CN100388714C - Method and system for inter-domain negotiation of end-to-end quality of service using hybrid paths - Google Patents

Abstract

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an end-to-end inter-domain negotiation method, system and equipment for service quality, to configure network elements in the access network that are directly connected to the external network and are responsible for transmitting data media to the external network, Make it have the function of QoS negotiation with the external network resource controller, as the resource negotiation initiation point (RNIP); When managing resources on the local network, RNIP obtains the information required for negotiation and the addressing information of the resource controller of the selected external network, encapsulates it into a bearer resource request message that the resource controller can identify the protocol, and then sends it to the resource on the external network controller, and receive the response message from the resource controller. The invention not only utilizes part of the path of the data medium, but also negotiates with the resource controller of the external network, and integrates the advantages of the OFF-PATH mode and the ON-PATH mode.

Description

Method and system for inter-domain negotiation of end-to-end quality of service using hybrid paths

technical field

The present invention relates to the service quality guarantee of the third generation mobile communication system, more specifically, relates to the core network side end-to-end service quality guarantee and inter-domain negotiation method and system.

Background technique

The technology involved in the present invention is based on the following two technical foundations: intra-domain and inter-domain end-to-end QoS guarantee systems. QoS (Quality of Service, Quality of Service) is an indicator used to measure the resource requirements of services such as bandwidth and delay.

End-to-end service quality assurance system within the domain: the domain here includes the GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) packet domain, or the IP network such as GPRS as the access network and the IMS (IP Media Streaming Subsystem) network, PSTN Network scope for network interactions. The QoS guarantee system completes resource guarantee through policy decision and policy execution in such a domain to meet the quality requirements such as bandwidth and delay required by the business.

Referring to Figure 1, each domain includes an IP media streaming subsystem (IMS) and an IP access network, and includes the following modules related to QoS guarantee in the domain:

AF: Application Function, application layer function, responsible for application layer session negotiation and establishment.

PDF: Policy Decision Function, policy decision function, formulate policies according to session type and contract information.

PEP: Policy Enforcement Point, policy enforcement point, accepts policy information from PDF and applies it to the media data flow corresponding to the session, so as to achieve the purpose of reserving resources for the data flow and achieving the required quality of service.

SBLP: Service based Local Policy, business-based local policy. Formulated by PDF and sent to PEP for execution. Contains QoS parameters, service-related information, billing policies, and other information.

The other is the inter-domain end-to-end service quality assurance system: when the networks at both ends of a session are located in two domains and the two domains have no direct physical connection, one or more intermediate backbone networks (relative to These two domains are also called external networks).

In this case, how to apply the policy to the intermediate backbone network to ensure the resources on the entire path is the content of the system. Several different methods are provided in the prior art to complete the inter-domain policy negotiation, mainly Including two kinds: OFF-PATH mode (offline mode) and ON-PATH mode (online mode).

The network architecture in OFF-PATH mode is shown in Figure 1. The system includes two domains connected through an external backbone IP network. A resource controller is set in the external network for resource management and allocation. The characteristics of this architecture are: PDF is connected to the resource controller of the external network through a gateway to complete the interaction and negotiation of the signaling decision-making layer, and the signaling and data are separated into two channels.

The corresponding process is shown in Figure 2, including the following steps:

Step 110, the policy enforcement point PEP sends a policy decision request message to the policy decision point PDF;

Step 120, the authorization token generated by PDF enables it to identify the status of authorization, if the previous interaction does not contain business information, PDF will send an authorization request to AF (application layer);

Step 130, AF returns an authorization response message to PDF, carrying business information;

Step 140, based on the information in the above response, if the QoS resources required by the AF session are consistent with the policy rules formulated by the operator in the PDF, the PDF will authorize the resources required for this session, and establish an IP bearer layer policy in its inter-domain database;

Step 150, the PDF sends a bearer resource request message to the external network resource controller via the Gu interface, and the request contains service information;

Step 160, the external network resource controller returns to the PDF a response message with the bearer resource negotiation result;

Step 170, if the negotiation is successful, the PDF sends a policy decision message (DEC message) to the PEP;

In step 180, after the PEP is executed, it sends a policy execution report message (RPT message) to the PDF, responding to whether the execution of the decision is successful, and completing the establishment of the bearer.

OFF-PATH mode has the following problems:

1) Between the PDF interface and the resource controller of the external network, it is necessary to set up an independent signaling network based on IP to negotiate the resources of the external network required. The construction of this network is a rather large project.

2) PDF needs to expand its own functions separately for OFF-PATH mode, such as configuring all external network resource manager information and corresponding routing.

3) PDF needs to know which external networks are directly connected to PEP, so that PDF can know which external networks to negotiate with. Different PEPs may be directly connected to different external networks. Therefore, PDF needs to maintain different external network information for different PEPs, such as the address of the resource controller and its routing.

4) Because the processes of ON-PATH and OFF-PATH are different on the PDF side, PDF needs to determine which negotiation mode to choose before negotiation. However, which network element is to determine and how to determine is still a question that has no clear answer.

The existing network architecture in ON-PATH mode is shown in Figure 3. In ON-PATH mode, no resource controller is set in the external network, and inter-domain resource negotiation is performed by PEP or GGSN (GPRS support node gateway) to the external network. The network element transmitting the data medium initiates to the edge router of the external network, and the signaling generation path is equal to the path passed by the data medium. At present, the main QoS negotiation signaling and negotiation methods include using RSVP series protocols, MPLS-TE protocols and feedback negotiation methods.

