Path selection strategy utilizing type of service (TOS) in software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN)

1 . A computer-implemented method in a Wi-Fi gateway on a data communication network, for per-application path selection during loading balancing in Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN), utilizing Type of Service (TOS), the method comprising:

enabling a TOS option for sessions of SD-WAN data traffic over ports of a network interface configured for load balancing of the SD-WAN data traffic;

monitoring SD-WAN link quality of multiple links [Internet, LTE, mobile data, cell data, ADSL, Wi-Fi, Ethernet], each link associated with a different ISP to determine SD-WAN routes in real-time, wherein the SD-WAN link quality comprises jitter, latency, bandwidth and packet loss;

extracting TOS parameters from a header of a first data packet of a first session of a plurality of sessions the SD-WAN data traffic;

determining an SD-WAN link quality requirement for the first session based on TOS parameters of an application generating the first session by deriving at least one of a jitter requirement, a latency requirement, a bandwidth requirement, and a packet loss requirement from the TOS parameters of the application;

identifying, from the TOS parameters, a corresponding queue among a plurality of queues generated for different TOS parameters, each queue comprising an ordered list of candidate links ranked according to a respective link factor;

selecting an SD-WAN route based on the TOS parameters matching real-time SD-WAN link quality requirement by matching jitter, latency and/or packet loss requirements of TOS parameters to highest ranking links over a route, including selecting a preferred link from the corresponding queue based on the ordered list of candidate links; and

outputting the data traffic of the first data packet and subsequent data packets of the first session to the selected SD-WAN route.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising configuring rules associated with selecting links for sessions.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the TOS parameters comprise a TOS field.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of selecting the SD-WAN route further comprises overriding a first selected SD-WAN route if one of the links of the route are unreachable.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of selecting the SD-WAN route further comprises overriding a first selected SD-WAN route if a security check of the route does not pass.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein SD-WAN links comprise one or more of Internet, LTE, mobile data, cell data, ADSL, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet.

7 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium in a SD-WAN server on a data communication network, for per-application path selection during loading balancing in Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN), utilizing Type of Service (TOS), the method comprising:

enabling a TOS option for sessions of SD-WAN data traffic over ports of a network interface configured for load balancing of the SD-WAN data traffic;

monitoring SD-WAN link quality of multiple links, each link associated with a different ISP to determine SD-WAN routes in real-time, wherein the SD-WAN link quality comprises jitter, latency, bandwidth and packet loss;

extracting TOS parameters from a header of a first data packet of a first session of a plurality of sessions the SD-WAN data traffic;

determining an SD-WAN link quality requirement for the first session based on TOS parameters of an application generating the first session by deriving at least one of a jitter requirement, a latency requirement, a bandwidth requirement, and a packet loss requirement from the TOS parameters of the application;

identifying, from the TOS parameters, a corresponding queue among a plurality of queues generated for different TOS parameters, each queue comprising an ordered list of candidate links ranked according to a respective link factor;

selecting an SD-WAN route based on the TOS parameters matching real-time SD-WAN link quality requirement by matching jitter, latency and/or packet loss requirements of TOS parameters to highest ranking links over a route; and

outputting the data traffic of the first data packet and subsequent data packets of the first session to the selected SD-WAN route.

8 . A Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) server on a data communication network, for per-application path selection during loading balancing in SD-WAN, utilizing Type of Service (TOS), the SD-WAN server comprising:

a processor;

a network interface communicatively coupled to the processor and to a data communication network; and

a memory, communicatively coupled to the processor and storing instructions that are executable by the processor, and comprise:

a TOS module to enable a TOS option for sessions of SD-WAN data traffic over ports of a network interface configured for load balancing of the SD-WAN data traffic;

a link monitoring module to monitor SD-WAN link quality of multiple links, each link associated with a different ISP to determine SD-WAN routes in real-time, wherein the SD-WAN link quality comprises jitter, latency, bandwidth and packet loss;

the TOS module to extract TOS parameters from a header of a first data packet of a first session of a plurality of sessions the SD-WAN data traffic;

a selection module to determining an SD-WAN link quality requirement for the first session based on TOS parameters of an application generating the first session by deriving at least one of a jitter requirement, a latency requirement, a bandwidth requirement, and a packet loss requirement from the TOS parameters of the application, identify, from the TOS parameters, a corresponding queue among a plurality of queues generated for different TOS parameters, each queue comprising an ordered list of candidate links ranked according to a respective link factor,

the selection module to select an SD-WAN route based on the TOS parameters matching real-time SD-WAN link quality requirement by matching jitter, latency and/or packet loss requirements of TOS parameters to highest ranking links over a route,

the network interface to output the data traffic of the first data packet and subsequent data packets of the first session to the selected SD-WAN route.