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EP-4740397-A1 - METHOD AND SYSTEM OF HANDLING TRAFFIC REQUEST IN A NETWORK

EP4740397A1EP 4740397 A1EP4740397 A1EP 4740397A1EP-4740397-A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a system (108) and a method (400) of handling traffic request in a network (106). The system (108) includes a transceiver (210) to receive a traffic request including at least one data packet along with an Internet Protocol (IP) address from the network (106). Further, the system (108) includes a mapping module (214) to map the IP address from the received traffic request against a plurality of IP addresses stored in a database (208). Further, the system (108) includes a determination module (218) to determine an application identifier for the mapped IP address utilizing a Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) unit (310). Further, the system (108) includes a policy module (220) to handle the received traffic request by implementation of a set of rules or policies based on the determined application identifier corresponding to the received traffic request.

Inventors

  • BHATNAGAR, AAYUSH
  • JHA, ADITYAKAR
  • Ranjan, Anu
  • MALHOTRA, PANKAJ
  • Sengupta, Swarup
  • Mamgain, Ranjan
  • VASHISHTH, Yog

Assignees

  • Jio Platforms Limited

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240629

Claims (19)

  1. 1. A method (400) of handling traffic request in a network (106), the method (400) comprising the steps of: receiving, by one or more processors (202), a traffic request from the network (106), the traffic request includes at least one data packet along with an Internet Protocol (IP) address; mapping, by the one or more processors (202), the IP address from the received traffic request against a plurality of IP addresses stored in a database (208); determining, by the one or more processors (202), an application identifier for the mapped IP address utilizing a Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) unit (310), wherein the application identifier pertains to a content of at least one data packet to identify at least one of an application or a service associated with the received traffic request; and handling, by the one or more processors (202), the received traffic request by implementation of a set of rules or policies based on the determined application identifier corresponding to the received traffic request.
  2. 2. The method (400) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the received traffic request is at least an uplink and a downlink traffic request.
  3. 3. The method (400) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the uplink traffic request includes the at least one data packet with a destination IP address and the downlink traffic request includes the at least one data packet with a source IP address.
  4. 4. The method (400) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein on receipt of the traffic request from the network (106), the one or more processors is configured to perform the step of: identifying, a traffic type of the received traffic request determined by applying a set of traffic identification and classification rules based on a predefined priority.
  5. 5. The method (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the application identifier enables the one or more processors (202) to identify at least one of the application and service associated with the received traffic request.
  6. 6. The method (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one of the application and service is preregistered in the network via a Domain Name System (DNS).
  7. 7. The method (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein on determination of the application identifier, the one or more processors (202), is configured to perform the step of mapping the application ID to attributes associated with the plurality of applications and services including at least one IP address, domain name, and Uniform Resource Locator (URL), wherein the step of mapping aids the one or more processors to one of, identify and classify the received traffic request.
  8. 8. The method (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mapping is performed at a network layer of the traffic request.
  9. 9. The method (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors (202), builds the database (208) which stores the plurality of IP addresses by transmitting one or more Domain Name System (DNS) queries for each of the application domains extracted from Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), the URLs configured for the respective applications.
  10. 10. A system (108) of handling traffic request in a network (106), the system (108) comprising: a transceiver (210), configured to receive, a traffic request from the network (106), the traffic request includes at least one data packet along with an Internet Protocol (IP) address; a mapping module (214), configured to map, the IP address from the received traffic request against a plurality of IP addresses stored in a database (208); a determination module (218), configured to determine, an application identifier for the mapped IP address utilizing a Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) unit (310), wherein the application identifier pertains to a content of the least one data packet to identify at least one of an application or a service associated with the received traffic request; and a policy module (220), configured to handle, the received traffic request by implementation of a set of rules or policies based on the determined application identifier corresponding to the received traffic request.
  11. 11. The system (108) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the received traffic request is at least an uplink and a downlink traffic request.
  12. 12. The system (108) as claimed in claim 11, wherein the uplink traffic request includes the at least one data packet with a destination IP address and the downlink traffic request includes the at least one data packet with a source IP address.
