Distributed system and method for flow identification in an access network

摘要

A system and method for tracking and adjusting packet flows through a network having a service delivery node and one or more residential services gateways. Packet flows are recognized as they pass through one or more residential services gateway and flow analytics information corresponding to the packet flows recognized in the residential services gateways are transferred from the residential gateways to the flow identification control unit. The flow analytics information received from the residential services gateways is analyzed within the flow identification control unit and traffic through one or more of the service access platform and the residential services gateways is adjusted, if necessary, as a function of the flow analytics information analyzed by the flow identification control unit.

主权项

1. A packet flow inspection system, comprising:
a flow identification control unit; a plurality of residential services gateways, wherein each residential services gateway includes a flow identification (FI) agent, wherein the flow identification agent on each residential gateway analyzes packet flows through the residential services gateway associated with the flow identification agent and communicates the packet flow identifications to the flow identification control unit; and a service delivery node communicatively coupled to the flow identification control unit and to the residential services gateways, wherein the service delivery node includes a service access platform and a flow identification agent, wherein the flow identification agent of the service access platform identifies packet flows through the service access platform and communicates the packet flow identifications to the flow identification control unit; wherein the flow identification control unit analyzes the flow analytics information received from the residential services gateways and the service delivery node and stores the analysis in memory; wherein the service delivery node further includes a service access node connected to the service access platform, wherein the service access node is connected to an external network and operates to pass traffic from the external network to the service access platform and from the service access platform to the external network; and wherein the service access node includes an FI agent, wherein the FI agent reports FI analytics information from the service access node to the flow identification control unit.