The main advantage of the ON-PATH mode is that there is no need to establish a signaling network, and the path of the media data flow has been guaranteed by the QoS signaling, with a high guarantee factor. But there are also some problems, such as requiring all routers in the path to support negotiation protocols, such as the RSVP protocol.

In addition, for an IP access network without PDF and PEP functions, how to negotiate the end-to-end service quality with the resource controller of the external network for the gateway accessing the external network, such as the GGSN in the GPRS packet domain, is currently There is no solution proposed in the technology.

Contents of the invention

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an end-to-end quality of service inter-domain negotiation method, system and equipment, that is, it can use part of the path of the data media, and can complete the domain of quality of service with the external network resource controller Negotiate between.

The basic idea of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is to configure the network elements in the access network that are directly connected to the external network and are responsible for transmitting data media to the external network, so that they have the function of QoS negotiation with the external network resource controller. The present invention refers to these network elements as resource negotiation initiation points (RNIP, RESOURCENEGOTIATION INITIATING POINT). For example, in the case of PDF in the domain, RNIP is equivalent to PEP; in the case of UMTS network and no PDF in the domain, RNIP is equivalent to GGSN (the GGSN mentioned in the text refers to the GGSN without PEP function) or other IP interface The gateway for accessing the external network in the inbound network.

After the configuration is complete, when there is a service in the domain that requires the guarantee of external backbone network resources, and the external network manages the local network resources through the resource controller, RNIP initiates a bearer resource request to the external network resource controller, which is determined by negotiation between the two parties. Whether the data flow can obtain access permission on the external network. In this way, part of the path of the data medium is used, and it is also negotiated with the resource controller of the external network, so it is called a mixed path. The method of the present invention combines some advantages of the OFF-PATH mode and the ON-PATH mode, and the negotiation mode is also referred to as a hybrid-path mode (Hybrid-PATH mode) hereinafter.

Based on the above idea, the present invention provides an inter-domain negotiation method of end-to-end quality of service using hybrid paths. The external network is provided with a resource controller, and the method includes the following steps:

(a) On the network element directly connected to the resource controller in the access network of the domain and responsible for media data transmission, configure the routing information of the external network and the addressing information of the resource controller, and realize the The module of the inter-domain negotiation function of the hybrid path mode between the element and the external network resource controller, making the network element the resource negotiation initiation point;

(b) The resource negotiation initiator judges that there is a service in its domain that requires the guarantee of external network resources, and after obtaining the information of the service including the target address and the required quality of service, it determines an external network that needs to pass through ;

(c) The resource negotiation initiation point obtains the addressing information of the external network resource controller, encapsulates it together with the service information including the required quality of service information into a bearer resource request message of a protocol identifiable by the resource controller, and then sends to the resource controller;

(d) After receiving the request, the resource controller of the external network performs admission control and resource allocation, and then sends a response message to the resource negotiation initiation point, including information with the negotiation result;

(e) The resource negotiation initiator obtains the result of the inter-domain QoS negotiation according to the response message.

Further, the above-mentioned inter-domain negotiation method may also have the following characteristics: the resource negotiation initiation point is a policy enforcement point in the access network, and in step (b), it obtains the information containing the target from the policy decision message sent by the policy decision function Business information including address and required quality of service, initiates a negotiation with the resource controller, and in step (e), if the negotiation is successful, the policy execution point executes the policy decision and returns execution to the policy decision function module Report.

Further, the above-mentioned inter-domain negotiation method may also have the following characteristics: the starting point of the resource negotiation is the support node gateway in the general packet radio service packet domain, and in step (b), it serves the packet sent by the support node from the packet domain In the data protocol context request message, obtain the business information including the target address and the required quality of service, initiate a negotiation with the resource controller, and if the negotiation is successful in step (e), the support node gateway sends the service support node Return a successful response.

Further, the above-mentioned inter-domain negotiation method may also have the following characteristics: in the step (a), a standard Gw interface is also configured between the resource negotiation initiation point and the resource controller of the directly connected external network, so The messages exchanged between the resource negotiation initiation point and the resource controller all adopt the protocol messages stipulated in the standard interface.

Further, the above-mentioned inter-domain negotiation method may also have the following characteristics: the Gw interface adopts the COPS protocol or the DIAMETER protocol.

Further, the above-mentioned inter-domain negotiation method may also have the following characteristics: the external network has multiple and adopts at least two negotiation modes initiated from or via resource negotiation points, and at the same time:

In step (a), the network selection policy and the negotiation mode supported by the external network are also configured on the resource negotiation initiation point, and a function module for selecting the external network is added;

In step (b), the resource negotiation point selects an external network that needs to pass through in combination with the local route, the negotiation mode supported by the external network and the network selection strategy according to the target IP address, and after step (b) include:

Step (b1), the resource negotiation point judges the negotiation mode supported by the selected external network, if it is a hybrid path mode, execute step (c), otherwise, process according to the procedures specified in the respective negotiation modes, and end.

Further, the above-mentioned inter-domain negotiation method can also have the following characteristics: when selecting an external network in step (b), the traffic information of the external network entrance is also used as a factor in the decision, and when other conditions are the same, the external network with less fluency is preferred. network.

