KR101644706B1 - Method and apparatus for managing service traffic in software defined network enviroment - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for distributing and managing service traffic in an SDN environment is disclosed. A method for managing service traffic in a software-defined networking environment, the method comprising the steps of: receiving traffic usage information for each service of a terminal in cooperation with at least one network device; Selecting a network device to manage traffic generated by the terminal based on traffic usage information for each service of the terminal; And transmitting a monitoring indication message to the selected network device to monitor the service-specific traffic of the terminal. Therefore, it is possible to effectively manage the usage amount of the service traffic for the EPC in the SDN environment.

Description

[0001] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING SERVICE TRAFFIC IN SOFTWARE DEFINED NETWORK ENVIROMENT [0002]

The present invention relates to software defined networking technologies, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for distributing and managing service traffic in an SDN environment.

In recent years, the standardization of technology for efficiently operating the communication system by separating the traffic forwarding function and the control function of the network device has been performed by the ONF (Open Networking Foundation), IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force), ETSI ISG NFV (Network Function Virtualization) And ITU-T.

Software Defined Networking (SDN) refers to a user-centric network in which a user has control over a basic network device such as a router or a switch, and a separate software controller controls traffic flow. Therefore, in SDN, the role of the controller is important because the user views and controls the network through the controller.

Meanwhile, an LTE (Long Term Evolution) network is composed of Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) and Evolved Packet Core (EPC). EPC is a packet-based All-IP mobile core network for LTE. It consists of MME (Mobility Management Entity), S-GW (Serving-Gateway) and P-GW (PDN Gateway).

In particular, the P-GW is a gateway to a PDN (Packet Data Network) such as the Internet, and performs real-time data traffic usage management functions for various services for terminal IP allocation, billing information generation, and QoS policy enforcement.

In order to accommodate various services, the complexity and load of P-GW is increasing, but the technology to solve it is insufficient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of managing service traffic in an SDN environment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for managing service traffic in an SDN environment.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for managing service traffic in a software defined networking environment, the method comprising: ; ≪ / RTI > Selecting a network device to manage traffic generated by the terminal based on traffic usage information for each service of the terminal; And transmitting a monitoring indication message to the selected network device to monitor the service-specific traffic of the terminal.

Here, the step of receiving the traffic usage amount information for each service of the terminal may include a step of, in cooperation with at least one network device performing a data forwarding function, the P-GW (PDN Gateway) Service traffic usage information of each service.

Here, the step of selecting a network device to manage traffic generated by the terminal may include: selecting, from at least one network device, a network device having the lowest work load as a network device for managing traffic generated by the terminal, Can be selected.

Herein, the monitoring indication message may include information for identifying a service and information about an allowed traffic usage amount for each service

Here, the service traffic management method may include receiving a report message, which is information on a monitoring result, from the selected network device; And controlling at least one network device based on the report message.

Here, the report message may be generated by the selected network device when the amount of consumed traffic exceeds the allowable amount based on the allowed traffic usage amount for each service.

Here, the step of controlling the at least one network device may perform service-specific QoS control on the traffic generated in the terminal based on the report message.

Herein, the step of controlling the at least one network device may include the step of, when it is determined that a hand-over situation due to the movement of the terminal occurs based on the report message, And can change the route of the traffic generated by the terminal based on the updated traffic usage information of the terminal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for managing service traffic in a software defined networking environment, the method comprising the steps of: interworking with at least one network device, ; ≪ / RTI > Updating traffic usage information for each service of the terminal according to a hand-over situation caused by movement of the terminal; And changing the path of the traffic generated by the terminal based on the updated traffic usage information of the terminal.

Here, the step of receiving the traffic usage amount information for each service of the terminal may include a step of, in cooperation with at least one network device performing a data forwarding function, the P-GW (PDN Gateway) Service traffic usage information of each service.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a controller for managing service traffic in a software defined networking environment, the controller for managing service traffic in a software defined networking environment, Selects a network device to manage traffic generated by the terminal based on the traffic usage amount information of each terminal, and controls the selected network device to transmit a monitoring indication message for monitoring traffic of each terminal's service Processor.

The service traffic management method according to the present invention as described above can efficiently manage the usage amount of service traffic for EPC (Evolved Packet Core) in an SDN environment.

