System and method for provision and management of segmented virtual networks within a physical communications network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9654335-B2
Application number	US-201313779401-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2013
Priority date	Feb 27, 2013
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

A network management method comprises configuring network domains (NDs) of a host communications network (HCN). Each ND provides a virtual network (VN) provisioned within the HCN for an enterprise customer, which forms a virtual communications subnetwork from which the enterprise customer provisions communications services. The HCN provides bandwidth over outroute and inroute channels of the HCN for the VNs. Outroute partitions are configured via outroute channels of the HCN and inroute partitions are configured via inroute channel groups configured within inroute channels of the HCN. Each outroute partition supports outroute bandwidth and each inroute partition supports inroute bandwidth. The outroute capacity partitions and the inroute capacity partitions are allocated to VNs to provide outroute and inroute capacity to the VN. Operator classifications are configured within the ND associated with the VC. Each classification specifies network operator capabilities allocated to VN operators assigned to that classification.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
configuring a plurality of network domains of a host communications network (HCN), wherein each network domain provides a network configuration for a virtual communications network (VCN) provisioned within the HCN for an enterprise customer of the HCN, which provides a virtual communications subnetwork of the HCN from which the enterprise customer can provision communications services for a communications services business, and wherein the HCN provides bandwidth over outroute channels and inroute channels of the HCN for the VCNs;
configuring a plurality of outroute capacity partitions via one or more of the outroute channels of the HCN and configuring a plurality of inroute capacity partitions via one or more inroute groups of the HCN, wherein each inroute group includes one or more of the inroute channels of the HCN, and wherein each outroute capacity partition supports a respective level of outroute bandwidth and each inroute capacity partition supports a respective level of inroute bandwidth;
allocating one or more of the outroute capacity partitions and one or more of the inroute capacity partitions to a first VCN to provision a designated level of the outroute bandwidth and a designated level of the inroute bandwidth to the first VCN; and
configuring one or more operator classifications within the network domain associated with the first VCN, wherein each operator classification specifies a set of network operator capabilities and permissions allocated to one or more virtual network operators assigned to that classification; and
wherein the designated level of outroute bandwidth provisioned to the first VCN via the allocated one or more outroute capacity partitions is provisioned as a level of bandwidth in megabits-per-second (Mbps), and the allocated one or more outroute capacity partitions supports a portion of overall outroute spectrum of the HCN, and
wherein the designated level of inroute bandwidth provisioned to the first VCN via the allocated one or more inroute capacity partitions is provisioned as a level of bandwidth in megabits-per-second (Mbps), and the allocated one or more inroute capacity partitions supports a portion of overall inroute spectrum of the HCN.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the outroute channels of the HCN are provided via a gateway server, and the outroute capacity partitions configured via the one or more of the outroute channels are provisioned via at least one respective IP gateway (IPGW) instance, and
the one or more inroute groups of the HCN are provided via an inroute bandwidth manager, and the inroute capacity partitions configured via the one or more inroute groups are provisioned via at least one respective inroute quality of service (IQOS) plan.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the inroute bandwidth manager is associated with an inroute channel demodulator, and inroute transmissions of each of the IQOS plans of the first VCN are received via a respective channel of the inroute channel demodulator.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the outroute channels is dedicated to the first VCN to support the designated level of the outroute bandwidth provisioned to the first VCN, and at least one of the inroute groups is dedicated to the first VCN to support the designated level of the inroute bandwidth provisioned to the first VCN.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein:
the at least one outroute channel dedicated to the first VCN each provides a respective portion of the designated level of the outroute bandwidth provisioned to the first VCN; and
the at least one inroute group dedicated to the first VCN each provides a respective portion of the designated level of the inroute bandwidth provisioned to the first VCN.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein:
at least one of the operator classifications comprises predetermined levels of configuration control, operational/management control, monitoring capabilities, and troubleshooting/maintenance capabilities allocated to the one or more virtual network operators (VNOs) assigned to that classification; and
the one operator classification enables an associated VNO (assigned to that classification) to configure one or more IP gateway (IPGW) instances within the outroute network element(s) dedicated to the first VCN, wherein each IPGW instance facilitates a provision of a fixed level of outroute bandwidth to a respective subnetwork within the first VCN, and enables the associated VNO to configure one or more inroute quality of service (IQOS) plans within the inroute group(s) dedicated to the first VCN, wherein each IQOS plan facilitates a provision of a fixed level of inroute bandwidth to the respective subnetwork within the first VCN.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the operator classifications comprises predetermined levels of configuration control, operational/management control, monitoring capabilities, and troubleshooting/maintenance capabilities allocated to the one or more virtual network operators assigned to that classification.

8. A network management system, comprising at least one network operations server including at least one network operations memory device having computer program code stored therein, and at least one network gateway server including at least one network gateway memory device having computer program code stored therein, of a host communications network (HCN); wherein the at least one network operations server together with the at least one network operations memory device and computer program code stored therein, and the at least one network gateway server together with the at least one network gateway memory device and the computer program code stored therein, cause the network management system to:
configure a plurality of network domains within the HCN, wherein each network domain provides a network configuration for a virtual communications network (VCN) provisioned within the HCN for an enterprise customer of the HCN, which provides a virtual communications subnetwork of the HCN from which the enterprise customer can provision communications services for a communications services business, and wherein the HCN provides bandwidth over outroute channels and inroute channels of the HCN for the VCNs;
configure a plurality of outroute capacity partitions via one or more of the outroute channels of the HCN, wherein each outroute capacity partition supports a respective level of outroute bandwidth; and
configure a plurality of inroute capacity partitions via one or more inroute groups of the HCN, wherein each inroute group includes one or more of the inroute channels of the HCN, and wherein each inroute capacity partition supports a respective level of inroute bandwidth; and
wherein one or more of the outroute capacity partitions and one or more of the inroute capacity partitions are allocated to a first VCN to provision a designated level of the outroute bandwidth and a designated level of the inroute bandwidth to the first VCN;
wherein one or more operator classifications are configured within the network domain associated with the first VCN, wherein each operator classification specifies a set of network operator capabilities and permissions allocated to one or more virtual network operators assigned to that classification;
wherein the designated level of outroute bandwidth provisioned to the first VCN via the allocated one or more outroute capacity partitions is provisioned as a level of bandwidth in megabits-per-second (Mbps), and the allocated one or more outroute capacity partitions supports a portion of overall outroute spectrum of the HCN, and
wherein the designated level of inroute bandwidth provisioned to the first VCN via the allocated one or more inroute

Assignees

• Hughes Network Systems Llc

Inventors

• Axelrod Adam
• Biber Jeffrey
• Miller David

Classifications

• H04L41/042 Primary

  comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network · CPC title

• H04L41/5041

  characterised by the time relationship between creation and deployment of a service · CPC title