MXPA98010336A - Traffic handling for service of data commuted by ma relevo - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a new type of data transport service that uses a data link connection identifier (DLCI) layer 2 relay to select between various types of service, feature sets and / or groups of closed users (CUG). A layer 3 address can be extracted from a layer 2 frame and the layer 3 address information can be used to route a packet of data over a packet switched network according to the service classes, sets of features and / or CUG selected. At the destination, the data packet of layer 3 can be enclosed again in a layer 2 box with a DLCI indicating the service classes, feature sets and / or CUG. Because the use of conventional permanent virtual circuits (PVC) is not required in aspects of the invention, new methods are presented to measure and manage the traffic of r

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention is concerned systems and methods for implementing improved network architectures and more specifically systems and methods for routing Internet protocol packets (IP). ) when using modified frame (or frame) relay protocols.

Description of the Related Art Recently, the popularity of large interlaced networks has increased. However, highly interlaced networks. On a large scale they can be difficult to implement, maintain and manage when using conventional network techniques. An example of a conventional interleaving configuration is shown in FIG. 1. A wide area network (WAN) 900 includes a plurality of routers (or router), a device that physically connects two networks or a network to the Internet, by converting addresses into IP numbers and when sending only the messages that need to pass to the other network) RA, RB, Rc, D (client installation equipment (CPE)) arranged respectively in a plurality of end-user locations A, B, C, and From REF: 28817 interconnected to a network of service providers (SPN) 901 via respective user network interfaces (UNÍ) 920-1, -2, ..., -n. The user network interfaces 920 can be configured in different ways for example, to an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) sh having a frame relay interface to the CPE. The connection to the sites are logical paths called, for example permanent virtual circuits (PVC) PA-C-PA-D, PB-D / - PA-B / PC-B, which are characterized by their endpoints in the UNI 920 -1, 920-2, ..., 920-n and a guaranteed bandwidth called the (transfer) speed of compromised information (CIR). Figure 2 provides a detailed view of the data flow through WAN 900. There are a plurality of protocol layers over which communications can be presented. For example, the well-known layers of the Open Systems Interconnection Model of the International Standards Organization (ISO) having layers of a physical layer (layer 1), a data link layer (layer 2), a layer of network (layer 4), up through and including an application layer (layer 7). Under this model, user data 902 is generated by a user application running or running on application layer 903. In the transport layer 904 (layer 4), a source port address and destination 906 (as part of the TCP header (layer 4)) may be added to the user's data 902. In network layer 905 (layer 3), an additional header (this is an IP header (layer 3)) containing source and destination IP addresses) 908 can be added. Thus, the user data field of layer 3 includes the user data 902 of layer 4 plus header 906 of layer 4. The protocol data unit (PDU) 902, 906, 908 of layer 3 which For example, a package of IP 950 is then transferred to layer 2 909 in the CPE (RA routers RB C RD) that interconnects to SPN 901. In the router, a table transforms one or more IP addresses (layer 3) ) 908 to an appropriate PVC (PA-O-PA-D / PB-D, PA-B / PC-B) • The table of the channel is maintained by the customer. Once the correct PVC is located in the routing table, the corresponding data link connection identifier (DLCI) 912 (layer 2) is coded to the header of the frame relay frame 914 (packet). After this, the rest of the frame relay frame is included and a frame check sum (FCS) is calculated. Then, the frame is transferred to the physical layer and transmitted to SPN 901. In the UNI 920, the frame is inspected for validity to determine if there is a predefined PVC associated the DLCI 912. If so, frame 914 is then sent to that PVC by means of the network along the same path and in the same order as the other frames that DLCI, as shown in Figure 2. The layer 2 frame information persists as the packet travels through the relay network if this network is actually implemented as a relay network or other network such as a network of ATM. The table is taken to its destination without any decision of additional channeling in the network. The FCS is inspected at the exit UNI, and if the table is not altered, it is then issued to the UNI associated with the end user. As is well known in the art, Figures 1-3 provide exemplary diagrams of how the frame relay data packets are assembled into the various ISO layers using the example of the TCP / IP protocol transport on a data link layer. of relay of frame. The example shows how the user data in the application layer is wrapped in successive envelopes to compose the PDUs, as it passes to the protocol stack. Specifically, the composition of the header field is expanded by details and is shown in Figure 5. The data link connection identifier (DLCI) field comprises 10 bits scattered over the first and second octets and allows 1023 possible addresses of the which some are reserved for specific uses by standards. As shown in Figure 3, the DLCI is added to the frame relay header according to which destination IP address is specified in the IP packet. This decision about which DLCI is chosen is taken by the CPE, usually a router, based on configuration information provided by the client that provides a representation of IP addresses to the PVCs that connect to the present site with others through the WAN 900. In the relay of conventional frames, a Q.922 box of layer 2 carries the client data package of layer 3 through the network in a permanent virtual circuit (PVC) which is identified by an identifier Data Link Connection (DLCI). Thus, DLCIs are used by the client as addresses that select the appropriate PVC to carry the data to the desired destination. The client's data package is transported through the network transparently and its content is never examined by the network. The conventional interlace frame relay network discussed above has a variety of limitations. For example, each time a new location or end user site is added to the interlaced network, a new connection is required to be added to each other end user site. Consequently, all channeling tables must be updated in each end user's site. Thus, a ripple effect propagates through the entire network whenever there is a change in the network topology. For large networks with thousands of end-user sites, this ripple effect creates a heavy burden on the network provider to supply sufficient permanent virtual circuits (PVC) and on network clients when updating all their routing tables. In addition, most of the routers are limited to scrutinize with a maximum of 10 other routers which makes this network topology difficult to implement. As networks grow in size, the number of PVC clients needs to handle and represent DLCI is increased. What further complicates the problem is a trend towards increasing network entanglement, which means that more sites are directly connected to each other. The result is a growth in the number and interweaving of PVC in networks that does not scale well with current network technologies. A possible solution to handle large interlaced networks is to use a virtual private network (VPN) that interconnects end-user locations using encrypted traffic sent via Internet pipeline. However, VPNs are not widely supported by Internet service providers (ISP), have erratic information speeds and present a diversity of security concerns. Another possible solution is the use of switched virtual circuits based on frame relay (SVC). While PVCs (discussed above) are usually defined on a subscription basis and are analogous to leased lines, SVCs are temporary, defined on a basis as needed and are analogous to telephone calls. However, SVCs require continuous communications between all the routers in the system to coordinate the SVCs. In addition, because tables representing other forms, IP addresses to SVC addresses are normally maintained manually, SVCs are often impractical for large highly interlaced networks. Security