In addition, by efficiently distributing and managing the usage amount of the service traffic for the EPC, it is possible to avoid the overload phenomenon of the specific node such as the P-GW, and thereby the network can be stably operated.

1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining data transmission in an LTE network.
2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating data transfer in an EPC network based on SDN according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a table managed by a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing service traffic in an SDN environment according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing service traffic in an SDN environment according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing service traffic in an SDN environment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. Like reference numerals are used for like elements in describing each drawing.

The terms first, second, A, B, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component. And / or < / RTI > includes any combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like are used to specify that there is a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a component or a combination thereof described in the specification, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art and are to be interpreted as either ideal or overly formal in the sense of the present application Do not.

Hereinafter, the controller referred to in the present invention refers to an integrated SDN controller, which is a functional entity that controls related components (e.g., switches, routers, etc.) .

Further, the controller is not limited by the physical implementation form or the location of the implementation. For example, the controller means a controller functional entity defined by ONF (OpenFlow), IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force), ETSI (International Telecommunication Standards Institute) and / or ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication) can do.

The network device referred to in the present invention may refer to a functional element that substantially forwards, switches, or routes traffic (or packets), such as a 'switch' or a 'router. Thus, in the present invention, the network device may be referred to as a switch or a router.

For example, a network device means a switch, a router, a switching element, a routing element, and a forwarding element defined in ONF, IETF, ETSI and / or ITU-T .

Hereinafter, parameters and / or message types defined in an operation procedure for a service traffic management method in an SDN environment according to an embodiment of the present invention are not limited to the specific messages described below.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining data transmission in an LTE network.

Referring to FIG. 1, in an LTE (Long Term Evolution) network, a data packet transmitted from a terminal is transmitted to an IP network via a base station, a Serving-Gateway (S-GW) and a P-GW (PDN Gateway).

For example, a packet generated in the first UE 11 is transmitted to the IP network via the first eNB 21, the first S-GW 31 and the P-GW 40, The second S-GW 32, and the P-GW 40, and transmitted to the IP network through the second eNB 22, the second S-GW 32, and the P- That is, the P-GW 40 is subjected to IP anchoring, and all the packets transmitted and received by the UE (User Equipment) always pass through the P-GW 40.

Here, the Serving-Gateway (S-GW) and the PDN Gateway (P-GW) may constitute an EPC (Evolved Packet Core) and the GTP tunnel may be formed between the eNB, the S-GW and the S-GW and the P- .

In the EPC network, a usage amount management function for each service for applying a QoS policy and generating billing information can be concentrated in the P-GW 40, which may result in scalability issues.

In particular, LTE network operators are seeking to increase ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) by subdividing management of basic data usage as well as usage of each service (for example, Mobile TV, VoLTE, PSVT, etc.).

Therefore, the complexity and the load of the P-GW 40 are further increased, so that it is inevitable to add equipment for securing the capacity of the P-GW 40. [

2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating data transfer in an EPC network based on SDN according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, in the existing EPC network, the S-GW 31 and the P-GW 40 simultaneously perform the functions of the control plane and the data plane. On the other hand, in the EPC network based on the SDN, (C) 140 and a P-GW (C) 150 that perform a data plan function and an SDN switch 200 that performs a data plane function.

That is, the P-GW (C) 140 distinguishes subscribers based on a subscriber IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), assigns IP addresses, and transmits a PDN (Public Data Network) It is possible to perform a gateway function to enable connection. Here, the P-GW (C) 140 may be referred to as a P-GW control module and may be located on the SDN controller 100.

Particularly, it is possible to perform traffic control processing by performing real-time basic data usage per subscriber and per-service usage amount management in connection with the P-GW (C) 140, and to perform billing with a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) Information can be conveyed. The SDN switch 200 may be configured with a hardware for data forwarding, a SDN agent for counting by service traffic, and an SDN agent for interworking with the SDN controller 100.

The SDN controller 100 may determine the path of the SDN switch 200 to transmit subscriber traffic in the EPC network. The SDN controller 100 includes a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 110, a Home Subscriber Server 120, a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) 130, an S-GW (C) The P-GW (C) 150 may be located.