Further, the above-mentioned inter-domain negotiation method may also have the following characteristics: in the step (e), after the resource negotiation initiating point receives the response message of negotiation failure, when the condition for continuing network selection specified in the local policy is met, the Select a network and return to step (c).

Further, the above-mentioned inter-domain negotiation method may also have the following characteristics: the configuration negotiation mode on the external network includes a hybrid path mode and an online mode.

Based on the above idea, the present invention also provides a system for inter-domain negotiation of end-to-end quality of service that can adopt the hybrid path mode, including the networks at both ends of the session, and the external network that connects the two domains where the two networks are separated. Network, at least one external network is equipped with a resource controller and adopts a hybrid path negotiation mode, and the access network that initiates the session has a network element directly connected to the resource controller and responsible for media data transmission, characterized in that :

The network element is also configured with functional units required for inter-domain service quality negotiation, as a resource negotiation initiation point, the resource negotiation initiation point includes an information configuration unit, a hybrid path mode negotiation request initiation unit, and a negotiation processing unit, wherein;

The routing information of the external network and the addressing information of the resource controller of the external network are configured in the information configuration unit;

The negotiation request initiating unit of the hybrid path mode is used to obtain service information required for QoS negotiation including target address and required QoS, and addressing information of the selected external network resource controller, and organize these information into sending the bearer resource request message to the resource controller of the selected external network;

The negotiation processing unit of the hybrid path mode is used for receiving the bearer resource request response from the external network resource controller, and obtaining the result of inter-domain service quality negotiation.

Further, the above-mentioned system may also have the following features: the resource negotiation initiation point is a policy enforcement point in the access network, and the negotiation processing unit of the hybrid path mode in the policy enforcement point is also used to execute The policy is decided and an execution report is returned to the corresponding policy decision function module.

Further, the above system may also have the following features: the resource negotiation initiation point is a support node gateway in the packet radio service packet domain, and the negotiation processing unit of the hybrid path mode in the gateway is also used to send The corresponding service support node returns a successful response.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned system may also have the following features: both the resource negotiation initiation point and the resource controller are configured with a standard Gw interface for realizing the interaction of signaling messages between the two.

Further, the above-mentioned system may also have the following characteristics: some of the external networks support other negotiation modes initiated from or via the resource negotiation point other than the hybrid path mode, and the resource negotiation initiation point is also configured with an external network and a negotiation mode. A mode selection unit, a negotiation request sending unit for other modes, and a negotiation processing unit, wherein:

The information configuration unit is also configured with network selection policy, negotiation mode and/or protocol information supported by the external network;

The external network and negotiation mode selection unit is used to select a network that can guarantee business service quality according to the negotiation mode, routing information and network selection strategy supported by the external network before sending the negotiation request;

The negotiation request initiating unit and negotiation processing unit in other modes are used to initiate inter-domain negotiation with the external network in the manner prescribed by their respective modes, and process the received bearer resource request response.

Further, the above system may also have the following features: the other modes include an online mode.

Based on the above concept, the present invention further provides a device for inter-domain negotiation of end-to-end quality of service in a hybrid path mode, the device is a network element in an access network that is directly connected to an external network and is responsible for media data transmission, It is characterized in that: the device is also equipped with functional units required for inter-domain service quality negotiation, including an information configuration unit, a negotiation request initiation unit for a hybrid path mode, and a negotiation processing unit, wherein;

The routing information of the external network and the addressing information of the resource controller of the external network are configured in the information configuration unit;

The negotiation request initiating unit of the hybrid path mode is used to obtain service information required for QoS negotiation including target address and required QoS, and addressing information of the selected external network resource controller, and organize these information into sending the bearer resource request message to the resource controller of the selected external network;

The negotiation processing unit of the hybrid path mode is used for receiving the bearer resource request response from the external network resource controller, and obtaining the result of inter-domain service quality negotiation.

Further, the above-mentioned device for implementing inter-domain negotiation of end-to-end quality of service may have the following characteristics: the device is a policy enforcement point in the access network, and the negotiation processing unit in the hybrid path mode is also used to determine whether the negotiation is successful After that, execute the policy decision and return the execution report to the corresponding policy decision function module.

Further, the above-mentioned device for implementing inter-domain negotiation of end-to-end service quality may have the following characteristics: the device is a support node gateway in the packet radio service packet domain, and the negotiation processing unit of the hybrid path mode is also used for judging After the negotiation is successful, a success response is returned to the corresponding service support node.

Further, the above-mentioned device for implementing inter-domain negotiation of end-to-end service quality may have the following characteristics: the device is also configured with a standard Gw interface, which is used to realize the exchange of signaling messages between the two.

Further, the above-mentioned device for implementing inter-domain negotiation of end-to-end service quality may have the following characteristics: the device is also configured with an external network and a negotiation mode selection unit, and other negotiation requests for modes initiated from or via the resource negotiation point A sending unit and a negotiation processing unit, wherein:

The information configuration unit is also configured with network selection policy, negotiation mode and/or protocol information supported by the external network;

The external network and negotiation mode selection unit is used to select a network that can guarantee business service quality according to the negotiation mode, routing information and network selection strategy supported by the external network before sending the negotiation request;

The negotiation request initiating unit and negotiation processing unit in other modes are used to initiate inter-domain negotiation with the external network in the manner prescribed by their respective modes, and process the received bearer resource request response.

