WO2014135793A1

WO2014135793A1 - Method for allocating resources for implementing virtual networks in a telecommunication network

Info

Publication number: WO2014135793A1
Application number: PCT/FR2014/050491
Authority: WO
Inventors: Qing SHEN
Original assignee: Orange
Priority date: 2013-03-06
Filing date: 2014-03-05
Publication date: 2014-09-12
Also published as: FR3003115A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a resources method for implementing a virtual network in a telecommunication network comprising a plurality of routing nodes (401,402,403,404), said method comprising the following steps implemented by at least one of the routing nodes: reception (300) of data flow packets provided with a header comprising a field indicating the type of service to which said flow is associated; and allocation (303), to the data flow, of at least one resource relative to a virtual tunnel towards another of said routing nodes, according to the value of said field.

Description

Method for allocating resources for implementing virtual networks in a telecommunication network

The invention relates to a resource allocation method for the implementation of virtual networks in a telecommunications network and applies in particular to the field of virtual networks.

The set of techniques enabling the use and implementation of virtual networks is usually referred to using the term "network virtualization". Although this expression includes the neologism "virtualization" derived from the English word "virtualization", it is used in the description because it is commonly used by those skilled in the art.

The purpose of network virtualization is to share the same telecommunication network infrastructure or different telecommunication network infrastructures. For this, virtual networks isolated from each other are created. The resources to be shared between the different virtual networks can be computing resources, memory and / or bandwidth. If the telecommunication network is used to convey data associated with different services, the virtualization of the networks allows to distribute them on several independent virtual networks.

VPNs, acronym from the term "Virtual Private Network", VLANs, acronym from the term "Virtual Local Area Network", and VC networks including virtual circuits are known examples implementing the technique network virtualization.

Cloud computing, commonly referred to as "Cloud Computing", is one of the areas for which virtualization techniques are used. Indeed, the sharing of resources is particularly important in this case so that operators can achieve savings and size their networks as best as possible. As such, network virtualization is one of the tools to make the use of cloud computing realistic, both from a technical and a financial point of view. This technique is particularly useful at the level of the IaaS layer, an acronym derived from the English expression "Infrastructure as a Service".

In practice, it appears that the use of virtual networks is not always optimal. For example, if a virtual network is implemented for a given service, it is possible that the resources allocated to it are no longer sufficient to satisfy the demand of the users for a given period of time. Thus, if the allocated bandwidth is not sufficient to support the traffic related to this service, problems of congestion will appear. On the other hand, if the traffic ceases, the network resources are always reserved by the virtual network and can not be used for other services.

There is therefore a need to dynamically manage these virtual networks as quickly and as quickly as possible in the most economical and fastest way possible.

An object of the invention is in particular to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks.

To this end, the subject of the invention is a method for allocating resources for implementing a virtual network in a telecommunication network comprising a plurality of routing nodes, this method comprising the following steps implemented. by at least one of the routing nodes:

receiving packets of a data stream having a header including a field indicating the type of service with which said stream is associated; and

allocating to the data stream, according to the value of this field, at least one resource relating to a virtual tunnel to another of said routing nodes.

It is thus possible to dynamically create a virtual network in which resources, at the level of the virtual tunnels making up this network, are allocated specifically to a service, depending on the type of service associated with it.

According to an advantageous characteristic, in addition to said at least one resource relating to a virtual tunnel, a processing resource comprising a portion of the computing resources and the memory of the routing node is allocated to the data stream, which also makes it possible to reserve, for the service in question, processing resources at the level of the routing nodes involved in the virtual network.

According to one embodiment, the packet reception and resource allocation steps are implemented successively by each of the routing nodes through which the packets of the data stream transit, which allows an immediate and progressive reservation, node by node, resources allocated to the service via the virtual network.