is a primary concern for SVC networks where tables are not handled properly or it is about cheating the network. In addition, frame SVCs are difficult to work with asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) SVCs. None of the above solutions adequately addresses the growing demand for highly interlaced networks. Thus, there is a need for network architectures that allow the implementation of large interlaced networks that have security, low maintenance costs, efficient operations, and scalability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The aspects of the present invention solve one or more of the problems indicated above and / or provide improved systems and methods for implementing a network architecture. A new type of data transport service takes advantage of the existing base of the equipment of the CPE installation and the clients in that it offers a new mechanism to provide service features that can be extended to those customers. In the new service, data link connection identifiers (DLCI) can be used by the CPE to select between types of services, feature sets and closed user groups (CUG). The DLCI is used in the frame or box of layer 2 that carries the user's data to the network. The layer 3 user data packet is extracted from the layer 2 frame and the layer 3 address information for the protocol (encausable) is used to route the user's data packet into a packet switched network. high performance, according to the service class / feature set selected by the DLCI. At the destination, the layer 3 data packet is again enclosed in a layer 2 box with a DLCI indicating which service group it belongs to. Then, the table is sent to the CPE. The use of this technique will allow the existing frame relay CPE to support, in the same physical interface, a conventional frame relay service with a range of DLCIs that are linked to logical trajectories such as permanent virtual circuits (PVC), as well as a range of DLCIs that are linked to service equipment and / or feature set. This will allow a robust method for the extension of new services to the installed base of relays, with minimal impact to the existing client's equipment. In some aspects of the invention, frame relay DLCIs are used to select from among several service categories. This differs significantly from the conventional frame relay, which uses the DLCI only to select PVC and / or switched virtual circuits (SVC). Service categories may include, but are not limited to, communication via the public Internet, communication via a local intranet, communication within a closed user group (CUG), communication with an extranet (for example, a network of monopolized providers). or business partners of corporation), live audio / video transmission, multicast, telephony in the Internet protocol (IP), or any combination thereof. Thus, the concept of a frame relay PVC is significantly expanded by the aspects of the present invention. For example, the location of a proposed network endpoint receiver is not necessarily determined by a DLCI at a sending network endpoint. The DLCI may represent a service category with the proposed receiver indicated by an IP address within the frame relay packet. This results in a significant benefit to network users, because, unlike conventional frame relay, customers no longer need to update their local DLCI tables, each time a network client with which they want to communicate is added or removed from the network. Thus, the client's burden of network administration is substantially reduced. In secondary aspects of the invention, some DLCIs can be used to select between service categories (DLCI service category) while in the same network, other DLCIs can be used to select conventional PVCs and / or SVCs (conventional DLCIs). In other words, the relay of conventional frames can be mixed with aspects of the present invention within the same network, to allow the aspects of the present invention to be implemented in an increased manner in existing conventional relay networks. In additional aspects of the invention, the addressing contained in the multiple layers (for example, as defined by the Open System Interconnection model) are compared with each other in a network to determine the channeling errors. If the addressing in the layers are consistent with each other, then the associated data is routed without interruption. On the other hand, if the addressing in the layers is inconsistent with each other, the associated data can be specifically handled. For example, the data may be discarded, sent to a predetermined address, and / or returned to the sender. This address comparison can be applied to the shipping address and / or the destination address. An advantage of this multilayer address comparison is that the security of the network is increased. For example, problems such as cheating, which is the practice of knowingly providing an incorrect Internet Protocol (IP) address, are better controlled by such a method. In still further aspects of the invention, the routing of look-up tables within the network are separated in such a way that, for example, each client, closed user group (CUG), extranet and / or intranet can have their own private partition and / or separate table. This can provide higher network speed because a router does not need to scan all available address space for all clients on the network at the same time. In addition, data security is improved because the risk of sending data to an incorrect receiver is reduced. In still further aspects of the invention, the IP address information of layer 3 and / or layer 4 is used to route the fast packets through the network. In still further aspects of the invention, new network traffic management techniques and measurements are defined. For example, in some aspects of traffic management of the invention, committed delivery speeds (CDR) may be assigned to one or more UNI. A CDR is the average minimum data rate that is guaranteed to be delivered to a given UNI when enough traffic is sent to the UNI. In additional traffic handling aspects of the invention, a destination speed portion (DRS) is assigned to one or more UNI. The DRS can be used to determine the portion of traffic that a given UNI can send through the network. If several UNIs simultaneously offer to send traffic to the same destination UNI, then each UNI portion of the network's send can be determined by its own DRS and the DRS of the other UNI senders. These and other features of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. Although the invention has been defined by using the appended claims, these claims are exemplary, since the invention is intended to include the elements and steps described herein, and any combination or sub-combination. Thus, there are any diversity of alternative combinations to define the invention, which incorporate one or more elements of the specification, in which description, claims and drawings are included, in various combinations or sub-combinations. It will be apparent to those experienced in network theory and design, in light of the present specification, that alternative combinations of aspects of the invention, either alone or in combinations with one or more elements or steps defined herein, may be used as modifications or alterations of the invention, or as part of the invention. It is proposed that the written description of the invention contained herein cover all such modifications and alterations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The brief summary of the previous invention, also as the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, is best understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. For purposes of illustration, embodiments that show one or more aspects of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments do not intend to limit the invention to them alone. Figure 1 illustrates a wide area network (WAN) that has conduits such as CPE and PVC between customer locations. Figure 2 shows the data flow through the WAN shown in Figure 1. Figures 3-5 show the construction and flow of data packets through the network. Figure 6 shows a block diagram of a network architecture according to aspects of the present invention. Figure 7 shows a detailed block diagram of the network illustrated in Figure 6. Figures 8A-8B show a migration path to incorporate aspects of the invention in conventional network architectures. Figure 9 shows the data flow through the network architecture of Figure 6. Figure 10 shows the application based on the priority by means of the network architecture of Figure 6.