In particular, considering the work load of each switch in the path, it is possible to select the SDN switch 200 to manage traffic usage per service.

The selected SDN switch 200 can perform data forwarding as well as basic data usage and service usage management functions under the control of the SDN controller 100.

Therefore, the basic data usage amount and the traffic management for each service of all subscribers in a specific node such as the existing P-GW 40 are not concentrated but can be dispersed and processed in the entire network under the control of the SDN controller 100.

3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a table managed by a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The SDN controller 100 may consider the work load of each SDN switch 200 when setting the route of the service flow. Here, the work load of each SDN switch 200 can be calculated as follows.

WorkLoad = currNumOfFlow / MaxNumOfFlow

Here, currNumOfFlow represents the usage amount of the current flow, and MaxNumOfFlow represents the maximum usable amount of the flow.

The SDN controller 100 may select the SDN switch 200 having the minimum work load among the intra-path SDN switches 200 to inform that it performs the traffic usage management function. For example, the SDN controller 100 may send a monitoring indication message to the selected SDN switch 200 to monitor service-specific traffic.

Referring to FIG. 3, each SDN switch 200 may have a Service-Usage table, and the Service-Usage table may include a Service ID, a quota, and a Usage.

In detail, the Service ID may mean an identifier for distinguishing services such as Internet, Mobile TV, VoLTE, PSVT, and the like. Service can be distinguished in conjunction with destination IP address / Port or DPI (Deep Packet Inspection), and remaining usage per subscriber based on Service ID can be obtained from DB (PCRF, SPR).

When the usage of a specific service is to be monitored and controlled in the SDN-based EPC network, the usage amount can be managed by linking the service-usage with the corresponding flow table entry.

In addition, Usage_Monitoring Service_ID can be added to an instruction for managing service usage. For example, when handling traffic for each flow, Usage_Monitoring Service_ID can be added to the Action List.

The quota means the amount of traffic allowed per flow, and Usage can mean the amount of service consumed so far.

In addition, USAGE_REPORT (COUNT), which is a Usage Report Asynchronous message, is defined. When the quota allowed in the Service_ID is exhausted or the service is terminated and the flow table entry information is deleted, Data usage can be reported. Here, USAGE_REPORT (COUNT) may be one example of a report message.

The SDN controller 100 may process Drop, QoS control, and the like for the corresponding service in the SDN switch 200 as the quota is exhausted.

A method for managing service traffic in an SDN environment using the Service-Usage table according to FIG. 3 will be described in detail below.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing service traffic in an SDN environment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the service traffic generated in the first UE may be delivered to the controller (S410).

The controller can acquire traffic usage information for each service for the service traffic generated in the first UE in conjunction with the P-GW (C) (S411).

The controller may select a path of switches to forward service traffic generated in the first UE in the entire network and notify the switches of the paths of the switches in steps S412, S413, and S414. For example, the controller can use the Modify-State message to change the settings of the switches.

The controller can select a switch having the smallest work load among the switches on the path of the traffic for the service and control the usage amount for each service (S412). For example, the controller may select the first SW as a switch for managing the service usage amount per service, and may transmit the service-usage information.

Here, the Service-Usage information may include information on a service ID and a quota (quota) that can identify the service as information included in the monitoring indication message. For example, the controller may set Quota1 as the quota for the service having the Service ID1 in the first SW to manage the usage amount.

If it is determined that the quota 1 allocated to the service is exhausted while the first SW manages the service traffic of the first UE, the first SW reports to the controller that the quota of the corresponding service traffic has been exhausted using the report message USAGE_REPORT (S415).

The controller decides to drop the service according to the service policy in association with the P-GW (C) (S416), and commands the switch to block the traffic for the service (S417, S418, S419 ).

Next, the service traffic generated in the second UE may be delivered to the controller (S420).

The controller can acquire traffic usage information for each service for the service traffic generated in the second UE in conjunction with the P-GW (C) (S421).

The controller can select the path of the switches to forward the service traffic generated in the first UE in the entire network and notify the switches of the paths of the switches in steps S422, S423, and S424. For example, the controller can use the Modify-State message to change the settings of the switches.

The controller can select the second SW as a switch for managing the service usage amount per service and deliver Service-Usage information (S423). For example, the controller can set Quota2 as a quota for a service having Service ID1 in the second SW to manage usage.