Further, the above-mentioned device for implementing inter-domain negotiation of end-to-end quality of service may have the following characteristics: the other modes include an online mode.

Further, the above-mentioned device for implementing inter-domain negotiation of end-to-end service quality may have the following characteristics: the negotiation processing unit is also configured to continue network selection according to the network selection policy after judging that the negotiation fails. Select another network to initiate a new negotiation when the conditions are met, and then fail when the conditions are not met.

It can be seen from the above that the present invention adopts the hybrid path mode to realize the inter-domain negotiation method. Since the resource request is initiated by the resource negotiation initiation point, the existing network can be fully utilized in the case of PDF decision-making, and PDF and BCF in the OFF-PATH mode are avoided. The establishment of the inter-signaling network, as well as the consistency requirements for the direct connection between PDF and PHP and the external network. PDF only needs to formulate policy decisions and send them to PEP, without any function expansion, and does not need to configure, maintain, or detect any external network information, which is easy to maintain network stability. However, for the case of no PDF decision, the present invention allows the GGSN to initiate resource negotiation based on the hybrid path mode to the external network according to the contracted service quality.

Further, when the resource negotiation initiation point is connected to multiple external networks, the present invention can configure the network and negotiation mode selection function in the resource negotiation initiation point, and can effectively use the resources existing in the resource negotiation initiation point for the case of PDF decision-making. Network traffic information, select a network with less traffic for negotiation, thereby increasing the success of network resource negotiation. The resource negotiation initiator can configure such a selection function because it does not require PDF to initiate negotiation for hybrid path mode and ON-PATH. , and for modes that have no new functional and process requirements for PDF, the hybrid path mode can be easily combined with these modes to achieve negotiation with multiple external networks of different modes. In the case of no PDF decision, GGSN is more conducive to selecting an external network according to the contracted service quality and requesting negotiation.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is a network architecture diagram of inter-domain QoS guarantee in the existing OFF-PATH mode.

Fig. 2 is a flow chart of establishing existing authorized QoS resources and inter-domain bearers in OFF-PATH mode.

Fig. 3 is a network architecture diagram of inter-domain QoS guarantee in the existing ON-PATH mode.

Fig. 4 is a network architecture diagram when the inter-domain negotiation is initiated by the PEP and there is only one external network according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a network architecture diagram when PEP initiates inter-domain negotiation and there are multiple external networks adopting different negotiation modes according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of signaling interaction in the process of establishing an inter-domain bearer according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a network architecture in which GGSN initiates inter-domain negotiation according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of signaling interaction in the process of establishing an inter-domain bearer according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

In the following, the method and system for QoS inter-domain negotiation of the hybrid path mode initiated by the PEP and the hybrid path mode initiated by the GGSN are taken as examples to describe the present invention in detail.

first embodiment

In this embodiment, the inter-domain negotiation is initiated by the PEP and there is only one external network using the hybrid path mode. The network architecture of the system is shown in Figure 4. The networks at both ends of the session are located in two domains connected through the external backbone IP network. The domain that initiates the negotiation has PEP and PDF, and the external backbone IP network has a resource controller.

In order to realize the QoS inter-domain negotiation of the hybrid path mode between the PEP and the external network resource controller, the PEP in this embodiment is configured with the following functional units:

In the information configuration unit, the routing information of the external network has already been configured in the local routing of the PEP. In this embodiment, addressing information such as the resource controller address or network segment of the external network needs to be configured.

The negotiation request initiation unit of the hybrid path mode is used to collect or obtain the necessary information for QoS negotiation, including the required QoS information (here refers to the QoS policy determined by PDF), target IP address, etc., and at the same time, obtain the selected external network (In this embodiment, the PEP is only connected to one external network, and it is enough to just select the external network) The IP address of the resource controller (can be obtained through configuration, domain name resolution, etc.) and organize these information into bearer The resource request message is sent to the resource controller of the selected external network through the Gw interface.

The Gw interface, the Gw interface is a standard interface defined in this embodiment to realize the negotiation between the PEP and the external network resource controller, and protocols such as COPS or DIAMETER may be used.

The negotiation processing unit of the hybrid path mode is used to process the bearer resource request response received from the external network resource controller, that is, for a successful response, execute the policy decision of the PDF, and then send a policy execution report message (RPT message) to the PDF ; For a failed response, perform failure processing.

Correspondingly, the external network resource controller mainly includes the following three related functional units: the local network resource control unit is responsible for the management and allocation of local network resources, and completes the admission control of the external network; the QoS resource negotiation unit is used for receiving For resource requests from other contracted networks, allocate the required resources for them, and finally return a response; and the Gw interface is used to realize the inter-domain negotiation with the PEP in the form of a standard interface. Except for the Gw interface, the other two units are the same as the prior art.

The following will introduce the process of establishing an inter-domain bearer in this embodiment. This process occurs after the IMS session is established, and includes the following steps:

Step 210, the PEP sends a policy decision request message to the PDF;

Step 220, PDF will send authorization request to AF;

Step 230, AF returns an authorization response to PDF, carrying business information;

Step 240, PDF authorizes the resources needed for this session, and establishes an IP bearer layer strategy in its inter-domain database;

These four steps are the same as the prior art process in FIG. 1 , where steps 220 and 230 can be omitted.