According to another embodiment, the method comprises verifying, for each of the routing nodes through which the data stream packets are transiting, the availability of the at least one resource following the reception of the packets of the data stream. allocating this at least one resource being implemented after verifying the availability of said at least one resource by all of said routing nodes through which the packets of the data stream transit. This makes it possible to reserve the virtual network resources only after verifying their availability over the entire virtual network, which avoids the unnecessary reservation of resources at the level of the first routing nodes or the first virtual tunnels of the virtual network when it turns out that a next virtual node or tunnel does not have resources to allocate to the service in question. According to an advantageous characteristic, after verifying the availability of said at least one resource, the routing nodes send a message to a network controller indicating whether this at least one resource is available, and, when the set of routing nodes by which transit packets of the data stream have indicated that at least one resource is available, sending the controller to these routing nodes an allocation message of the at least one resource to the data stream. This makes it possible to control the global reservation of the resources to be allocated to the service at the level of a network controller, typically located remotely at the level of a network control plane.

According to a particular characteristic, the at least one resource relating to a virtual tunnel is a part of the bandwidth, the maximum bit rate or the maximum capacity of the virtual tunnel, which makes it possible to use this virtual tunnel for different types of service. According to another particular characteristic, the field indicating the type of service is the ToS field of the IP header of the packets of the data stream.

In one embodiment of the invention, the at least one allocated resource is released when no packet of the data stream has been received during an observation period, thereby making these resources available to others. services when they are no longer used.

In another embodiment in which the routing nodes contain a configuration table in which is stored a correspondence between at least one value of the field indicating the type of service and at least one resource relating to a virtual tunnel to another of the nodes In addition, the method further comprises, following the reception of the packets of the data stream, consulting the configuration table in order to deduce the resource relating to a tunnel allocated according to this correspondence. This allows dynamic management of the creation of virtual networks by means of a configuration table that can be transmitted beforehand by a network controller.

According to an advantageous characteristic, an allocation rule, defined by default in the configuration table, is used to allocate the at least one resource when the value of the field has no equivalent in the configuration table, which allows the creation of virtual networks for services not originally planned. Alternatively, according to another advantageous characteristic, a message is sent to a network controller when the value of the field has no equivalent in the configuration table, this network controller returning to the routing node an allocation rule to use to allocate the at least one resource. This makes it possible to centrally manage, at the level of the network controller, the creation of the virtual networks for services not initially provided for. The invention further proposes a routing node comprising means for implementing the method above.

The invention also proposes a network controller comprising means for initializing and updating configuration tables stored in apartment routing nodes in a telecommunication network, these configuration tables memorizing a correspondence between at least one value of a network. field, present in the packet headers of a data stream and indicating the type of service with which said stream is associated, and at least one resource relating to a virtual tunnel between two of said routing nodes.

The invention further proposes a telecommunication system composed of a plurality of routing nodes and at least one network controller, the routing nodes comprising means for implementing the method above, and the controller comprising means for updating the configuration tables stored by the routing nodes. According to an advantageous embodiment, the controller is configured to update the routing tables using the OpenFlow protocol. The network controller and one of the routing nodes can be implemented within the same equipment.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent with the aid of the following description given by way of non-limiting illustration, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

FIGS. 1A to 1C illustrate the principle of network virtualization;

Figure 2 gives an example of a network architecture and introduces how the OpenFlow standard protocol can be used;

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the steps of a method of allocating resources to virtual networks;

FIGS. 4A to 4E illustrate an example of virtual network creation according to a first embodiment of the invention; and

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate an example of virtual network creation according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Reference is first made to FIGS. 1A-1C which illustrate the principle of network virtualization.

FIG. 1A illustrates an example of a telecommunication network comprising an infrastructure composed of six routing nodes 101 to 106. Each of these routing nodes can directly exchange (links 107 to 115) digital data with three other nodes. routing of the network through the implementation of appropriate protocols and physical resources. Thus, the routing node 101 can directly exchange (links 107, 108 and 113) digital data with the three routing nodes 102, 104 and 106.

Based on this infrastructure, multiple virtual networks can be created. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, it is possible to create a first virtual network 116 composed of five routing nodes 101, 102, 104, 105, 106 selected from among the six routing nodes of the telecommunication network infrastructure. Virtual tunnels 117 to 122 are then configured to allow the selected routing nodes to exchange data with each other. Figure 1C illustrates a second virtual network 123 based on the network infrastructure shown in Figure 1A. To dial it, five routing nodes 101 to 105 are selected and six virtual links 124 to 129 are configured between these nodes.

