Abstract: Based on application information received from a DPI device, a downstream device, such as a Radio Network Controller (RNC), optimally implements a dormancy timer policy for short-lived applications, such as email and MMS. In particular, the RNC may initially use a large value for the dormancy timer for these applications. When the RNC receives an indication of the end of the application from the DPI device, the RNC may terminate the connection, thereby immediately freeing up resources. Alternatively, should the DPI device fail to recognize the end of the application, the initial dormancy timer serves as a fail-safe, such that the radio network resources are still released for allocation to another device in the radio network.

Abstract: In various exemplary embodiments, a Deep Packet Inspection device is integrated into a provider edge router associated with a user agent client or provided externally. The DPI device monitors the exchange of packets between an originating proxy and a user agent client and inspects the packets to identify SIP control messages. By monitoring the messages exchanged between the two devices, the DPI device may determine the type of application, desired QoS, source, destination, and other information related to the connection. Using this information, the router may then access a policy database to determine whether there is a QoS policy for the application and/or user. Based on this determination, the router may initiate network reservation for an anticipated data flow or store the information so the flow of packets can be remarked as the packets arrive. Accordingly, in various exemplary embodiments, the edge router is aware that QoS should be granted.

Abstract: Based on application information received from a Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) device, a Radio Network Controller (RNC) or similar device may select a dormancy timer value to optimize the use of network resources. In particular, the RNC may set an additional dormancy timer based on a default value or a rough determination of the application by examining port numbers. After the DPI device has received a sufficient number of packets to identify the underlying application, the DPI device may then propagate the application information to the RNC. Based on this application information, the RNC may determine the most efficient dormancy timer and modify the value of the default timer based on this determination.

Abstract: A packet processing system for providing application-aware hot redundancy and a related card and methods are disclosed. The system may include a plurality of active devices, each including a processor configured to perform deep packet inspection to identify an application associated with an active flow, and a redundancy block configured to determine whether the application requires hot redundancy and, if so, to forward a message from which state information may be derived. The system may also include at least one protecting device in communication with each of the active devices and configured to receive the message regarding the active flow from the active device, derive state information from the message, and resume packet forwarding operations for the active flow upon failure of a respective active device of the plurality of active devices.

Abstract: Mobile protocol packets, with a header field and a payload field, are communicated from a user mobile equipment to an application-aware serving gateway. The application-aware mobile protocol serving gateway detects header information in the header field and application information in the payload field to manage the mobile protocol packets based on a policy.

Abstract: A method of collecting consistent flow statistics through multiple congestion points within a multi-service switch/router is enabled by computing a payload length of each traffic unit received from a fabric of the switch/router. A PHY-level header containing the payload length, a class of service and a service ID is appended to the switch-internal encapsulated payload. Information associated with the PHY-level header is used at physical level congestion points to collect consistent flow statistics.

Abstract: A method of processing statistics in integrated deep packet inspection routers, including one or more of the following: getting a first entity, determining that an application statistic has changed for the first entity, getting application statistics for a first application of the first entity, determining that the application statistics for the first application of the first entity have changed, and processing the application statistics for the first application of the first entity.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments are a method and related device and computer-readable medium including one or more of the following: receiving a packet sent from the source node to the destination node; associating the packet with an active flow by accessing information in the packet; performing deep packet inspection (DPI) to identify an application associated with the active flow; determining a classification for the packet based on characteristics of the identified application; associating, with the packet, information identifying the classification; forwarding the packet including the information identifying the classification towards the destination node; and performing processing on the packet at a downstream device by extracting the classification from the packet.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments are a method and related device and computer-readable medium including one or more of the following: receiving a packet sent from the source node to the destination node; associating the packet with an active flow by accessing information in the packet; performing deep packet inspection (DPI) to identify an application associated with the active flow; associating application-identifying information with the packet; forwarding the packet including the application-identifying information towards the destination node; and performing application-specific processing at a downstream device on at least one packet belonging to the active flow, the downstream device identifying the application associated with the active flow by extracting the application-identifying information from the packet.

Abstract: A method of using an application specific service ping packet, and related application specific service ping packet, including one or more of the following: creating the application specific service ping packing including a special packet identification field that identifies the application specific service ping packet as a special packet, and including an application identification field that identifies an application to which the application specific service ping packet corresponds; modifying a deep packet inspection engine to recognize the application specific service ping packet; sending the application specific service ping packet through a deep packet inspection element; identifying the application specific service ping packet as a special packet; determining that the application specific service ping packet can be mapped to a specific application; identifying the specific application; setting an application for processing to the specific application; and performing known application processing based on

Abstract: A method of verifying end-to-end service configuration with application awareness, including one or more of the following: building an application specific service ping packet having an application identification field that identifies an application to which the application specific service ping packet corresponds; forwarding the application specific service ping packet towards a destination in a network; determining static configuration information regarding the application to which the application specific service ping packet corresponds at a network interface of a network element; inserting the static configuration information into the application specific service ping packet; determining at least one policy that applies to a flow including the application specific service ping packet; inserting the at least one policy into the application specific service ping packet; and extracting the service ping packet from the network.