Step 250, the PDF sends a policy decision message (DEC message) to the PEP via the Go interface, with service information including the target IP address and the QoS policy in the message;

Step 260, the PEP obtains the above information from the received DEC message, and obtains the resource controller IP address and routing information of the external network that supports the hybrid path mode;

Step 270, the PEP encapsulates information such as the target IP address of the service and the QoS policy into a bearer resource request message of the Gw interface protocol, and sends it to the resource controller of the external network;

Step 280: After receiving the request, the external network resource controller performs admission control and resource allocation, and then returns a bearer resource response message to the PEP through the Gw interface, and the message contains the negotiation result, the confirmed QoS information, and the PEP's ID of the PEP that received the message. IP address and other information;

Step 290, PEP judges whether the negotiation is successful according to the response message, if yes, execute the next step, otherwise, execute step 310;

Step 300, the PEP executes the policy decision of the PDF, then sends a policy execution report message (RPT message) to the PDF, completes the establishment of the bearer, and ends;

Step 310, perform failure processing, and end.

Steps 250-290 are steps directly related to inter-domain negotiation.

It can be seen that adopting the negotiation method of the hybrid path mode in this embodiment has the following advantages:

1) The resource request is initiated by the PEP or the GGSN, not by the policy decision point PDF. In this way, the existing network can be fully utilized, and the establishment of a signaling network between PDF and BCF in OFF-PATH mode is avoided;

2) PDF does not have any function expansion in this mode, so it does not need to configure, maintain and detect any external network information (such as the IP address of the resource controller, corresponding routing, and network traffic congestion, etc.), but only formulate policies decision (SBLP) and sent to PEP. At the same time, it is easy to maintain network stability.

3) In OFF-PATH mode, PDF needs to maintain different directly connected external network information for different PEPs, such as the address of BCF and its routing (see point 3 of the problem with OFF-PATH in Section 2). How to ensure the consistency of direct connection between PDF and PEP and the external network and maintain external network information is a necessary and important issue. This mode uses PEP to send requests, which avoids the guarantee and maintenance requirements of the consistency of this connection.

second embodiment

In this embodiment, the PEP initiates the inter-domain negotiation, and the PEP is directly connected to multiple external networks using different negotiation modes, such as ON-PATH mode and hybrid path mode. The network architecture of the system in this embodiment is shown in Figure 5. The difference from the first embodiment is that the PEP in the domain initiating the negotiation is directly connected to multiple external networks, and some of these external networks use the ON-PATH mode Negotiation, some use hybrid path negotiation, and some can use ON-PATH and hybrid path negotiation. Some can support multiple modes of negotiation, and this embodiment takes the selection of ON-PATH and hybrid path modes as an example.

In order to realize inter-domain negotiation with multiple directly connected external networks, the PEP of this embodiment needs to add three related functional units:

External network and negotiation mode selection unit: used to select a network that is easier to guarantee service QoS for negotiation according to the external network's support for the negotiation mode, routing information, and network selection strategy before sending a negotiation request. Among them, in the configured selection strategy, the ingress traffic status of the connected external network is used as a factor in the judgment. When other conditions are the same, the external network with less fluent flow is preferred. The traffic is determined by the existing traffic detection unit of PEP. to test.

The negotiation request initiation unit in ON-PATH mode is used for initiating inter-domain negotiation with the external network in ON-PATH mode.

The negotiation processing unit of the ON-PATH mode is configured to process the received bearer resource request response in the manner stipulated in the ON-PATH mode.

In addition, the PEP in this embodiment has the negotiation request initiating unit and the Gw interface with the same functions as those in the first embodiment, so the description will not be repeated. The information configuration unit and the negotiation processing unit are different, among which:

In addition to addressing information such as routing information and the address or network segment of the external network resource controller, the information configuration unit is also configured with network selection strategies (such as judgment rules for factors such as operating strategies and network traffic when selecting an external network, continue The conditions to be met for network selection, etc.), the QoS negotiation mode supported by the external network (such as ON-PATH mode, mixed path mode) and protocol (referring to the protocol used in ON-PATH mode, such as RSVP protocol).

The processing of the successful response by the negotiation processing unit is the same as that of the first embodiment, but for the failed response, it will select another network to initiate a new negotiation when the conditions for continuing to select the network are met according to the network selection strategy, and the conditions are not met. Then do failure processing.

The resource controller of the external network using the hybrid path mode in this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment, and also has a local network resource control unit, a QoS resource negotiation unit, and a Gw interface.

When there are multiple external networks directly connected to the PEP, please refer to Figure 6 for the signaling interaction process between the functional modules when the inter-domain bearer is established, and the inter-domain bearer establishment process includes the following steps:

Steps 410-450 are exactly the same as steps 210-250 and will not be repeated;

Step 460, after the PEP obtains the service information including the target IP address and the QoS policy from the received DEC message, according to the QoS negotiation mode supported by the target IP address and the local route, the external network, and the network selection strategy (considering the external network entrance traffic information) select an external network that needs to pass through;

Step 470, the PEP judges the QoS negotiation mode supported by the selected external network, if it is the hybrid path mode, execute the next step, if it is the ON-PATH mode, after processing according to the process of the ON-PATH mode, end;

Here, if the selected external network adopts the ON-PATH mode and the hybrid path mode at the same time, the PEP can select an appropriate negotiation mode according to a locally configured network selection policy (such as an operation policy).