For these two virtual networks 116 and 123, routing nodes are used simultaneously for both. It is therefore necessary to share the resources of these routing nodes between the two virtual networks 116 and 123 to which they are allocated, whether it is the intrinsic processing resources at the nodes themselves or the resources relating to the virtual links connecting these common nodes. to both networks.

Referring now to FIG. 2, which gives an example of network architecture and introduces how the OpenFlow (registered trademark) standard protocol can be used.

The architecture thus presented comprises five routing nodes 200 to 204 located in a transport plane as defined in this protocol, as well as a network controller 205, located in a control plane as defined in this protocol. The routing nodes include transmission means for exchanging data with another routing node or the network controller, as well as processing means (typically a data processing processor, associated with a random access memory and a data processor). read-only memory able to store in particular a configuration table as described below) configured to implement the method described below. The network controller also comprises transmission means for the exchange of data with each of the routing nodes as well as processing means (typically a data processing processor associated with a random access memory and a read only memory) for the implementation of the method described later.

A configuration table is stored in each routing node. This configuration table contains a set of fields to identify the streams of data received by the nodes and route these streams to other nodes following rules. predefined by this table. The OpenFlow protocol makes it possible to program the configuration tables thus stored. It is then possible to control different streams by intelligently choosing the paths taken by the packets associated with them and the way they are treated.

In other words, the OpenFlow protocol makes it possible to create different virtual networks by programming, via a controller 205, configuration tables stored in the routing nodes. The establishment of virtual networks makes it possible to share the hardware resources and thus to improve the profitability for the operator of the network.

The method according to the invention introduces a mechanism that takes into account the type of service associated with the data streams so as to allow optimized management of the capacity of the virtual networks according to the needs associated with these services. Advantageously, a telecommunication operator implementing the invention in his network can then finely control the priority of the services relative to each other by playing in particular on the amount of resources allocated to the different active virtual networks.

The invention relies on a network infrastructure composed of routing nodes. The infrastructure may also include at least one network controller. In particular, a routing node performs routing and resource allocation functions. A network controller is a device that makes it possible, in particular, to configure the routing nodes of the network. The invention can be implemented within a network in which the routing nodes and the controllers correspond to equipment that is distinct from each other. In an alternative embodiment, the infrastructure may include at least one device acting as both a routing node and a controller. For the sake of simplification of the presentation, the principle of the invention is described below assuming that the routing nodes and the network controllers are implemented in separate devices.

Referring now to Figure 3, which schematically illustrates the steps of a method of allocating resources to virtual networks according to the invention.

For a data flow associated with a given service, a virtual network is created by allocating a portion of the resources available in the network infrastructure. For this, the allocation mechanism takes into account the type of service associated with the data flow. The type of service corresponds to the quality of service required for the transmission of the stream, that is to say to parameters such as the loss of packet tolerance, the maximum delay between the transmission and the reception of a packet. package, as well as other parameters well known to man of career. According to one aspect of the invention, the notion of type of service is taken into account by the routing nodes of the network by analyzing the headers of the packets of the stream.

In a preferred embodiment, the ToS field, an acronym derived from the English expression "Type of Service", is used for this purpose. This field, indicative of the type of service associated with a data flow, is included in the IP header of the packets and contains information about the quality of service required for the transmission of the data stream.

In advance, the controller transmits configuration tables to the various routing nodes of the network, which are then stored in the various routing nodes of the network. A configuration table contains a set of allocation rules to follow when setting up virtual networks. Once these rules are defined, the method according to the invention executed by the routing nodes allows this allocation of resources. In particular, a configuration table can include several ToS field values with which a set of allocation rules is associated. These configuration tables are for example initially programmed by the operator of the telecommunications network.

When a given routing node receives (step 300) one or more packets belonging to a data stream, it analyzes (step 301) these packets so as to determine the type of service associated with them, which is therefore associated with the flow of data. data, for example by extracting the value of the ToS field in these packets. The configuration table stored in the routing node is then consulted (step 302) in order to check whether a virtual network already exists for this type of service, in which case this existing virtual network is used for the transmission of the packets of the stream.