If it is determined that the quota 2 allocated to the service is exhausted while the second SW manages the service traffic of the second UE, the second SW reports to the controller that the quota of the corresponding service traffic has been exhausted using the report message USAGE_REPORT (S425).

The controller decides to perform QoS control for the service according to the service policy in association with the P-GW (C) (S426), and commands the switch to perform QoS control on the service traffic (S427, S428).

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing service traffic in an SDN environment according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, a method of managing service traffic in a handover situation according to movement of a UE will be described.

The service traffic generated in the UE may be delivered to the controller (S510).

The controller can acquire traffic usage information for each service based on the service traffic generated in the UE in association with the P-GW (C) (S511).

The controller can select the path of the switches for forwarding the service traffic generated in the UE in the entire network and notify the switches of the paths of the switches in steps S512 and S513. For example, the controller can use the Modify-State message to change the settings of the switches. That is, the initial traffic path of the service traffic generated by the UE may be the first eNB-first SW-second SW.

The controller may select the first SW as a switch for managing the usage amount per service, and may transmit the service-usage information (S512).

At this time, a handover situation may occur in which the UE moves and the existing path is no longer used (S514), and the first SW may notify the controller of the amount of traffic that has been consumed so far by using the message USAGE_REPORT (S515).

The controller can update the usage amount for each service in conjunction with the P-GW (C) (S516).

After the handover situation occurs, the service traffic generated by the UE may be transmitted to the controller again (S520).

The controller can acquire the service traffic usage amount information for the service traffic generated in the UE in association with the P-GW (C) (S521).

The controller can select the path of the switches for forwarding the service traffic generated by the UE in the entire network and notify the switches of the paths of the switches (S522, S523). The path of the service traffic generated in the UE according to the occurrence of the handover situation may be changed to the first eNB-the third SW-the fourth SW.

In addition, the controller can select the third SW as a switch for managing the service usage amount per service and deliver Service-Usage information (S522).

For example, the controller can set Quota2 as a quota for a service having Service ID1 in the third SW to manage usage.

If it is determined that the quota 2 allocated to the service is exhausted while the third SW manages the service traffic of the UE, the third SW informs the controller that the quota of the corresponding service traffic has been exhausted using the report message USAGE_REPORT (S524).

The controller decides to drop the service according to the service policy in connection with the P-GW (C) (S525), and commands the switch to block the traffic for the service (S526, S527).

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing service traffic in an SDN environment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A method of managing service traffic in an SDN environment according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The controller receives the traffic generated by the UE (S600), and determines whether the received packet includes a flow table entry (S610).

The packet including the flow table entry includes an instruction for switch control, and the switch can be controlled based on the flow table entry included in the packet (S662).

A data packet that does not include a flow table entry may be delivered to the controller (S620).

The controller can select a path of switches for forwarding the service traffic in the entire network and inform the switches of the path (S621), and can select a switch to manage traffic for each service (S622). For example, the controller may send a monitoring indication message to monitor the service-specific traffic on the selected switch.

The controller can determine whether the corresponding switch is a switch for managing service-specific traffic (S630), and allow the switch for managing service-specific traffic to calculate the traffic usage amount for each service (S640).

If the controller determines that the calculated traffic usage exceeds the allowable value (S650), the controller can report the usage to the controller (S660).

The controller can determine the control method such as QoS control based on the report by the switch for managing the service-specific traffic in step S661, and control the switch according to the determined control method in step S662.

Accordingly, the controller receives the traffic usage information for each service of the terminal in cooperation with the switch, selects a switch for managing the traffic generated by the terminal based on the traffic usage information for each service of the terminal, And to send a monitoring indication message to monitor the per-traffic traffic.

The service traffic management method according to the embodiment of the present invention can effectively manage the usage amount of the service traffic for the EPC in the SDN environment.