Figure 11 illustrates an exemplary mode of service provisioning means through the network of Figure 6. Figures 12-14 illustrate the flow of data through WAN 1 copies.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The exemplary embodiments of the present invention allow the installed large base of the equipment of the frame relay client (CPE) installation to be maintained by using the same interface in a different manner to provide new sets of services. and features to the customer. For example, the known data link connection identifier (DLCI) of the frame relay protocol can be used to select between several virtual private networks with different address spaces, feature sets and / or conventional permanent virtual circuits (PVC) . With reference to Figure 7, a block diagram of a Wide Area Network (WAN) 1 is shown incorporating aspects of the present invention. The WAN 1 includes a plurality of client installation equipment (CPE) systems, for example, routers located in each of the end-user locations and interconnected via one or more networks of the service provider (SPN) 500. The SPN 500 is normally connected to a plurality of endpoint routers 919 via a plurality of corresponding user network interfaces (UNI) 402 and / or one or more Internet protocol (IP) switches 502. The IP 502, UNI 402 switches and / or switches / switches 501 may be interconnected to form an interlaced network (e.g., a partial or fully interlaced network). Additionally, the wide area network (WAN) 1 may contain any number of IP 502 switches located within WAN 1 such that it is not directly connected to any endpoint channel 919, and / or one or more IP switches. 502 may be located at an interface between the SPN 500 and a endpoint router 919. In additional embodiments of the invention there may be multiple endpoint routers (or routers) 919, associated with an UNI 402 / IP 502 switch and / or multiple UNI 402 / IP 502 switches associated with a 919 endpoint channel. The network architecture of WAN 1 allows the number of IP switches to increase as clients are moved to the new service. For example, as shown in Figure 8A, initially, there may be only a small number (eg, one, two, three, etc.) of IP switches installed in the system. Where only a small number of IP switches are included in the network, traffic originating from the UNI 402 without IP capability (for example UNI A) can be routed to an IP switch 502 anywhere in the network. Although this creates some negligible inefficiencies in tracking, however, allows a migration path to the new network architecture without simultaneously replacing all the 501 routers. However, as more and more users are transferred to the new network architecture of WAN 1, more and more switches IP can be added (Figure 8B) to accommodate or compensate for the increased load. In many embodiments, it may be desirable to eventually convert each UNI 402 to an IP switch 502 in such a manner that IP routing can be carried out at the edge of the network. In some embodiments, the WAN 1 may include a combination of conventional network switches and / or routers 501, in addition to the IP 502 switches. On the other hand, each switch in the SPN 500 may be an IP 502 switch. Alternatively, the WAN 1 may contain only one IP 502 switch. The IP 502 switches may be variously configured to include an appropriate multi-layer cabling switch, such as a Cisco Tag S itch. Multilayer channeling switches can also be used from suppliers such as ipsilon, Toshiba, IBM and / or Telecom. The IP switches are currently being developed to replace the endpoint routers in such a way that the client installation equipment (for example, Ethernet local area network (LAN) equipment) can be directly connected to a network of Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM). Aspects of the present invention propose to use IP switches in a different way to maintain the installed base of the equipment of the client installation, while avoiding the limitations of the previous systems. Thus, IP switches according to embodiments of the invention are disposed within the SPN 500 and modified to provide appropriate routing and interconnection functions. In some embodiments of the invention, an IP 502 switch acts as a multilayer switch. For example, an IP 502 switch can receive ATM cells, switch some or all of the ATM cells based on the content of the IP packets encapsulated within the ATM cells. Thus, IP addressing can be used by an IP 502 switch to determine an ATM virtual path to send ATM cells to a destination UNI 402. In further embodiments of the invention, higher layer addressing (e.g., transmission control program (TCP) logical ports in layer 4) can also be used by an IP 502 switch as a basis for switching ATM cells. to provide a path through the SPN 500. In still further embodiments of the invention, an IP switch 502 uses IP addresses and / or TCP logical ports to make quality of service (QOS) decisions. In further embodiments of the invention, an endpoint router 919 can encapsulate one or more IP packets in the frame relay box 914. FIG. In this event, the frame relay frames can be transmitted between an end point channel 919 and a corresponding UNI 402 and / or IP 502 switch. The end point channel 919 encapsulates the IP 950 packets with relay frames 914 of frame. In addition, the endpoint channel 919 can adjust the DLCI of each frame relay frame 914 according to a particular service category (if a service category DLCI is used) that the user has selected. For example, the various categories of service may include the public Internet, communication via a local intranet, communication within a group of closed users (CUG), communication with an extranet (for example, a network of accredited providers or business partners in a corporation). ), live audio / video transmission, multicast, telephony in the Internet protocol (IP) or any combination thereof. Thus, the concept of a frame relay PVC is significantly expanded by the aspects of the present invention. For example, the location (or location) of a proposed network endpoint receiver is not necessarily determined by a DLCI in endpoint 919 routers. In further embodiments of the invention, a UNI 402 may receive frame relay frames 914 from an endpoint router 919 and divide and encapsulate frame relay frames in, for example, smaller fixed length ATM cells. The UNI 402 may further translate the frame relay DLCI to an ATM address (e.g., a virtual path identifier / virtual channel identifier (VPI / VCI)). There are several methods that can be used to translate DLCIs to VPI / VCI. For example, the Network Interworking Standard as defined in Implementation Agreement No. 5 of the Frame Relay Forum, and / or the Service Interworking standard as defined in Implementation Agreement No. 8 of the Frame Relay. Forum can be used. An ATM address associated with a service category DLCI defines an ATM virtual path via network routers to an IP 502 switch. Thus, the ATM data, associated with the service category DLCI is finally sent to a switch of IP 502. However, the ATM data associated with a conventional DLCI may or may not be sent to an IP 502 switch and may be routed through the network without passing through an IP 502 switch. translated IP data and conventional PVC data, both translated, may be present in the SPN 500 and / or WAN 1. In additional embodiments of the invention, a UNI 402, and / or a network router 501 may send data to a predetermined IP switch 502. In additional embodiments of the invention, a UNI 402 and / or a network router 501 selects which IP 502 switch sends data based on an algorithm (eg, based on traffic flows) network, the distance ncia / relative location of an IP 502 switch, the type of data that is sent and / or the selected service category). In yet further embodiments of the invention, a UNI 402, a network router 501 and / or IP 502 switch can send the same data to more than one UNI 402, network router 501 and / or IP 502 switch, depending on example, of a category or service categories. In further embodiments of the invention, a UNI 402, an IP 502 switch and / or a network router 501 compares an ATM VPI / VCI address 303-305 with an IP address for the same data. If the two addresses are