If, on the contrary, these packets are associated with a service for which there is not yet a virtual network, the routing node allocates (step 303) then a set of resources, in order to participate in the creation of a new network. virtual server to support this service by transporting the data stream, following the rules defined in its configuration table.

The resources allocated by a routing node to the creation of a virtual network correspond, on the one hand, to resources relating to a virtual tunnel to another routing node of the network through which the data packets of the data stream transit. to provide the required service. Such resources may correspond to all the resources of the virtual tunnel itself, in its entirety, when it is desired to reserve the entire virtual tunnel between two routing nodes to the only service required via the stream received. . Alternatively, these resources may correspond to a portion of the resources of the virtual tunnel. So, when the virtual tunnel between the two nodes has a band maximum throughput, maximum throughput, or maximum capacity, the resources in question correspond to a portion of these parameters, which may depend on the type of service indicated in the packet field.

Thus, for example, for a virtual tunnel having a bandwidth of 200 Mbit / s, minimum resources corresponding to 4 Mbit can be allocated to a particular type of service such as video, and used by data streams. generated by this service.

In addition, the resources allocated by a routing node to the creation of a virtual network can correspond, on the other hand, to processing resources intrinsic to the routing node, used to set up a processing instance for creation of the virtual network. Such processing resources may typically correspond to computational and memory resources of the routing node. Similar to virtual tunnel resources, a larger or smaller portion of these processing resources may be allocated to the received stream, depending on the type of service required by that stream, based on rules associated with the value of the field. ToS of the flow in the configuration table.

If the value of the ToS field extracted from packets received from the stream has no equivalent in the configuration table of a routing node, several alternatives can be envisaged:

- A first alternative is to define beforehand, in the configuration table, a default allocation rule for unrecognized ToS field values. This allocation rule is then used to allocate resources when receiving packets associated with an unrecognized service type.

- A second alternative is that the routing node sends a message to a network controller, which then returns, in real time, an allocation rule previously stored in the network controller.

In a third alternative, the service associated with the data stream is simply rejected.

In a fourth alternative, the stream is considered to be a stream associated with the value of the lowest priority ToS field of the configuration table.

Once these resources are allocated to a new virtual network, the packets of the stream transit in this virtual network using both the resources of the virtual tunnels and the processing instances allocated to the stream. The introduction of new services is thus simplified by dynamic management of virtual networks. Indeed, the new network virtual is only allocated the resources necessary to support the traffic of the service or services associated with it.

In addition, this mechanism has the decisive advantage of allowing a quick release of resources allocated which is equivalent to a rapid removal of misused virtual networks. For this, different mechanisms can be implemented.

For example, for a data stream transported by a virtual network, when no packet of this stream is received during a so-called "observation" period, which may be a predetermined duration of the order of one hour to As a non-limiting example, by one of the routing nodes used by this virtual network, the resource allocated by this routing node to this virtual network is released. To implement this embodiment, the different routing nodes of the virtual network set up for this service can increment a time counter, called "timer" in English, when no packet is received. Beyond a certain threshold, corresponding to the above-mentioned observation time, the routing nodes release the virtual channels and the processing instances that they themselves have reserved. These resources can then be allocated to other virtual networks associated with other services. The use of network infrastructure resources is then dynamically optimized.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 4A to 4E which give an example of virtual network creation according to a first embodiment of the invention.

In this example, the network infrastructure 405 comprises a controller 400 and four routing nodes 401 to 404 each having a certain amount of processing resources (for example four CPU processing units and a ten gigabyte RAM per node ).

In a first step, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, the controller 400 configures the routing nodes 401 to 404 by sending them respective configuration messages 411 to 414 containing in particular configuration tables, transmitted for example using the OpenFlow protocol. The purpose of this prior configuration phase is to transmit to each routing node a configuration table that maps one or more ToS field values to a set of resources to be reserved, in particular to a resource associated with a virtual tunnel and a processing instance. where necessary.