Step 480, PEP obtains the IP address and routing information of the selected external network resource controller, encapsulates its IP address, QoS policy and other business information into a bearer resource request message of the Gw interface protocol, and sends it to the external network's resource controller through the Gw interface. resource controller;

Step 490: After receiving the request, the external network resource controller performs admission control and resource allocation, and returns a bearer resource response message to the PEP through the Gw interface, including the negotiation result, confirmed QoS information, and the IP address of the PEP that received the message, etc. information;

Step 500, PEP judges whether the negotiation is successful according to the response message, if yes, execute the next step, otherwise, execute step 520;

Step 510, the PEP executes the policy decision of the PDF, then sends an RPT message to the PDF, completes the establishment of the bearer, and ends;

In step 520, the PEP judges whether the set continuous network selection condition is satisfied, if yes, selects another external network and returns to step 470, otherwise performs failure processing and ends.

Steps 460-500 are steps directly related to inter-domain negotiation.

It can be seen that the hybrid path mode and ON-PATH proposed by the present invention have no new functional and process requirements for PDF, so it can be easily realized that multiple external networks with different negotiation modes are selected and negotiated. negotiate. In addition, the PEP in this embodiment can select an external network with relatively small traffic for negotiation by detecting the traffic conditions at the entrances of multiple connected external networks, thereby increasing the success of network resource negotiation.

third embodiment

In this embodiment, the GGSN initiates the inter-domain negotiation, and the GGSN is directly connected to multiple external networks using different negotiation modes. The network architecture of the system is shown in Figure 7. PDF is not configured in the GPRS packet domain, and the PEP function is not configured on the GGSN. Therefore, the methods in the first and second embodiments cannot be used, and the GGSN needs to use the subscription information and activation of the user. Parameters (such as target IP address, QoS parameters, etc.) initiate a negotiation request to the external network.

In order to realize the QoS inter-domain negotiation with multiple external networks, an information configuration unit, a Gw interface, a negotiation request initiation unit and a negotiation processing unit in the hybrid path mode need to be set on the GGSN in this embodiment, and a negotiation request initiation unit and a negotiation processing unit in the ON-PATH mode. A negotiation processing unit, an external network and a negotiation mode selection unit. In each unit, only the function of the negotiation processing unit of the hybrid path mode and the ON-PATH mode is different from the second embodiment, that is, after the negotiation succeeds or fails, the GGSN returns a response message to the SGSN (GPRS service support node) instead of the PDF .

The function of the external network resource controller is the same as that of the previous two embodiments.

Refer to Figure 7 for the signaling interaction process between functional modules when the inter-domain bearer is established in this embodiment, and the process of establishing the bearer includes the following steps:

Step 610, the terminal initiates a packet data protocol (PDP: Packet data protocol) activation request, including QoS parameters required by the band service;

Step 620: After receiving the request, the SGSN reviews the request, and if it conforms to the signed QoS standard and other subscription information, initiates a user plane PDP context request message to the GGSN, including QoS parameters required by the service, target IP address, etc. business information;

Step 630, after the GGSN receives the request, it checks the target IP address of the user while establishing the tunnel, and if external network bearer support is required, then according to the negotiation mode supported by the local route and the external network and the network selection strategy (considering the external network entrance traffic information) select an external network that needs to pass through;

Step 640, the GGSN judges the QoS negotiation mode supported by the selected external network, if it is a hybrid path mode, execute the next step, if it is other modes such as ON-PATH, process it according to its respective process, and end;

Step 650, GGSN obtains the IP address and routing information of the selected external network resource controller, and encapsulates the IP address of the resource controller, the QoS parameters carried during activation, and the target IP address and other service information into a bearer resource of the Gw interface protocol The request message is sent to the resource controller of the external network through the Gw interface;

Step 660: After receiving the request, the external network resource controller performs admission control and resource allocation, and returns a bearer resource response message to the GGSN through the Gw interface, including the negotiation result, the confirmed QoS information, and the IP address of the GGSN receiving the message, etc. information;

Step 670, after receiving the response message of the bearer resource, the GGSN judges whether the negotiation is successful, if yes, execute the next step, otherwise, execute step 690;

Step 680, return to the SGSN a response of successfully creating the PDP context, establish a radio access bearer between the terminal and the SGSN, the SGSN returns an activation acceptance to the terminal, and end;

In step 690, the GGSN judges whether the condition for continuing network selection is met. If so, select another external network and return to step 650. Otherwise, the GGSN returns a response to the SGSN that the creation of the PDP context failed, and the bearer establishment fails, and ends.

Steps 630-670 are steps directly related to inter-domain negotiation.

Obviously, when the GGSN is only connected to an external network using the hybrid path mode, the ON-PATH mode negotiation request initiation unit and negotiation processing unit, as well as the external network and negotiation mode selection unit can be removed on the basis of the third embodiment . In addition, the content related to network selection and ON-PATH mode needs to be deleted in the process.

The above examples disclose several specific embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in another embodiment, if the Gw interface is not used between the PEP and the external network resource manager, a protocol conversion subunit needs to be set in the negotiation request initiation unit of the PEP to organize the necessary information for QoS negotiation into The protocol adopted by the external network resource manager is sent again. In the information configuration unit, it is necessary to configure the information of the protocol adopted by the resource manager of the external network at the same time.

