System and method for dynamic bandwidth provisioning
View Patent ↗Embodiments disclosed herein provide a control device and a method executing thereon for allocating network bandwidth to users accessing a controlled network. In response to a user connecting to the control device using a user device, the control device obtains a user bandwidth allocation profile for that user based on user credentials. The user bandwidth allocation profile may be stored local or remote to the control device. A provisioning module running on the control device can map attributes in the user bandwidth allocation profile to a traffic control rule and associate the traffic control rule with the user based on the user credentials and considering information identifying the user device used by the user to connect to the control device. A traffic conditioning module running on the control device can regulate the network bandwidth usage by the user utilizing the traffic control rule associated with the user.
1. A method for allocating network bandwidth to users in a system having an authentication database storing user profiles, an access control device having a plurality of network interfaces coupled to a plurality of user devices and a provisioning device coupled to the access control device, comprising:
configuring the access control device to operate in a first state, wherein operation in the first state comprises regulating network bandwidth usage for a set of users based on a first network bandwidth limit associated with each of the users, and each of the set of users is associated with one of the plurality of user devices;
receiving a first network communication from a first network application running on a first user device coupled to one of the plurality of network interfaces;
accessing a first user profile for a first user associated with the first user device from the authentication database, wherein the first user profile comprises one or more attributes associated with the first user and the first user profile was retrieved from the authentication database based on credentials associated with the first user;
determining a second network bandwidth limit for the first user based on the first network bandwidth limit associated with each of the users and the one or more attributes associated with the first user; and
dynamically updating at least one of the first network bandwidth limits associated with the plurality of users based on the second network bandwidth limit including configuring the access control device to operate in a second state, wherein operation of the access control device in the second state comprises regulating network bandwidth usage for each of the plurality of users based on the first network bandwidth limits.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a second network communication from a second network application on the first user device, including user credentials provided by a second user at the first user device;
retrieving a second user profile for the second user associated with first device from the authentication database; and
determining a third network bandwidth limit for the second user based on the one or more attributes of the second user profile and the first user device.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first user is one of the plurality of users and wherein dynamically updating at least one of the first network bandwidth limits based on the second network bandwidth limit comprises dynamically updating the first network bandwidth associated with the first user to the second network bandwidth.
4. A system, comprising:
an authentication database storing user profiles;
an access control device having a plurality of network interfaces coupled to a plurality of user devices; and
a provisioning device coupled to the access control device and comprising a computer readable medium comprising instructions for:
configuring the access control device to operate in a first state, wherein operation in the first state comprises regulating network bandwidth usage for a set of users based on a first network bandwidth limit associated with each of the users, and each of the set of users is associated with one of the plurality of user devices;
receiving a first network communication from a first network application running on a first user device coupled to one of the plurality of network interfaces;
accessing a first user profile for a first user associated with the first user device from the authentication database, wherein the first user profile comprises one or more attributes associated with the first user and the first user profile was retrieved from the authentication database based on credentials associated with the first user;
determining a second network bandwidth limit for the first user based on the first network bandwidth limit associated with each of the users and the one or more attributes associated with the first user; and
dynamically updating at least one of the first network bandwidth limits associated with the plurality of users based on the second network bandwidth limit including configuring the access control device to operate in a second state, wherein operation of the access control device in the second state comprises regulating network bandwidth usage for each of the plurality of users based on the first network bandwidth limits.
5. The system of claim 4 , the instructions further for:
receiving a second network communication from a second network application on the first user device, including user credentials provided by a second user at the first user device;
retrieving a second user profile for the second user associated with first device from the authentication database; and
determining a third network bandwidth limit for the second user based on the one or more attributes of the second user profile and the first user device.
6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the first user is one of the plurality of users and wherein dynamically updating at least one of the first network bandwidth limits based on the second network bandwidth limit comprises dynamically updating the first network bandwidth associated with the first user to the second network bandwidth.
7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions for allocating network bandwidth to users in a system having an authentication database storing user profiles, an access control device having a plurality of network interfaces coupled to a plurality of user devices and a provisioning device coupled to the access control device, the instructions further for:
configuring the access control device to operate in a first state, wherein operation in the first state comprises regulating network bandwidth usage for a set of users based on a first network bandwidth limit associated with each of the users, and each of the set of users is associated with one of the plurality of user devices;
receiving a first network communication from a first network application running on a first user device coupled to one of the plurality of network interfaces;
accessing a first user profile for a first user associated with the first user device from the authentication database, wherein the first user profile comprises one or more attributes associated with the first user and the first user profile was retrieved from the authentication database based on credentials associated with the first user;
determining a second network bandwidth limit for the first user based on the first network bandwidth limit associated with each of the users and the one or more attributes associated with the first user; and
dynamically updating at least one of the first network bandwidth limits associated with the plurality of users based on the second network bandwidth limit including configuring the access control device to operate in a second state, wherein operation of the access control device in the second state comprises regulating network bandwidth usage for each of the plurality of users based on the first network bandwidth limits.
8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7 , further comprising instructions for:
receiving a second network communication from a second network application on the first user device, including user credentials provided by a second user at the first user device;
retrieving a second user profile for the second user associated with first device from the authentication database; and
determining a third network bandwidth limit for the second user based on the one or more attributes of the second user profile and the first user device.
9. The non-transitory computer readable storage of claim 7 , wherein the first user is one of the plurality of users and wherein dynamically updating at least one of the first network bandwidth limits based on the second network bandwidth limit comprises dynamically updating the first network bandwidth associated with the first user to the second network bandwidth.