Abstract: A method of monitoring end-to-end QOE of services with application awareness, including one or more of the following: building an application specific service ping packet having an application identification field that identifies an application to which the application specific service ping packet corresponds; forwarding the application specific service ping packet towards a destination in a network; determining requested application-specific performance and resource metrics; collecting the requested application-specific performance and resource metrics; inserting the requested application-specific performance and resource metrics into the application specific service ping packet; and extracting the service ping packet from the network.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments comprise a method and related device and computer-readable medium including one or more of the following: receiving an uncompressed packet sent from the source node to the destination node during a compression negotiation stage; storing information extracted from the uncompressed packet, the stored information sufficient to uniquely identify flows; receiving a compressed packet sent from the source node to the destination node; associating the compressed packet with an active flow by accessing the stored information and information in the compressed packet; performing deep packet inspection (DPI) to identify an application associated with the active flow; and performing application-specific processing on at least one packet belonging to the active flow. In various exemplary embodiments, the information extracted from the uncompressed packet includes a context identifier used to establish a compression context between a compressor and a decompressor.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments are a method and related system and computer-readable medium including one or more the following: receiving a data packet; analyzing the data packet using deep packet inspection (DPI) to determine an application associated with the data packet; determining an MPLS tunnel corresponding to the application associated with the data packet; and forwarding the data packet through the MPLS tunnel. In various exemplary embodiments, the step of analyzing the data packet including examining information in layers 2 through 7 of the data packet or analyzing the data packet to match an application signature. Furthermore, in various exemplary embodiments, the method and related system and computer-readable medium also includes adding a marking to the data packet to indicate the application associated with the data packet.

Abstract: A system and related method for enhancing routing optimality in IP networks requiring path establishment, including one or more of the following: first and second network clouds including a plurality of communication elements, ones of the plurality of communication elements in the network clouds being first and second communication element, the network clouds having boundaries beyond which each of the plurality of communication elements are unable to see a connectivity between any other communication elements outside the respective network clouds; a path computational element that automatically computes an explicit optimal network route between the first and second communication elements and having an overview of all communication elements in the network clouds, the path computational element providing the computed explicit optimal network route to a routing engine; commissioning a path through the first network cloud and the second network cloud from the first communication element to the second communicatio

Abstract: A method of non-service affecting APS protection for MLPPP bundles on routing systems, and associated mechanism, including one or more of the following: specifying a working MLPPP bundle and a protection MLPPP bundle; specifying MLPPP parameters; associating the working MLPPP bundle and the protection MLPPP bundle with an APS circuit; bringing up an MLPPP session; changing an operational status of the working MLPPP bundle; synchronizing MLPPP state information between the working MLPPP bundle and the protection MLPPP bundle; and driving an operational status of the protection MLPPP bundle based on said changing the operational status of the working MLPPP bundle.

Abstract: A mechanism and method for efficient endpoint discriminator allocation for APS protected MLPPP bundles on distributed routing systems, including one or more of the following: specifying working and protection MLPPP bundles; retrieving an endpoint discriminator for the working bundle and updating an endpoint discriminator of the protection bundle based on same; specifying MLPPP operating parameters for the bundles; associating the bundles with an APS circuit; adding links and corresponding discriminators in an LCP between a near end bundle and a far end bundle; bringing up an MLPPP session; and adding links between bundles upon an APS switchover.

Abstract: Communication network routing apparatus and techniques using logical communication links are disclosed. A routing apparatus identifies a logical communication link that it is capable of being used to establish a virtual connection with another routing apparatus within a virtual connection operational domain, which includes multiple sub-domains, of an underlying communication system. A destination that is associated with the routing apparatus and is reachable through the virtual connection is also identified. Information that is indicative of the identified logical communication link and of the identified destination is provided for distribution from a sub-domain of the routing apparatus in the virtual connection operational domain to another sub-domain within the virtual connection operational domain. This distribution of information enables a routing apparatus in one sub-domain to dynamically route a virtual connection toward a destination in a different sub-domain.

Abstract: Virtual connection route selection apparatus and techniques are disclosed. At a communication traffic routing apparatus, metric information associated with multiple different routes for a virtual connection, such as a PseudoWire, toward a destination is collected. The metric information may be collected from one or more remote route computation elements capable of computing routes for virtual connections between the routing apparatus and other routing apparatus over an underlying communication system, or during actual establishment of the virtual connections, for example. An initial or re-optimized route for a virtual connection can then be selected at the routing apparatus based on the collected metric information. In some embodiments, although the virtual connection routes are paths computed by Path Computation Elements (PCEs), actual path selection decisions are distributed to routers.

Abstract: Advertising available resource information for a link in a communication network is provided. The network uses a source routing protocol. The source routing protocol uses the available resource advertisements for identifying a path for a call routed through the node in the network. The method advertises the available resource information for the node to adjacent nodes linked to the node in the network when the node receives a request for a connection to be routed over the link, the request seeking resources exceeding available resources for the link, but not exceeding the last advertised resources for the link.