inconsistent then the ATM cell can be discarded, sent to the default address and / or returned to the sender location. In yet further embodiments of the invention, the layers above the IP layer of the layer 3 can be used for generation / discrimination of the address and / or class of service. For example, layer 4 of the ISO address scheme and / or other application level data may be used to determine particular service classes. With reference specifically to Figure 9, the trajectory of user data flowing through an exemplary WAN 1 is shown. As in the case of frame relay, user data in the application layer and layer 4 require the addition of a network address header of layer 3. In the CPE, a decision is made based on the information in layers 3 and 4 about which virtual private network (VPN), service class or conventional PVC the packet must be piped. Thus, a packet with information from layer 4 indicating that it is a telnet application (interactive) and layer 3 information that is an internal company address could go to a VPN A for a low-delay intranet service class . Another package that is part of a file transfer protocol (FTP) file transfer could go to VPN B with a lower class of service and a third package that goes between two highly used applications could go to a specialized PVC D. These decisions are coded as different DLCI values, inserted in the layer 2 box and sent to the UNI. In the UNI A 402, the switching is carried out based on the DLCI. The packet can be routed to the IP 502 switch at the center of the SPN 500. The first packet has its separate Layer 2 box as it is sent to the VPN A. Inside the VPN A, it now uses the Layer 3 address to make routing decisions that send the packet to its destination UNI. Thus, no PVC needs to be established ahead of time for that trajectory, and conventional routing methods and protocols can be used, as well as the new shortcut routing techniques. This allows VPN A to provide a high entanglement of connectivity between the sites without requiring the client to configure and maintain the entanglement as a large number of PVCs. The packet sent to VPN B is treated similarly, except that the VPN B is implemented with a lower class of service (for example, higher delay). Finally, the package sent to PVC D has its layer 2 box intact and passes through the network as a conventional frame relay frame. This allows customers to maintain their current connectivity of PVCs for their high-traffic traffic trajectories, but it still has a high interlacing of connectivity through several VPNs. Thus, in various aspects of the invention, the WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 can be any appropriate fast packet network receiving frame relay data packets having user data in a user data field. Then, the WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 switches the packets using one or more IP 502 switches sensitive to the user's data. The user data may be used to discriminate between a plurality of different service categories based on the user's data. The channeling over WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 can be sensitive to at least one of the different service categories in which discrimination based on multicast data is included. Additionally, the WAN can generate a fast packet data address field responsive to the IP packet data and route the IP packet through the fast packet network in response to the fast packet address field. In addition, the information from layer 4 can be used to determine the quality of the service. The quality of the service may include, for example, one or more of the following: information speed, priority information, delay, loss, availability, etc. Security features can be implemented in the IP switch in such a way that the routing tables for each of the users are separated based on one or more service categories and / or users. In this way, the system becomes more secure. Still further, the system can receive a plurality of frame relay packets over a permanent virtual circuit (PVC) in a first node in an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, generate an ATM address based on a field of data different from the data link connection identifier (DLCI) within the frame relay packets and then channel the packets through the ATM network based on the ATM address. The channeling of the packets may be sensitive to one of a plurality of service categories. The system can provide separate routing tables within an ATM switch for each of a plurality of different service categories. The different service categories can be determined by using Internet Protocol (IP) data within a data field of a packet that is passed through the ATM switch. In a fast packet network, a fast packet switch can compare an address of a fast packet with an Internet protocol (IP) address of layer 3 contained within the fast packet and determine if the address of the fast packet is consistent with the IP address of layer 3. Furthermore, for security, circuits of physical components and / or programming elements can be provided for the examination of a sender address or a destination address. In addition, packages can be discarded in response to a detected inconsistency. The WAN 1 can include client installation equipment (CPE) and an asynchronous transfer mode switch (ATM) coupled to, and receiving from, the CPE frame relay data packets and including address translation circuits to translate the data link connection identifiers of the frame relay data packets to addresses of ATM representing a plurality of virtual private networks based on a predetermined service category associated with a particular DLCI; otherwise, WAN 1 may include client facility equipment (CPE) and a fast packet switch coupled to the CPE via one or more permanent virtual circuits and receive frame relay data packets, the fast packet switch includes address translation circuit for translating the user data into the frame relay data packets in fast packet addresses. In embodiments of the present invention, the security of the data is improved, since the data can be inspected easily and accurately as to inconsistencies at the destination. This is because these modes are put into operation by using the addressing information of layer 2 and layer 3. As an illustration, suppose that the relay frame of tables that has a DLCI indicates VPN 1 (for example, the intranet corporate) arrives at a network switch / router with an IP address from a particular company's accounting system. However, since the VPN processor has the packet DLCI available for it (and thus information about the packet source), the VPN processor can inspect the DLCI with the IP address of the source in the packet. see if the IP address of the source is in the known range of the source site. Thus, the problem associated with deception of IP source addresses can be significantly reduced. In still further embodiments of the invention, a UNI 402, an IP 502 switch and / or a network router 501 have separate and / or divided channel lookup tables. The channeling tables can be separated based on the category of the service, client or user, and / or UNI 402. Thus, in some modalities, in a VPN, a client or user can have an individual channeling table that contains the information IP network address of the client. In some embodiments, since the DLCI identifies the source of a frame, the DLCI can be used as an index by an IP switch, network router, and / or UNI to determine which channel table to use. This allows customers to have their routing table dimensioned and governed or controlled in speed by their individual address space, in order to accelerate the process of channeling considerably. The use of separate routing tables also provides an additional security measure, since the packets can not be misdirected due to errors or updates in the routing information related to other clients. In some embodiments, a router has multiple paired data space images with a single instruction space image of the channeling programming elements. Thus, for example, as packets arrive from client A, the channeling programming elements use the data image for a routing table associated with customer A to make a channeling decision. In additional