Claims
- 1. In an IP service broadband access/transport network, a device comprising:
(a) a first set of ports for establishing user-side connections, via an access network, to a plurality of user workstations; and (b) at least one second port for establishing a network-side connection, via a transport network, to at least one edge router for accessing the IP service, said network-side connection including a plurality of tunnels, each tunnel of which is designated for a unique quality of service, said plurality of tunnels configured to employ PPPoE, said tunnels configured to aggregate a plurality of PPP sessions per tunnel, and each tunnel being associated with a connection-oriented path; the device being operative to dynamically allocating service and quality of service by dynamically connecting a connected user to said at least one edge router via a tunnel selected one from said plurality of tunnels.
- 2. The device of claim 1, configured to perform the following:
(a) identifying an incoming session from said user through said access network, determining the required transport service having the quality of service associated with said incoming session, and appropriately configuring the device if said required quality of service can be provided; (b) forwarding said incoming session to an appropriate tunnel in said transport network according to the required quality of service; and (c) aggregating a plurality of incoming sessions from users over a single tunnel, said plurality of incoming sessions having the same quality of service requirements, utilizing PPPoE and an associated connection-oriented path.
- 3. The device according to claim 1, wherein said transport network is an ATM network, and wherein said connection-oriented path utilizes Virtual Circuits.
- 4. The device according to claim 2, wherein said transport network is an ATM network, and wherein said connection-oriented path utilizes Virtual Circuits.
- 5. The device according to claim 1, wherein said transport network is an MPLS network, and wherein said connection-oriented path utilizes LSP.
- 6. The device according to claim 2, wherein said transport network is an MPLS network, and wherein said connection-oriented path utilizes LSP.
- 7. The device according to claim 1, being an aggregator.
- 8. The device according to claim 2, being an aggregator.
- 9. The device according to claim 3, being an aggregator.
- 10. The device according to claim 4, being an aggregator.
- 11. The device according to claim 5, being an aggregator.
- 12. The device according to claim 6, being an aggregator.
- 13. The device according to claim 1, being a DSLAM.
- 14. The device according to claim 2, being a DSLAM.
- 15. The device according to claim 3, being a DSLAM.
- 16. The device according to claim 4, being a DSLAM.
- 17. The device according to claim 5, being a DSLAM.
- 18. The device according to claim 6, being a DSLAM.
- 19. A method for setting up a session for a user over an access/transport network having a plurality of tunnels, wherein the session has a requirement selected from a group including a required service and a required quality of service, and wherein each tunnel of the plurality of tunnels has a specific class of service associated with a specific quality of service, the method comprising:
(a) determining the required quality of service; (b) selecting a tunnel from the plurality of tunnels, such that the selected tunnel has a class of service appropriate to the required quality of service; and (c) connecting the user session to said selected tunnel.
- 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the access/transport network has a BRAS, the method further comprising:
(d) initiating PPPoE discovery toward the BRAS.
- 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:
(e) obtaining the access rights of the user; and (f) performing an LCP proxy.
- 22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:
(e) sending a PADI packet; (f) obtaining a service tag from said PADI packet; and (g) utilizing said service tag to perform said selecting a tunnel from the plurality of tunnels, according to said service tag.
- 23. A method for obtaining a request for a desired service at the time of setting up a session for a user, the method comprising:
(a) initiating setup of the session; (b) while the session is being set up, making an identification of the characteristics of the desired service; and (c) receiving said identification.
- 24. A method for obtaining a request for a desired quality of service at the time of setting up a session for a user, the method comprising:
(a) initiating setup of the session; (b) while the session is being set up, making an identification of the characteristics of the desired quality of service; and (c) receiving said identification.
- 25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:
(d) notifying the user if the desired quality of service is not available.
- 26. The method of claim 23, further comprising:
(d) selecting a service provider; and (e) entering a login name of the user.
- 27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:
(f) entering a fully-qualified domain name for said service provider.
- 28. The method of claim 23, wherein said selecting a quality of service is performed by the user from a portal.
- 29. A system for notifying a user of a rejection of a session, the system comprising:
(a) a plurality of tunnels; and (b) a tunnel of said plurality dedicated to conveying a rejection message to the user.
- 30. A computer program product comprising machine-readable code operative to performing the methods of claim 19.
- 31. The computer program product of claim 30, further comprising storage for said machine-readable code.
- 32. The computer program product of claim 31, further comprising storage media associated with said storage.
- 33. A computer program product comprising machine-readable code operative to performing the methods of claim 23.
- 34. The computer program product of claim 33, further comprising storage for said machine-readable code.
- 35. The computer program product of claim 34, further comprising storage media associated with said storage.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application No. 60/363,236 filed Mar. 11, 2002, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60363236 |
Mar 2002 |
US |