Bandwidth reservation for authenticated applications
Methods, systems, devices, and software are disclosed for providing application levels of service over a network. Embodiments of the invention maintain a list of registered applications (or application providers) that have registered with a network resources provider. Customers of the network resources provider may authenticate some or all of the registered applications, indicating a desire to allow traffic relating to those applications over their access networks. Customers may further set application levels of service with respect to those authenticated applications. Certain embodiments may manage network traffic to accord with the application levels of service.
1. A communication device, comprising:
a first communication interface configured to handle both application service level protocol data and non-application service level protocol data, wherein application service level protocol data includes network traffic with application service level protocol information;
a second communication interface configured to carry application service level protocol data and further configured to provide an allocated bandwidth over an access network;
a processor; and
a set of instructions executable by the processor to:
receive the network traffic via the first communication interface;
identify a portion of the network traffic associated with an application based, at least in part, on the application service level protocol information, wherein the application service level protocol information is included in network packet headers of the network traffic and indicative of an application provider of the application that is associated with a respective network packet; and
route the portion of the network traffic associated with the application over the second communication interface, based at least in part on the identified application associated with the portion of the network traffic.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication device provides an allocatable bandwidth between the first communication interface and the second communication interface, and wherein routing the portion of the network traffic comprises allocating a portion of the allocatable bandwidth based at least in part on the identified application associated with the portion of the network traffic.
3. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the set of instructions further comprises instructions executable by the processor to receive, from a network service provider, an indication that the identified application has registered with the network service provider.
4. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to route the portion of network traffic comprise instructions to route the portion of network traffic in accordance with an application level of service (“ALS”) assigned to the identified application.
5. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the ALS is assigned to the identified application by a subscriber associated with the portion of the network traffic.
6. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the communication device is a network element controlled by a network service provider.
7. The communication device of claim 6 , wherein the network element is a router in a network of the network service provider.
8. The communication device of claim 7 , wherein the first communication interface is in communication with a first communication link in the network of the network service provider, and wherein the second communication interface is in communication with a second communication link in the network of the network service provider.
9. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the communication device is customer premises equipment (“CPE”) of a subscriber.
10. The communication device of claim 8 , wherein the CPE comprises one or more of a residential gateway, a router, a modem, or a femto-cell, on a premise network of the subscriber.
11. A method comprising:
receiving network traffic via a first communication interface configured to handle both application service level protocol data and non-application service level protocol data, wherein application service level protocol data includes network traffic with application service level protocol information;
identifying, with the processor, a portion of the network traffic associated with an application based, at least in part, on the application service level protocol information, wherein the application service level protocol information is included in network packet headers of the network traffic and indicative of an application provider of the application that is associated with a respective network packet; and
routing the portion of the network traffic associated with the application over the second communication interface, based at least in part on the identified application associated with the portion of the network traffic, wherein the second communication interface is configured to carry application service level protocol data and further configured to provide an allocated bandwidth over an access network.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the communication device provides an allocatable bandwidth between the first communication interface and the second communication interface, and wherein routing the portion of the network traffic comprises allocating a portion of the allocatable bandwidth based at least in part on the identified application associated with the portion of the network traffic.
13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising receiving, from a network service provider, an indication that the identified application has registered with the network service provider.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein routing the portion of network traffic comprises routing the portion of network traffic in accordance with an application level of service (“ALS”) assigned to the identified application.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the ALS is assigned to the identified application by a subscriber associated with the portion of the network traffic.
16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the communication device is a network element controlled by a network service provider.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the network element is a router in a network of the network service provider.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first communication interface is in communication with a first communication link in the network of the network service provider, and wherein the second communication interface is in communication with a second communication link in the network of the network service provider.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the CPE comprises one or more of a residential gateway, a router, a modem, or a femto-cell, on a premise network of the subscriber.
20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the communication device is customer premises equipment (“CPE”) of a subscriber.