modalities, a single image of programming elements is used, but additional indexes corresponding to the clients are added to the channeling tables. In still further modalities, instruction execution and data handling are processed separately. This can be done through the use of separate processors, one for instruction execution and the other for data manipulation. Figure 12 illustrates an exemplary WAN 1 having both conventional and IP switches that incorporate aspects of the invention. In this exemplary WAN 1, a routing element 1004 and switch 1003 are connected to Site A of the Client, via frame relay switch 1001. The channeling element 1007 and the switch 1006 are connected to the site B of the client, via the frame relay switch 1009. The channeling element 1012 and the switch 1014 are connected to the site C of the client via the frame relay switch 1016. The channeling element 1013 and the switch 1015 are connected to the site D of the client via the frame relay switch 1017. In this WAN 1 copy, the incoming frames 1000 of the client's site A can be encoded with a DLCI of layer 2 that specifies VPN No. 1 as the destination of layer 2 and a direction of layer 3 pointing to the client's site B. In such a case, the frame relay switch 1001 switches the frames on a main frame relay line 1002 to the switch 10003 having a channeling element 1004 of the layer 3 associated therewith. After the frame is received by the switch 1003, the frame is sent to the channel 1004 which complements a shortcut channel as described above. The channel / switch 1003, 1004 uses the information from layer 2 to discriminate between different clients of the source. Then, the information from layer 2 can be discarded. Next, the information from layer 3 in combination with a channeling table is used to make a channeling decision. In this case, the channeling decision would result in a PDU 1011 of layer 3 being sent to the channel / switch 1006, 1007. Then the PDU 1011 of layer 3 is encapsulated with a box of layer 2, the table in this case is routed to the client's B site. Then, the switch 1006 sends the frame via a main line 1008 to the frame relay switch 1009. At the output port of the frame relay switch 1009, the DLCI of the frame relay frame 1010 is replaced with a value indicating that of the frame from which it originates, in this case, VPN No. 1. Then, the frame The 1010 relay table is delivered to the client's router B. As the service grows, the functionality to make VPN channeling decisions can be migrated closer to the client and may eventually be present in each switching node, as shown in Figure 13. This may reduce the carry-over previously necessary to achieve the channel / switch processing nodes and allow for optimal channeling when using all nodes in WAN 1 and / or SPN 500. In the exemplary embodiment of the figure 13, VPN # 1 is connected to Client Sites A, B, C and D. Here, each switch node includes a switch 1501 and a routing element 1502. The frame relay frames 1500 having a DLCI addressed to the client's site B may be sent from the client's site A. In such a case, frames 1503 would be sent through VPN # 1 via switching nodes 1501, 1502 and frames 1504 would be received at site B of the client. In some modalities, a central ATM network can be used for data transport, and frame relay interfaces can be used to interconnect with the client. An exemplary embodiment using a central ATM network is shown in Figure 14. In this embodiment, the 2003 switch and the 2004 router are connected to the customer site A, via the switch 2000 and a 2001 frame relay conversion unit. / ATM. The switch 2019 and the changer 2018 are connected to the customer's site B via the switch 2005 and the 2G '^ unit or frame relay / ATM conversion. The 2012 switch and the 2010 channel are connected to the client's C site, via the 2015 switch and the 2014 ATM relay conversion unit. The 2013 switch and the 2011 channel are connected to the client's D site via the 2016 switch and the 2017 table / ATM relay conversion unit. Suppose that the client's site A sends 2020 tables destined to the customer's site B, the incoming layer 2 boxes can be encapsulated for transport in ATM cells in the 2000 switch according to, for example, the Network Intertwork standard Such encapsulation can be presented, for example, in the conversion unit 2001, external to the ATM switch 2000. The ATM cells 2002 can be sent to an ATM PVC, designated for the processing of VPN # 1. Then, ATM 2002 cells can be sent to the 2003 switch and channel / switch 2004 (which can be attached to the 2003 switch), where the ATM cells can be reassembled to obtain the information of the layer 3 package for its channeling in the VPN # 1. Once the address information has been extracted from the layer 3 packet, the packet can be segmented again into ATM cells 2009 that can be transferred through the network. After being sent through channel / switch 2018, 2019, the ATM cells 2008 can be converted from checkered cells into the external conversion unit 2006 and the switch 2005. Then, the site B of the client receives the frames 2021 of relief of the box. Thus, an extra segmentation and reassembly (SAR) cycle may be required when using an ATM structure with a core of switches / routers. However, if the VPN processing is pushed out to the edge switches, the extra SAR cycle can be eliminated. The extra SAR cycle can be eliminated because the conversion of frame relay frames to ATM cells can be carried out in the same unit where the VPN routing decisions are made. Traffic management can be configured differently in WAN 1 and / or SPN 500. For example, from a customer's point of view, WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 can ensure certain traffic speeds for the customer. In a network, data traffic can be sent from multiple sources to a single destination (ultipunto a punto). A source is defined as the user's transmission side of, for example, a UNI (that is, the client side of a UNI, which may be external to a WAN and / or a VPN), a switch, a switch of IP and / or a channel on or near the edge of a network. A destination is defined as the user receiving side of for example, a UNI (that is, the network side of an UNI), a switch, an IP switch and / or a router at or near the edge of a network . The traffic that is offered for transmission by a source to WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 is defined as the traffic offered. In addition, an AVPN source and an AVPN destination are a source and destination respectively belonging to a given VPN source. A given UNI, if it is sent and received simultaneously, can simultaneously be a source and a destination. In addition, a given source can offer data traffic to multiple destinations and a given destination can receive traffic from multiple sources. In some embodiments of the invention, a committed delivery speed (CDR) can be assigned to each destination. The CDR is defined as the average number of bits per second that the WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 is committed to deliver to a given destination, where the average can be calculated in a fixed or variable window or time slot. Although the average word will be used throughout the document, any other similar algorithm can be used, such as the mean, the sum or any other useful statistical measure and / or calculation. If the aggregate offered traffic average speed, this is the total offered traffic) from one or more sources to a given destination is greater than or equal to an assigned CDR of the given destination, then WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 can guarantee to deliver the traffic routed to the destination at an average speed equal to or greater than the CDR. If the average speed of aggregate offered traffic is less than the CDR, then the WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 can deliver the traffic offered to the destination at the speed of the offered offered traffic (100% of the offered traffic). To clarify, be the number of active sources that send traffic to a particular destination N. As will be described in more detail later herein, a source can be considered active during a given space or window of time, if the source offers