based on at least the received network usage.
12. The trading element as claimed in claim 11 further adapted to: transmit said adjusted network resources to said at least one network element.
13. The trading element as claimed in claim 11 or 12 further adapted to: receive an identification of spare capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and maintain a trading pool of spare capacity per class of traffic per service provider.
14. The trading element as claimed in claim 13 further adapted to: receive a request for additional capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and allocate spare capacity from said trading pool in response to said request.
15. A network element adapted to: determine network usage of each of at least two service providers; transmit said determined network usage to at least one trading element; and receive from said at least one trading element adjusted network resources allocated to each of the service providers .
16. The network element as claimed in claim 15 further adapted to: enforce said received adjusted network resources allocated to each of the service providers.
17. The network element as claimed in claim 15 or 16 in which said step of determining network usage further comprises : determining the data rate per class of traffic per service provider over a predetermined period of time.
18. The network element as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 17 in which said step of determining network usage further comprises : determining the aggregate actual data rate or resource usage per class of traffic per service provider.
19. The network element as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 18 further adapted to: identify spare capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and transmit at least part of said identified spare capacity to said trading element.
20. The network element as claimed in claim 19 further adapted to: identify a requirement for additional capacity per class of traffic per service provider; and transmit said identified requirement for additional capacity to said trading element.
21. A computer program product comprising computer readable executable code for: receiving from at least one network element, network usage of each of at least two service providers; and adjusting network resources allocated to each of the service providers based on at least the received network usage .
22. A computer program product comprising computer readable executable code for: determining network usage of each of at least two service providers; transmitting said determined network usage to at least one trading element; and receiving from said at least one trading element adjusted network resources allocated to each of the service providers .
PCT/EP2008/067541 2008-12-15 2008-12-15 Capacity leasing WO2010069362A1 (en)

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Cited By (1)

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WO2019209504A1 (en) * 2018-04-26 2019-10-31 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Forecasting underutilization of a computing resource

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EP1069729A1 (en) * 1999-07-13 2001-01-17 International Business Machines Corporation Network capacity planning based on buffers occupancy monitoring
WO2006099586A1 (en) * 2005-03-14 2006-09-21 Qualcomm Incorporated Method and apparatus for monitoring usage patterns of a wireless device
EP1944922A1 (en) * 2007-01-10 2008-07-16 Alcatel Lucent Method of providing QoS

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EP1069729A1 (en) * 1999-07-13 2001-01-17 International Business Machines Corporation Network capacity planning based on buffers occupancy monitoring
WO2006099586A1 (en) * 2005-03-14 2006-09-21 Qualcomm Incorporated Method and apparatus for monitoring usage patterns of a wireless device
EP1944922A1 (en) * 2007-01-10 2008-07-16 Alcatel Lucent Method of providing QoS

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