By way of example, a ToS1 value of the ToS field may be associated, in such a configuration table, with the reservation of a processing instance using a CPU and two hundred megabytes of RAM. In addition, the ToSl value can be associated with the creation of a virtual tunnel, whose characteristics are also provided in the configuration table, and the reservation of at least part of the resources of this virtual tunnel, for example a part of the maximum throughput available on this virtual tunnel.

Following this preliminary configuration step, as illustrated with the aid of FIG. 4B, the first packets of a stream F of data arrive (step 421) at the level of the first routing node 401. This routing node 401 then analyzes the IP headers of the packets received, in order to deduce the ToS field of the stream. It turns out that this stream F is a data stream whose ToS field value is ToSl, i.e. a data stream according to a type of service associated with this ToSl value. The first routing node 401 then consults its configuration table, to see if an entry corresponding to this ToSl value exists, which is the case in this example.

The creation of a new virtual network is then initiated because no virtual network exists at this stage to support the service associated with the ToSl value. The first routing node 401, knowing the rules enabling it to contribute to the configuration of this new virtual network, thus creates a first processing instance 431, reserving part of its processing resources to the processing of the stream F (ie a unit of CPU processing and two hundred megabytes of RAM) as indicated in the configuration table.

The first node 401 further initiates the creation of a virtual tunnel 441, allowing it to route the packets of the stream F to a second node 402, and allocates resources associated with this first virtual tunnel 441 (typically, a portion of the capacity or the maximum rate of this virtual tunnel) to the transmission of the data packets of this stream F, as indicated in its configuration table.

As illustrated in FIG. 4C, the first packets received by the first node 401 are then transmitted (step 422), by means of the virtual tunnel 441 and resources of this tunnel allocated to the stream F, to the second node 402. first node 401, the second node 402 retrieves the ToS1 value of the ToS field of these packets, and determines what are the configuration rules of the new virtual network by consulting the configuration table that it has memorized.

The second node 402 then creates a second processing instance 432, corresponding to the reservation of a portion of the processing resources of this second node 402 (eg one of the four available CPUs and two hundred megabytes of CPU). RAM) according to its configuration table. In addition, the second node 402 initiates the creation of a second virtual tunnel 442 to the third routing node 403, and allocates resources associated with this second tunnel to the transmission of the stream F, according to what is indicated in its configuration table, thus allowing the second node 402 to route the packets of the stream F to the third node 403. As illustrated in FIG. 4D, the first packets of the stream F are then transmitted (step 423) by the second node 402, by means of the second virtual tunnel 442 and resources of this tunnel allocated to the stream F, towards the third node 403.

As for the previous nodes 401 and 402, this third node 403 retrieves the ToS1 value of the ToS field of this packet and determines the configuration rules of the new virtual network using the configuration table that it has previously stored. This third node 403 in turn creates a third processing instance 433, corresponding to the reservation of part of the resources of this third node 403 (eg one of the four available CPU processing units and two hundred megabytes of RAM) according to its configuration table. In addition, the third node 403 initiates the creation of a third virtual tunnel 443 to the fourth routing node 404, and allocates resources associated with this third tunnel to the transmission of the stream F according to what is indicated in its table. configuration, thereby allowing the third node 403 to route the packets of the stream F to this fourth node 404 by means of this virtual tunnel.

Finally, and as shown in FIG. 4E, the first packets of the ToS1 data stream arrive at the fourth routing node 404 (step 424). As for the previous nodes 401, 402 and 403, the fourth node 404 retrieves the ToS1 value of the ToS field of the first packets of the stream F and determines the configuration rules of the new virtual network, by consulting its memorized configuration table. The node 404 then creates a fourth processing instance 434, corresponding to the reservation of a part of the resources of this fourth node 404 (eg a processing unit CPU of the four available and two hundred megabytes of RAM) . The configuration rules obtained from its configuration table then indicate to this node 404 that it must transmit the packets of this stream F outside the network infrastructure (step 425), for example to the terminal or the network of the recipient of the stream, without resorting to the establishment of a virtual tunnel.