so minus a threshold traffic amount to WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 in the given time slot. Let S ± the average offered traffic speed or offered speed of each source i to a single given destination, where i = [1, ..., N]. Also, let R be the total speed at which the WA? 1 and / or SP? 500 actually delivers traffic to the destination. So, the WA? 1 and / or SP? 500 will stipulate that: R >; CDR yes? Yes = CD R =? If f otherwise If the traffic speed offered added 3S? does not exceed the CDR, then 100% of the traffic offered from each source i can be delivered through the WA? 1 and / or SP? 500 to the destination. However, when the offered traffic speed added 3Si exceeds the CRD, the WA? 1 y / 0 SP? 500 may have the discretion to narrow or reduce the delivery speed of the offered traffic of some or all active sources. The delivery can be reduced by an amount such that the total speed of delivery of traffic R to a destination is at least equal to the assigned CDR of the destination. In the situation where R is reduced by the network, it may be desirable to impose just for each source. In other words, it may be desirable to ensure that no individual source is allowed to be deep to obtain a disproportionate amount of network bandwidth at the expense of the other sources. To provide fair access to WAN 1 and / or SPN 500, in some modes, each source is assigned at least a portion of target speed (DRS). A DRS is a ratio, measured in units of data per unit of time (for example, bits per second). A separate DRS and / or DRS set can be assigned to each source and / or group of sources. In addition, the DRS or DRS for a given source may depend on the destination or destination pools to which the source can send traffic. In other words, each source i can be assigned to at least one DRSi corresponding to the DRS allocated between a source i and a given destination (or destination set). Thus, in some modalities, the DRS may be different for a given source depending on which destination traffic is sent to. In additional modalities, the DRS for a given source can be constant, regardless of the destination. When a source i offers traffic at an average speed If it exceeds the CDR of a particular destination, the quality of fair can be obtained by ensuring that each source is allowed to transmit at least its fair share of the CDR. A source, a fair portion of the CRD destination is defined as the DRS of the source divided by the aggregate DRS of the active sources that transmit to a given destination. Thus, each fair portion of the active source, r r of the CDR can be defined as the following: DRSi r¡. CD? DRSi The actual network transmission speed, Ti that the WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 chooses as guaranteed guaranteed traffic to be delivered from each source to a given destination, can satisfy the following: when? Si = CDR You > Thus, in these modalities the WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 can impose the quality of just by reducing the transmission speed T ± of the real network of one or more sources, at most of YES. ensure that each source gets its fair share of the CDR. In some embodiments, to obtain a speed of at least CDR, the WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 may at its discretion transmit traffic from a given source or active sources, at a rate greater than ri. In effect, the WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 can, at its discretion, transmit data from a source i at any speed between and including the r rate of fair portion and the speed S offered fully. If Si is greater than T¿, a source can be considered by WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 as a non-conforming source. The conformation of a source can be calculated by using a standard leakage-bin algorithm with variable drain velocity. Thus, the conformant depth of a cube would be DRSAW. In other words, the maximum number of bits that will be sent to the network in a given time slot of length W is equal to DRSAW. For a given period of time of length W, the drain velocity of the cube is equal to T ± which is calculated during the previous space of time. Thus, the data packets inserted earlier the conformal cube depth can be referred to as unshaped. In other words, for a given period of time, data packets in excess of the number of bits DRSi * íV can be referred to as unformatted data packets. In such a situation, some or all of the source data packets, equal to the difference between Si and Ti, may be referred to as unformatted data packets and some or all of the unshaped data packets may be abandoned. This does not mean that the data can not be of an oscillating nature or variant of speed. Although exemplary embodiments have been described that are put into operation using average speeds, the real-time speeds may vary within a given time span of length W. Thus, a certain amount of data swings is permissible. This maximum wobble size is the maximum number of bits that the WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 guarantees to transfer over a period of time W. In additional embodiments of the invention, the WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 can provide congestion notification of shipment to a destination. For example, WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 may provide a binary indication of layer 2 that the CDR is exceeded by using the Relay Explicit Advance Congestion Notification (FECN) bit and / or a message from the layer 3 indicating an unconformed source and optionally containing speed information for that source (e.g., the actual transmitted speed of T ± and / or the excess speed S-Ti). In addition, in some modalities, multiple non-conforming fonts can be listed, even within a single message. In these modes of forward congestion notification, the conformation can be measured on the network side of a destination. In some embodiments, a forward congestion notification may be provided to a given destination when the offered speed S of an active source offers to send the traffic to the destination exceeds the actual network transmission speed Ti for the source. Unconformed packets that can not be transmitted at the source port of a source can be left with or without any indication to the source or destination. To measure the conformation of a source, the amount of excess bandwidth available to the sources for transmission to the destination must be determined. To calculate the excess bandwidth, let Wj be the jth time space. The excess bandwidth over the just portion bandwidth can be calculated as E = CDR- min (n, Si) -MB i where M is defined as the number of possible sources of which a destination can receive traffic and where B is defined as a predetermined reference speed. The introduction of the reference speed B effectively reserves the network bandwidth for an inactive source, to ensure that a previously inactive source that becomes active can send at least some traffic through the network during the period Wj. Specifically, the WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 can ensure that each source Ti is guaranteed to be at least at a minimum reference speed B. In this situation, a source is considered active during W-without more than B * W3 data units (for example, bits) are received during Wj. It is desirable to define that B is relatively small compared to Yes to retain as much bandwidth in excess as possible and still large enough to ensure network availability to a non-active source (non-forwarded source with respect to a given destination) that can be subsequently activated with respect to a given destination. In some embodiments B may be of a predetermined speed. In additional modalities, B may vary over time, with the number of inactive sources, with the number of active sources and / or with the total number of sources. In still further embodiments, B for a source may depend on a priority classification assigned to the source. In still further embodiments, when a previously inactive source becomes active, the priority assigned to the source may depend on the content of the data (e.g., data loading, DLCI and / or address) offered to be sent. Thus, B may not be the same for each