As another example, the present invention is not limited to GGSN and PEP resource negotiation initiation points, and for network elements that can transmit media data directly connected to the external network in the access network, after configuring necessary functional modules, all can As the resource negotiation initiation point of the present invention.

Claims (22)

1. inter-domain negotiation method that adopts the end-to-end quality of service of mixed path, in the system that uses, the network branch at session two ends is in two territories that link to each other by external network, and have at least an external network to be provided with resouce controller, comprise the policy functional module of generating strategy according to conversation type and CAMEL-Subscription-Information in the territory, this method may further comprise the steps:

(a) on the network element that in the Access Network in described territory, transmits with the direct-connected and responsible media data of described resouce controller, the routing iinformation of configuring external network and the addressing information of resouce controller thereof, and the module that realizes the interdomain consultation function of mixed path pattern between this network element and the external network resouce controller, make this network element become resource negotiation and initiate point;

(b) described resource negotiation is initiated point and is judged in its territory, place that the assurance of service needed external network resource is arranged, and has obtained and comprise destination address, required service quality after this interior professional information, determine one need by way of external network;

(c) described resource negotiation is initiated the addressing information that point obtains this external network resouce controller, but be packaged into the bearing resource request message of this resouce controller identification protocol with this business information that comprises the required service quality information, send to this resouce controller then;

(d) after the resouce controller of described external network is received request, admit control and resource allocation, initiate the some transmission to described resource negotiation then and receive the response, contain the information of being with negotiation result;

(e) described resource negotiation initiation point is receiveed the response according to described, obtains the result of quality of service negoriation between the territory.

2. inter-domain negotiation method as claimed in claim 1, it is characterized in that, described resource negotiation initiation point is the Policy Enforcement Point in the Access Network, in the step (b), it obtains from the tactful decision message that policy functional module sends and comprises destination address, required service quality in interior business information, and the negotiation between initiation and described resouce controller is in the step (e), as consult success, reports on the implementation are returned to described policy functional module in this Policy Enforcement Point implementation strategy decision back.

3. inter-domain negotiation method as claimed in claim 1, it is characterized in that, described resource negotiation initiation point is the support node gateway in the GPRS packet domain, in the step (b), it obtains from the packet data protocol context request message that this packet domain serving GPRS support node sends and comprises destination address, required service quality in interior business information, negotiation between initiation and described resouce controller, in the step (e) as consult successfully, this support node gateway returns success response to this serving GPRS support node.

4. as claim 1,2 or 3 described inter-domain negotiation methods, it is characterized in that, in the described step (a), also dispose the Gw interface of a standard between the resouce controller of described resource negotiation initiation point and its direct-connected external network, described resource negotiation is initiated the protocol message that interactive messages all adopts this standard interface to stipulate between point and the resouce controller.

5. inter-domain negotiation method as claimed in claim 4 is characterized in that, what described Gw interface adopted is COPS agreement or DIAMETER agreement.

6. as claim 1,2 or 3 described inter-domain negotiation methods, it is characterized in that described external network has a plurality of and adopts at least two kinds from resource negotiation point initiation or through the negotiation mode of its initiation, simultaneously:

In the step (a), also initiate to dispose on the some negotiation mode of network selection strategy and external network support, and increase the functional module that is used to select external network at resource negotiation;

In the step (b), described resource negotiation point is according to target ip address, in conjunction with the negotiation mode of described local route, outer net support and network selection strategy select one need by way of external network, and also comprise afterwards in step (b):

Step (b1), described resource negotiation point is judged the negotiation mode that selected external network is supported, if the mixed path pattern, execution in step (c), otherwise the flow processing by each auto negotiation mode regulation finishes.

7. inter-domain negotiation method as claimed in claim 6 is characterized in that, when step (b) was selected external network, also the flow information that external network is entered the mouth when other condition is identical, was preferentially selected the less external network of flow as a factor of judgement.

8. inter-domain negotiation method as claimed in claim 6, it is characterized in that, in the described step (e), after described resource negotiation initiation point is received receiveing the response of consulting to fail, when the continuation network selection condition of the local policy regulation that satisfies described step (b), reselect a network, return step (c).

9. inter-domain negotiation method as claimed in claim 6 is characterized in that the configuring negotiation pattern comprises mixed path pattern and line model on the described external network.

10. system that can adopt the end-to-end quality of service interdomain consultation of mixed path pattern, the network that comprises the session two ends, and with two interconnective external networks in territory of these two network offices, have at least an external network to be provided with resouce controller and adopt the negotiation mode of mixed path, have in the Access Network of initiation session on the network element with the transmission of the direct-connected and responsible media data of described resouce controller, comprise the policy functional module of generating strategy in the territory, it is characterized in that according to conversation type and CAMEL-Subscription-Information:

Described network element has also disposed and has carried out the required functional unit of quality of service negoriation between the territory, initiates point as resource negotiation, and this resource negotiation is initiated a negotiation request that comprises information configuration unit, mixed path pattern and initiated the unit and handle the unit through consultation, wherein;

Dispose the routing iinformation of external network in the described information configuration unit, and the addressing information of the resouce controller of external network;

The negotiation request of described mixed path pattern is initiated the unit and is used to obtain and comprises destination address, required service quality at the required business information of interior quality of service negoriation and the addressing information of selected external network resouce controller, and these information sets are made into the resouce controller that the bearing resource request message sends to described selected external network;

The unit of handling through consultation of described mixed path pattern is used to receive from the bearing resource request of outer net resouce controller and responds, and obtains the result of quality of service negoriation between the territory.