In addition, by effectively managing and distributing the usage amount of service traffic for EPC, it is possible to avoid an overload phenomenon of a specific node such as P-GW, and thereby the network can be stably operated.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims It can be understood that

10: UE 11: first UE
12: second UE 20: eNB
21: first eNB 22: second eNB
31: first S-GW 32: second S-GW
40: P-GW 100: SDN controller
110: MME 120: HSS
130: PCRF 140: S-GW (C)
150: P-GW (C)

Claims (18)

In a software defined networking environment, a method for a controller to manage service traffic,
Receiving traffic usage information for each service of the terminal in cooperation with at least one network device;
Selecting a network device to manage traffic generated by the terminal among the at least one network device according to a work load of the at least one network device based on traffic usage information of the terminal according to service;
Transmitting a monitoring indication message including information for identifying the service and information about the allowed traffic usage amount for each service to monitor the traffic for each service of the terminal to the selected network device;
Receiving a report message, which is information on a monitoring result, from the selected network device; And
And performing service-specific QoS control on traffic generated in the UE based on the report message.
How to manage service traffic. The method according to claim 1,
The step of receiving the traffic usage amount information for each service of the terminal includes:
Wherein the P-GW (PDN Gateway) control module included in the controller obtains traffic usage amount information for each service of the terminal in cooperation with the at least one network device performing a data forwarding function.
How to manage service traffic. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the step of selecting a network device to manage traffic generated by the terminal comprises:
Wherein a network device having the lowest work load among the at least one network device is selected as a network device to manage traffic generated by the terminal,
How to manage service traffic. delete delete The method according to claim 1,
The report message includes:
And when the amount of consumed traffic exceeds the allowable amount based on the allowed traffic usage amount per service, the generated amount is used by the selected network device.
How to manage service traffic. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the step of performing QoS-based QoS control for traffic generated in the UE includes:
If it is determined that a hand-over situation due to movement of the MS occurs based on the report message,
Updates the traffic usage amount information of the terminal according to the service and changes the route of the traffic generated by the terminal based on the updated traffic usage amount information of the terminal according to the updated traffic usage amount information.
How to manage service traffic. In a software defined networking environment, a method for a controller to manage service traffic,
Receiving traffic usage information for each service of the terminal in cooperation with at least one network device;
Selecting a network device to manage traffic generated by the terminal among the at least one network device according to a work load of the at least one network device based on traffic usage information of the terminal according to service; And
As a hand-over situation due to the movement of the terminal is detected by monitoring by the selected network device, traffic usage information for each service of the terminal is updated using the amount of traffic exhausted until a handover occurs step; And
And changing the path of the traffic generated by the terminal based on the updated traffic usage information of each terminal according to the updated traffic usage information.
How to manage service traffic. The method of claim 9,
The step of receiving the traffic usage amount information for each service of the terminal includes:
Wherein the P-GW (PDN Gateway) control module included in the controller obtains traffic usage amount information for each service of the terminal in cooperation with the at least one network device performing a data forwarding function.
How to manage service traffic. An apparatus for managing service traffic in a software defined networking environment,
Receiving traffic usage information for each service of the terminal in cooperation with at least one network device,
Selecting a network device to manage traffic generated by the terminal among the at least one network device according to a work load of the at least one network device based on traffic usage information of the terminal according to service,
And control the selected network device to transmit a monitoring indication message including information for service identification and information on allowed traffic usage per service to monitor traffic for each service of the terminal,
And a processor for receiving a report message, which is information on a monitoring result, from the selected network device, and performing service-specific QoS control on traffic generated in the terminal based on the report message.
Service traffic management controller. The method of claim 11,
The controller comprising:
Wherein the P-GW (PDN Gateway) control module included in the controller obtains traffic usage amount information for each service of the terminal in cooperation with the at least one network device performing a data forwarding function.
Service traffic management controller. The method of claim 11,
The controller comprising:
Wherein a network device having the lowest work load among the at least one network device is selected as a network device to manage traffic generated by the terminal,
Service traffic management controller. delete delete The method of claim 11,
The report message includes:
And when the amount of consumed traffic exceeds the allowable amount based on the allowed traffic usage amount per service, the generated amount is used by the selected network device.
Service traffic management controller. delete The method of claim 11,
The controller comprising:
If it is determined that a hand-over situation due to movement of the MS occurs based on the report message,
Updates the traffic usage amount information of the terminal according to the service and changes the route of the traffic generated by the terminal based on the updated traffic usage amount information of the terminal according to the updated traffic usage amount information.
Service traffic management controller.

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