source. Once the excess bandwidth is determined, the actual network transmission rates, maximum Ti conformances, can be calculated. To accomplish this, Ti for each source must first be set by default to the minimum (ri r Si). Then, the excess bandwidth, E, can be distributed among some or all of the sources that are actively transmitting to the given destination, to adjust or raise T¿ for these sources. In some modes, the excess bandwidth can be evenly distributed among some or all of the active sources. In the additional modalities, the excess bandwidth can be distributed among these sources according to the priority of the source, data priority and / or DLCI. In additional modalities, the WAN 1 and / or SPN 500 may provide back congestion notification to an unconformed source. Such notification may be in the form of a message of layer 2 and / or layer 3 indicating a destination (s) for which (s) the source is not exceeding Ti and / or information of speed for the unconformed source (for example, the actual transmitted speed Ti and / or the excess speed Si-Ti). However, a layer 2 notification may not by itself be preferable, since a source receiving only a layer 2 notification may not have the ability to distinguish between destinations to which the source is conformed and those for which the source is conformed. which does not conform. In some embodiments, a backward congestion notification can be provided to a given active source, when the offered speed if the source exceeds the actual network transmission speed T ± for the source. In additional modalities, a user in an unconformed source may be notified of congestion information, the CDR, DRSi, A and / or TÍ. In still further modalities, it may depend on a user, to decide how to act on a congestion notification. In still further modalities, a source may reduce its offered speed, if in response to receiving a back congestion notification. In these modalities of notification of backward congestion, the conformation can be implemented on the network side of the UNI source. In such modalities, a feedback concerning the delivery speed of the destination may be required from the destination. The feedback may also contain information regarding the speed portion of the active sources at the destination and / or the CDR divided by the aggregate speed. While exemplary systems and methods comprising the present invention are shown by way of example, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not limited to these embodiments. Modifications can be made by those skilled in the art, in particular in light of the above teachings. For example, each of the elements of the aforementioned modalities can be used alone or in combination with elements of the other modalities. Additionally, although an interlaced network is shown in the examples, the inventions defined by the appended claims are not necessarily limited in this way. In addition, the IP switch can convert from any protocol similar to higher level IP to any such protocol of fast packets and is not necessarily limited to the ATM / IP example provided above. In addition, examples of steps that can be carried out in the implementation of the various aspects of the invention are described in conjunction with the example of an illustrated physical embodiment such as in Figure 5. However, the steps to implement the method of the invention are not limited thereto. Additionally, although the examples have been derived by using the IP protocol for three layers, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that any version of IP or IPX can be used as the three-layer encapsable protocol. Furthermore, it will be understood that while some examples of implementations are discussed above with respect to IP and ATM protocols, the invention is not intended to be limited only to the same and other protocols that are compatible with aspects of the invention may also be used. .

It is noted that, with regard to this date, the best method known to the applicant, to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention. Having described the invention as above, property is claimed as contained in the following:

Claims (52)

1. Claims 1. A method, in a fast packet network, characterized in that it comprises the step of driving, according to a delivery speed compromised at least one of a plurality of real network transmission speeds, for at least one of a plurality of active sources, the committed delivery speed is associated with a destination.
2. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it also includes the step of averaging at least one of a plurality of offered speeds of at least one of the active sources in a period of time.
3. 3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that it also includes the step of defining a length of the time space in such a way that it is variable.
4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the manipulation or handling step includes the step of controlling a total delivery speed of the destination according to the committed delivery speed and a plurality of speeds offered from a first group of the plurality of active sources, the active sources in the first group offer to send a plurality of data packets to the destination in such a way that: R > CDR yes? YES = CD R =? Sl_t. otherwise
5. 5. The method in accordance with the claim 4, characterized in that the handling or handling step further includes the step of identifying at least one of the plurality of data packets that are or are not conformed when a sum of the offered speeds of the first group of active sources is greater than the delivery speed compromised.
6. 6. The method of compliance with the claim 5, characterized in that the handling step further includes the step of abandoning at least one of the identified data packets.
7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it also includes the step of assigning a speed portion of the destination to each of a first group of the active sources, the first group of active sources offers to send a plurality of packets of data to the destination.
8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the assignment step includes the step of assigning the destination speed portion according to a destination identity.
9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the handling step includes the step of handling or manipulating according to the target rate portions of the first group of active sources, a real network transmission speed for minus one of the active sources in the first group of active sources.
10. 10. The method of compliance with the claim 9, characterized in that the handling or handling step further includes the step of determining a fair portion rate for at least one of the active sources in the first group of active sources according to the portion of the target speed of the less an active source and the delivery speed compromised in such a way that: rL = = DRSi C_D? DRSi i
11. 11. The method in accordance with the claim 10-, characterized in that the handling or manipulation step also includes the step of adjusting the real network transmission speed, for at least one of the active sources in the first group of active sources according to the offered speed of the at least one active source, the fair portion rate of the at least one active source and the committed delivery speed such that: when? Si = CDR You > min faith, Yes)
12. 12. The method in accordance with the claim 11, characterized in that the handling or handling step further includes the step of identifying at least one of the data packets as non-conforming or non-conforming when the sum of the offered rates of the first group of active sources is greater than the speed of committed delivery.
13. 13. The method according to the claim 12, characterized in that the handling or handling step further includes the step of abandoning at least one of the identified data packets.
14. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it further includes the step of reserving a first portion of the network bandwidth for a first inactive source sufficient to allow the first inactive source to begin sending data packets through the network at a speed at least equal to a first reference speed.
