Method for selecting QoS policy and system thereof

Abstract

A method and a system for selecting Quality of Service (QoS) policy, the method including: setting QoS policy processing information in a QPH; receiving, by a QoS Manager (QM), a QoS request from a CP, selecting a QPH to provide QoS policy for a traffic stream according to the processing information of each QPH in a home network, and providing QoS policy to the traffic stream according to the QoS policy of the selected QPH. Through the method and the system of the present invention, the problem that only the QoS policy of the QPH specified by the CP or the default QoS policy can be used as the QoS policy of the traffic stream when multiple QPHs exist in the home network is solved.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an UPnP QoS architecture.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for selecting a QoS policy.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for selecting a QoS policy according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for selecting a QoS policy according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for selecting a QoS policy according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system for selecting a QoS policy according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for selecting Quality of Service (QoS) policy, comprising: setting QoS policy processing information for each QoS Policy Holder (QPH);upon receiving a QoS request from a CP, selecting, by a QoS Manager (QM), a QPH to provide QoS policy for a traffic stream according to the QoS policy processing information of each QPH in a home network, and providing a QoS policy for the traffic stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the QoS policy processing information comprises at least one of: last modified time of the QPH policy (QPH LMT), the start time of the QPH accessing the home network (QPH ST), total online time of the QPH being selected (QPH TOT) and QPH priority number configured by a user (QPH PN).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of setting QoS policy processing information in each QPH comprises: when a device supporting QPH service accesses the home network, or a program with QPH service starts running in the home network, setting the QPH ST by the QPH;configuring, by a user, a QoS policy and recording the QPH ST and the QPH PN according to the home network status.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of selecting a QPH to provide QoS policy for a traffic stream according to the QoS policy processing information of each QPH in a home network comprises: reading, by the QM, the QoS policy processing information of each QPH in the home network;selecting, by the QM, the QPH to provide QoS policy for the traffic stream through comparing the QoS policy processing information; andusing, by the QM, the QoS policy of the selected QPH as the QoS policy of the traffic stream.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of reading the QoS policy processing information of each QPH in the home network by the QM comprises at least one of: selecting the QPH having the latest modified QoS policy to serve the traffic stream through comparing the QPH LMT of each QPH;selecting the QPH accessing the home network first to serve the traffic stream by comparing the QPH ST of each QPH;selecting the QPH having the longest online time to serve the traffic stream by comparing the QPH TOT of each QPH; andselecting the QPH having the highest priority level to serve the traffic stream by comparing the QPH PN of each QPH.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of setting QPH policy processing information for each QPH comprises: upon receiving a policy synchronization message sent by the QPH, reading, by the QM, the QPH policy processing information in each QPH in a home network;determining, by the QM, the QPH to provide QoS policy for the traffic stream through comparing the obtained QPH policy processing information;synchronizing, by the QM, the QoS policies of all the QPHs according to the QoS policy of the determined QPH; andthe step of selecting a QPH to provide QoS policy for the traffic stream according to the QoS policy processing information set in each QPH in the home network comprises:selecting, by the QM or the CP, any one of the QPHs in the home network as the QPH of the traffic stream and using the QoS policy of the selected QPH as the QoS policy of the traffic stream.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of synchronizing the QoS policies of all the QPHs according to the QoS policy of the determined QPH comprises: reading, by the QM, the QoS policy of the determined QPH, and setting the QoS policy of the determined QPH to all the QPHs in the home network.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the policy synchronization message is sent by the QPH to the QM after the QPH accesses the home network or after the user configures the QPH.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of selecting a QPH to provide QoS policy for the traffic stream according to the QPH policy processing information in each QPH in the home network comprises: when the QM determines that the CP has specified a QPH to provide QoS policy for the traffic stream, searching, by the QM, the home network to check whether there exists a selected QPH;if there is no selected QPH, determining to use the QPH specified by the CP to provide QoS policy for the traffic stream;if there is a selected QPH, determining whether the QPH specified by the CP is the selected QPH according to the QoS policy processing information of the selected QPH;when the QM determines that there is no QPH being specified by the CP to provide QoS policy for the traffic stream, searching, by the QM, the home network to check whether there exists a selected QPH;if there is no selected QPH, comparing the QPH LMT and selecting a QPH having the latest modified QoS policy to serve the traffic stream; or comparing the QPH ST and selecting the QPH accessing the home network first to serve the traffic stream; or comparing the QPH TOT and selecting the QPH having the longest online time to serve the traffic stream; or comparing the QPH PN and selecting the QPH having the highest priority to serve the traffic stream; or selecting the QPH to serve the traffic stream according to any combination of the above; andif there exists a selected QPH, determining to use the selected QPH to provide QoS policy for the traffic stream.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of determining whether the QPH specified by the CP is the selected QPH according to the QoS policy processing information of the selected QPH comprises: obtaining, by the QM, the QoS policy from the selected QPH and determining the user level of the traffic stream, and comparing the user level of the traffic stream with that of the existing traffic stream in the home network; if the user level of the existing traffic stream is no lower than that of the traffic stream, sending error information to the CP; otherwise, determining the QPH specified by the CP to be the QPH for providing QoS policy to the traffic stream.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising: after the step of determining the QPH specified by the CP to be the QPH for providing QoS policy to the traffic stream, using, by the QM, the QoS policy of the QPH specified by the CP, setting, in the QM, an identifier indicating that there is an used QPH and a QPH identifier for the QPH specified by the CP, and updating the QoS policy of the existing traffic stream; andnotifying, by the QM, other QMs to update the identifier indicating that there is an used QPH for the selected QPH and the QPH identifier for the QPH specified by the CP.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising: after the step of determining the QPH specified by the CP to be the QPH for providing QoS policy to the traffic stream, using, by the QM, the QoS policy of the QPH specified by the CP, setting, in the QM, a used QPH identifier indicating that there is an used QPH and a QPH identifier for the QPH specified by the CP, and updating the QoS policy of the existing traffic stream; andnotifying, by the QM, other QMs to update the identifier indicating that there is an used QPH for the selected QPH and the QPH identifier for the QPH specified by the CP.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising: when the QM determines that there is no QPH being specified by the CP to provide QoS policy for the traffic stream and after the step of selecting a QPH to provide QoS policy for the traffic stream, using, by the QM, the QoS policy of the selected QPH, setting, in the QM, an identifier indicating that there is an used QPH and a QPH identifier for the selected QPH, updating the QoS policy of the existing traffic stream; andnotifying, by the QM, other QMs to update their respective identifier indicating that there is an used QPH and update their respective QPH identifier for the selected QPH.

14. A system for selecting a Quality of Service (QoS) policy, comprising: a QoS Manager (QM), a QoS Policy Holder (QPH) storing QoS policy processing information, and a QoS Device (QD); wherein,the QM serves for receiving a QoS request from the CP, selecting one QPH according to the QoS policy processing information respectively obtained from the QPHs in a home network, sending a traffic stream to the selected QPH and requesting for a QoS policy from the selected QPH, controlling the operation of the QD on the QoS of the traffic stream according to the obtained QoS policy;the QPH serves for providing QoS policy processing information to the QM, obtaining a QoS policy in the QPH according to the traffic stream provided by the QM, and sending the QoS policy to the QM;the QD serves for setting up QoS for a traffic stream and performing operation on QoS when the traffic stream is transmitted under the control of the QM.