QoS Resource Management in MPLS-Based Networks

Efficient QoS resource management is needed for a host of existing and ever-increasing new services. For service performance, flexibility, and reduced cost it is preferable to provide integration of these services on a shared network. Such integration and sharing is facilitated by QoS resource management techniques described in the draft which are applicable to MPLS-based networks. Such QoS resource management techniques are used in PSTNs to standardize service classification, bandwidth allocation, bandwidth protection, and priority routing treatment for all network services. In the draft we illustrate the principles of QoS resource management and describe their application to MPLS-based networks. In the proposed QoS resource management method, bandwidth is allocated in discrete changes to each of three virtual networks (VNs) corresponding to high-priority key services, normal priority services, and best-effort lower priority services. Bandwidth changes in VN bandwidth capacity are determined by edge switch/routers based on an overall aggregated bandwidth demand for VN capacity (not on a per-connection demand basis). Based on the aggregated bandwidth demand, these edge switch/routers make periodic discrete changes in bandwidth allocation, that is, either increase or decrease bandwidth on the constraint-based routing label switched paths (CRLSPs) constituting the VN bandwidth capacity. We propose to add optional parameters in the constraint-based routing label distribution protocol (CRLDP) for QoS Internet Draft QoS Resource Management in MPLS-Based Networks Feb 99 resource management. In particular, we propose an optional depth-of-search (DoS) type/length/value (TLV) parameter in the CRLDP label request message to control the bandwidth allocation on individual links in a CRLSP. In addition, we propose an optional modify-TLV parameter in the CRLDP label request message to allow modification of the assigned traffic parameters (such as peak data rate, committed data rate, etc.) of ...