15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that it also includes the step of determining the first reference speed according to a total number of inactive sources.
16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that it further includes the step of determining the first reference speed according to a first priority classification of the first inactive source.
17. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the handling or handling step includes the step of notifying at least one of the active sources of the network congestion by providing a backward congestion notification to the at least one an active source when a offered speed of the at least one active source exceeds the actual network transmission speed for the at least one active source.
18. 18. The method of compliance with the claim 17, characterized in that the notification step of the at least one active source includes the step of providing a backward congestion notification of the layer 2 to the at least one active source.
19. 19. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that the notification step of the at least one active source includes the step of providing a backward congestion notification of the layer 3 to the at least one active source.
20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that the notification stage of the at least one active source further includes the step of providing information representing a destination identity, the at least one active source offers to send a plurality of data packets to the destination.
21. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that the notification step of the at least one active source further includes the step of providing information representing the actual network transmission speed of the at least one active source.
22. 22. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that it further includes the step of reducing the offered speed of the at least one active source in response to the backward congestion notification.
23. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the handling or handling step includes the step of notifying the destination of the network congestion by providing a forward congestion notification to the destination when a offered speed of at least one of the active sources exceeds the actual network transmission speed for the at least one active source, the at least one active source offers to send a plurality of data packets to the destination.
24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that the destination notification stage includes the step of providing a progress congestion notification of the layer 2.
25. 25. The method according to the claim 23, characterized in that the destination notification stage includes the step of providing a progress congestion notification of layer 3.
26. 26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that the destination notification stage also includes the stage to provide information that represents an identity of the first active source.
27. 27. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that the destination notification stage further includes the step of providing the information representing the averaged offered speed of the at least one active source and the actual network transmission rate for the at least one active source.
28. 28. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the manipulation step further includes the step of distributing an excess network bandwidth between at least two of the active sources.
29. 29. The method according to claim 28, characterized in that the manipulation step further includes the step of determining the excess bandwidth of the network according to the committed data rate, the fair portion speeds, the offered speeds, a reference speed and a total number of sources capable of sending data to the destination, such that: E = CDR- ^ min faith, S¿) -MB.
30. 30. The method according to claim 28, characterized in that it also includes the step of determining a conformant and maximum real network transmission speed for the at least one of the active sources according to a quantity of network bandwidth in excess that is distributed to the at least one active source.
31. 31. A method, in a fast packet network, characterized in that it comprises the step of handling or handling according to a plurality of destination rate portions, at least one of a plurality of real network transmission rates for minus one of a plurality of active sources, each target rate portion is associated with one of the active sources.
32. 32. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that it further includes the step of assigning at least one of the destination velocity portions according to an identity of a destination.
33. 33. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that it further includes the step of averaging at least one of a plurality of offered speeds of at least one of the active sources in a period of time.
34. 34. The method according to claim 33, characterized in that it also includes the step of defining a length of the time space in such a way that it is variable.
35. 35. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that the handling or handling step includes the step of determining a fair portion rate for at least one of the active sources in a first group of the plurality of active sources according to to the target rate portion of the at least one active source in the first group and a committed delivery speed, the active sources in the first group offer to send a plurality of data packets to a destination, such that: DRSi r ± CD? DRSi
36. 36. The method according to claim 35, characterized in that the manipulation step includes the step of adjusting the actual network transmission speed for at least one of the active sources in the first group of active sources according to an offered speed of the at least one active source, the fair portion rate of the at least one active source and the committed delivery speed, such that: when? if > CDR i Ti = min fe, S
37. 37. The method according to claim 36, characterized in that the handling or handling step further includes the step of identifying at least one of the data packets as non-conforming or non-conforming when the sum of the offered speeds is greater than the speed of committed delivery.
38. 38. The method of compliance with the claim 37, characterized in that the handling or handling step further includes the step of abandoning at least one of the identified data packets.
39. 39. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that it further includes the step of reserving a first portion of the network bandwidth for a first inactive source sufficient to allow the first inactive source to start sending data packets through the network at a speed at least equal to a first reference speed.
40. 40. The method according to claim 39, characterized in that it also includes the step of determining the first reference speed according to a total number of inactive sources.
41. 41. The method according to claim 39, characterized in that it further includes the step of determining the first reference speed according to a first priority classification of the first inactive source.
42. 42. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that the step of swapping or manipulation includes the step of notifying at least one of the active sources of the network congestion by providing a backward congestion notification to the at least one an active source when a offered speed of the at least one active source exceeds the actual network transmission speed for the at least one active source.
43. 43. The method according to claim 42, characterized in that the notification step of the at least one active source includes the step of providing a backward congestion notification of the layer 2 to the at least one active source.
44. 44. The method according to claim 42, characterized in that the notification step of the at least one active source includes the step of providing a backward congestion notification of the layer 3 to the at least one active source.
45. 45. The method according to claim 44, characterized in that the notification stage of the at least one active source further includes the step of providing information representing an identity of a destination, the at least one active source offers to send a plurality of data packets to the destination.
46. 46. The method according to claim 44, characterized in that the notification step of the at least one active source further includes the step of providing information representing the actual network transmission speed of the at least one active source.
47. 47. The method according to claim 42, characterized in that it further includes the step of reducing the offered speed of the at least one active source in response to the backward congestion notification.
48. 48. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that the handling or handling step includes the step of notifying a network congestion by providing a forward congestion notification to the destination when a offered speed of the at least one of the Active sources exceed the actual network transmission speed for the at least one active source, the at least one active source offers to send a plurality of data packets to the destination.
49. 49. The method according to claim 48, characterized in that the destination notification stage includes the step of providing a progress congestion notification of the layer 2.
50. 50. The method according to claim 48, characterized in that the step Notification of destination includes the stage of providing an advance congestion notification of layer 3.
51. 51. The method of compliance with the claim 50, characterized in that the destination notification stage further includes the step of providing information representing an identity of the first active source.
52. 52. The method according to claim 50, characterized in that the destination notification stage further includes the step of providing the information representing the averaged offered speed of the at least one active source and the actual network transmission rate for the at least one active source.