The following packets of the stream F then pass through these nodes 401 to 404 using both the processing instances 431 to 434 reserved for the stream F as the resources allocated to this stream F in the virtual tunnels 441 to 443.

This first embodiment thus highlights the creation, step by step, of a virtual network composed of three virtual tunnels 441 to 443 of which at least a portion of the resources are reserved, and using four processing instances at the level of the four nodes. 401 to 404, taking into account the specific needs associated with the stream F, depending on the type of service associated with this stream F as described by the ToSl value. Only the processing and virtual tunnel resources needed to support the service have been allocated. In addition, the virtual network thus constructed can be released at any time as explained above. The nodes 401 to 404 may, for example, increment a time counter and release the resources associated with the three virtual tunnels 441 to 443, as well as the four processing instances 431 to 434 that they themselves have reserved. These resources can then be allocated to other virtual networks associated with other services.

Referring now to Figures 5A and 5B which illustrate an example of virtual network creation according to a second embodiment of the invention.

In this example, the network infrastructure 405 comprises a controller 400 and four routing nodes 401, 402, 403 and 404, similar to what has been previously described, which have been able to implement a preliminary configuration phase as described. in connection with Figure 4A.

Following this preliminary configuration step, as illustrated by means of FIG. 5A, the first packets of a stream F of data arrive (step 511) at the level of the first routing node 401. This first node 401 then analyzes the IP headers of the packets received, in order to extract the value of the ToS field of the stream, here the ToSl value, in order to determine the type of service associated with the stream F.

The first node 401 then consults its configuration table to determine the resources required for this service, as defined in correspondence with the ToSl value in this table, in particular the resources associated with a first virtual tunnel connecting the node 401 to the next node 402, such as minimum bit rate or minimum capacity on the link between these two nodes, as well as the processing resources (ie data processing capabilities, available memory) at the first node 401 itself.

The first node 401 then checks whether these resources are available. When no resource is available for this type of service, the first node 401 stops the virtual network creation process at this point, without any unnecessary reservation of resource, and sends a message to the controller. 400 to inform him of this situation. On the other hand, if the resources indicated in the table for this type of service are available, the first node 401 informs the controller 400 of this situation and transmits these first packets to the second node 402 (step 512), without reserving at this stage these resources.

After receiving these first packets of the stream F, the second node 402 similarly proceeds to the node 401, ie it analyzes the headers of the packets received, in order to extract the value of the ToS field of the stream (here the value ToS1) indicating the type service associated with the flow, consult its configuration table to determine the required resources associated with the service corresponding to this ToSl value, in particular the resources associated with a second virtual tunnel connecting the node 402 to the next node 403 as well as possibly processing resources at the second node 402 itself, and checks the availability of these resources.

If these resources are available for this type of service at the second node 402, this second node 402 in turn informs the controller 400 and transmits the first packets of the stream F to the third node 403 (step 513). After receiving these first packets of the stream F, the third node 403 similarly proceeds to the nodes 401 and 402, ie it analyzes the headers of the packets received, in order to extract the ToS1 value from the ToS field of these packets, consult its table of configuration to determine the required resources associated with the service corresponding to this ToSl value, including the resources associated with a third virtual tunnel connecting the node 403 to the next node 404 as well as possibly processing resources at the third node 403 itself, and check the availability of these resources.

If these resources are available for this type of service at the third node 403, this third node 403 informs the controller 400 and transmits the first packets of the stream F to the fourth node 404 (step 514). After receiving these first packets of the stream F, the fourth node 404 similarly proceeds to the nodes 401 to 403, and analyzes the headers of the packets received, in order to extract the ToS1 value from the ToS field of these packets, consult its configuration table to determine the required resources associated with the service corresponding to this ToSl value, including the processing resources at the fourth node 404 itself, and verifies the availability of these resources. This fourth node 404 being the last node through which the stream F passes in the architecture 405, its configuration table does not indicate any resource to reserve against a possible virtual tunnel, the packets of the stream F being then transmitted to the terminal or the network of the recipient of the stream without resorting to a virtual tunnel.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, when the controller 400 determines that all the nodes 401 to 404 through which the first packets of the stream F pass have available resources associated with virtual tunnels, as well as processing resources intrinsic to the data. nodes 401 to 404, it transmits to these different nodes an allocation message of these resources (step 515), to instantly create a virtual network for transporting the stream F.