11. the system of end-to-end quality of service interdomain consultation as claimed in claim 10, it is characterized in that, described resource negotiation initiation point is the Policy Enforcement Point in the Access Network, the unit of handling through consultation of the mixed path pattern in this Policy Enforcement Point also is used for after judgement is consulted successfully, and implementation strategy determines and returns reports on the implementation to corresponding strategy decision making function module.

12. the system of end-to-end quality of service interdomain consultation as claimed in claim 10, it is characterized in that, described resource negotiation initiation point is the support node gateway in the packet wireless business packet domain, mixed path pattern in this gateway handle through consultation the unit also be used for judge consult successfully after, return success response to the serving GPRS support node of correspondence.

13. the system as claim 10,11 or 12 described end-to-end quality of service interdomain consultations is characterized in that, described resource negotiation is initiated point and described resouce controller has all disposed a standard Gw interface, be used to realize signaling message between the two alternately.

14. system as claim 10,11 or 12 described end-to-end quality of service interdomain consultations, it is characterized in that, other negotiation mode that the support mixed path pattern that has in the described external network is outer, described resource negotiation initiates that point also disposes external network and negotiation mode selected cell, other is from resource negotiation point initiation or through the negotiation request transmitting unit of the pattern of its initiation with handle the unit through consultation, wherein:

Described information configuration unit also disposes network selection strategy, the negotiation mode of outer net support and/or the information of agreement;

Described external network and negotiation mode selected cell are used for before sending the request of negotiation, according to negotiation mode, routing iinformation and network that can ensure QoS of network selection policy selection of external network support;

The negotiation request of described other pattern is initiated the unit and is handled the unit through consultation, is used for the interdomain consultation of each self mode prescribed manner initiation with external network, the bearing resource request of receiving is responded handled.

15. the system of end-to-end quality of service interdomain consultation as claimed in claim 14 is characterized in that, described other pattern is included in ray mode.

16. equipment that is used to realize the end-to-end quality of service interdomain consultation of mixed path pattern, this equipment is the network element that direct-connected and responsible media data transmits with external network in the Access Network, comprise the policy functional module of generating strategy in the territory according to conversation type and CAMEL-Subscription-Information, it is characterized in that: described equipment has also disposed and has carried out the required functional unit of quality of service negoriation between the territory, the negotiation request that comprises information configuration unit, mixed path pattern is initiated the unit and is handled the unit through consultation, wherein;

Dispose the routing iinformation of external network in the described information configuration unit, and the addressing information of the resouce controller of external network;

The negotiation request of described mixed path pattern is initiated the unit and is used to obtain and comprises destination address, required service quality at the required business information of interior quality of service negoriation and the addressing information of selected external network resouce controller, and these information sets are made into the resouce controller that the bearing resource request message sends to described selected external network;

The unit of handling through consultation of described mixed path pattern is used to receive from the bearing resource request of outer net resouce controller and responds, and obtains the result of quality of service negoriation between the territory.

17. the equipment of end-to-end quality of service interdomain consultation as claimed in claim 16, it is characterized in that, this equipment is the Policy Enforcement Point in the Access Network, the unit of handling through consultation of mixed path pattern wherein also is used for after judgement is consulted successfully, and implementation strategy determines and returns reports on the implementation to corresponding strategy decision making function module.

18. the equipment of end-to-end quality of service interdomain consultation as claimed in claim 16, it is characterized in that, this equipment is the support node gateway in the packet wireless business packet domain, mixed path pattern wherein handle through consultation the unit also be used for judge consult successfully after, return success response to the serving GPRS support node of correspondence.

19. the equipment as claim 16,17 or 18 described end-to-end quality of service interdomain consultations is characterized in that, this equipment has also disposed a standard Gw interface, is used to realize the mutual of signaling message between the two.

20. equipment as claim 16,17 or 18 described end-to-end quality of service interdomain consultations, it is characterized in that, this equipment also disposes external network and negotiation mode selected cell, other is initiated or through the negotiation request transmitting unit of the pattern of its initiation with handle the unit through consultation, wherein from resource negotiation point:

Described information configuration unit also disposes network selection strategy, the negotiation mode of outer net support and/or the information of agreement;

Described external network and negotiation mode selected cell are used for before sending the request of negotiation, according to negotiation mode, routing iinformation and network that can ensure QoS of network selection policy selection of external network support;

The negotiation request of described other pattern is initiated the unit and is handled the unit through consultation, is used for the interdomain consultation of each self mode prescribed manner initiation with external network, the bearing resource request of receiving is responded handled.

21. the system of end-to-end quality of service interdomain consultation as claimed in claim 20 is characterized in that, described other pattern is included in ray mode.

22. the equipment of end-to-end quality of service interdomain consultation as claimed in claim 20, it is characterized in that, the described unit of handling through consultation also is used for after judging the negotiation failure, can be according to the network selection strategy, when meeting setting continuation network selection condition, select the another one network to initiate new negotiation, doing the failure processing when ineligible again.

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