Upon receipt of such a reservation message, each node reserves the resources available for the establishment of a virtual tunnel to the next node, as well as processing resources intrinsic to this node, as determined previously during the verification following the reception of the first packets of the stream F. The virtual tunnels 521 to 523, as well as the processing instances 531 to 534, are thus reserved instantaneously following the sending of the reservation messages, and the virtual network intended to carry the stream F is built at one time, after checking the availability of resources on the entire virtual network thus created.

Subsequently, once the service associated with the stream F terminates, the routing nodes release both the intrinsic processing resources used by the processing instances 531 to 534 and the resources associated with the virtual tunnels 521 to 523 and inform the controller 400 of the release of these resources, which allows the operator of the network infrastructure to monitor in real time the evolution of resource requirements, for example following the introduction of new services, and reassign including resources thus released to these new services.

Claims

A resource allocation method for implementing a virtual network in a telecommunication network comprising a plurality of routing nodes (401, 402, 403, 404), the method comprising the following steps, implemented by at least one of said nodes. Routing :

receiving (300) packets of a data stream having a header including a field indicating the type of service with which said stream is associated; and

allocating (303) the data stream, based on the value of said field, of at least one resource relating to a virtual tunnel to another of said routing nodes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in addition to said at least one resource relating to a virtual tunnel, a processing resource comprising a portion of the computing resources and the memory of the routing node is allocated to the data stream.

The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the packet receiving and resource allocation steps are successively implemented by each of said routing nodes through which the data stream packets transit.

The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising verifying, for each of said routing nodes through which the packets of the data stream transit, the availability of said at least one resource following the reception of the packets of the data stream. data;

the allocation of said at least one resource being implemented after verifying the availability of said at least one resource by all of said routing nodes through which the packets of the data stream transit.

The method of claim 4, wherein:

after verifying the availability of said at least one resource, said routing nodes send a message to a network controller (400) indicating whether said at least one resource is available; and

when all the said routing nodes through which the packets of the data stream transit have indicated that at least one resource is available, sending (515) from the network controller to said routing nodes of an allocation message of said at least one resource to the data stream.

6. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said at least one resource relating to a virtual tunnel is a part of the bandwidth, maximum rate or maximum capacity of said virtual tunnel.

The method according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the field indicating the type of service is the ToS field of the IP header of the packets of the data stream.

The method according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said at least one allocated resource is released when no packet of the data stream has been received during an observation period.

9- Method according to claim 1 to 8, in said routing nodes contain a configuration table in which is stored a correspondence between at least one value of said field and at least one resource relating to a virtual tunnel to another of said routing nodes , the method further comprising, after receiving the packets of the data stream, consulting the configuration table to derive the resource relating to a tunnel allocated according to said correspondence.

The method of claim 9, wherein an allocation rule, defined by default in the configuration table, is used to allocate said at least one resource when the value of said field has no equivalent in said table. configuration.

The method of claim 9, wherein a message is sent to a network controller (400) when the value of said field has no equivalent in the configuration table, said controller (400) returning to the routing node an allocation rule to be used to allocate said at least one resource.

12- routing node (401, 402, 403, 404) comprising means for implementing the method according to one of claims 1 to 11.

13- Network controller (400) comprising means for initializing and updating configuration tables stored in apartment routing nodes to a telecommunication network, said configuration tables storing a correspondence between at least one value of a field , present in the headers of packets of a data stream and indicating the type of service with which said stream is associated, and at least one resource relating to a virtual tunnel between two of said routing nodes. 14- telecommunication system composed of a plurality of routing nodes (401, 402, 403, 404) and at least one network controller (400), said routing nodes comprising means for implementing the method according to one of claims 1 11, and the controller (400) including means for updating the configuration tables stored by the routing nodes.

The telecommunication system of claim 14, wherein the network controller is configured to update the configuration tables using the OpenFlow protocol.