  13. 13. The system (108) as claimed in claim 10, wherein on receipt of the traffic request from the network, an identification module (212) is configured to identify, a traffic type of the received traffic request determined by applying a set of traffic identification and classification rules based on a predefined priority.
  14. 14. The system (108) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the application identifier enables the identification module (212) to identify at least one of the application and service associated with the received traffic request.
  15. 15. The system (108) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least one of the application and service is preregistered in the network (106) via a Domain Name System (DNS).
  16. 16. The system (108) as claimed in claim 10, wherein on determination of the application identifier, the mapping module (214) is configured to perform mapping of the application ID to attributes associated with the plurality of applications and services including at least one IP address, domain name, and Uniform Resource Locator (URL), wherein mapping aids the identification module to identify and classify the received traffic request.
  17. 17. The system (108) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the mapping is performed at a network layer of the traffic request.
  18. 18. The system (108) as claimed in claim 10, wherein a building module (216) of the system builds the database (208) which stores the plurality of IP addresses by transmitting one or more Domain Name System (DNS) queries for each of the application domains extracted from Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), the URLs configured for the respective applications.
  19. 19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer- readable instructions that, when executed by a processor (202), causes the processor (202) to: receive, a traffic request from the network (106), the traffic request includes at least one data packet with an Internet Protocol (IP) address; map, the IP address from the received traffic request against a plurality of IP addresses stored in a database (208); determine, an application identifier for the mapped IP address utilizing a Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) unit (310), wherein the application identifier pertains to a content of the least one data packet to identify at least one of an application or a service associated with the received traffic request; and handle, the received traffic request by implementation of a set of rules or policies based on the determined application identifier corresponding to the received traffic request.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM OF HANDLING TRAFFIC REQUEST IN A NETWORK FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to the field of wireless communication networks and, more particularly, relates to a method and system of handling traffic request in the networks. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] In modern telecommunication networks, the User Plane Function (UPF) plays a crucial role in packet processing and traffic management. The UPF is a key component of the Core Network defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The 3GPP is an international standards organization responsible for developing specifications for mobile communication systems. These specifications define the architecture, protocols, and functionalities of the mobile network infrastructure. [0003] The UPF is responsible for processing user traffic in the Core Network based on signaling received over the N4 interface. The N4 interface facilitates communication between the UPF and other network elements, such as the Access Network (AN) and the Session Management Function (SMF). The UPF performs various functions, including traffic classification, forwarding, quality of service enforcement, and usage reporting. [0004] To ensure proper handling of user traffic, the UPF employs traffic classification mechanisms. These mechanisms involve analyzing packet information at different layers of the network protocol stack. The protocol stack consists of multiple layers, each responsible for specific functions in data transmission. [0005] At the lower layers, such as Layer 3 (L3) and Layer 4 (L4), the UPF examines traffic flow information, including IP addresses, port numbers, and protocols. This information allows the UPF to differentiate between different types of traffic, such as voice calls, video streaming, or web browsing. The UPF can then apply appropriate forwarding actions and quality of service policies based on this classification. [0006] Additionally, the UPF considers higher-layer characteristics for more granular traffic classification. These characteristics relate to the Layer 7 (L7) application layer, which represents the highest layer in the protocol stack and deals with application-specific data. Examples of L7 characteristics include URLs, domain names, or application-specific attributes. [0007] To extract L7 characteristics, the UPF may employ deep packet inspection (DPI) techniques. DPI involves examining the content of packet payloads to identify specific application protocols or extract relevant information, such as URLs or domain names. This enables the UPF to gain deeper insights into the nature of user traffic and apply more specific processing rules. [0008] Accurate traffic classification is crucial for implementing various policies and rules in the UPF. These include Forwarding Action rules, which determine how packets are routed or processed, Quality of Service (QoS) enforcement rules, which ensure that different types of traffic receive the appropriate level of service, and usage reporting rules, which track and monitor network resource utilization. [0009] To prioritize traffic classification rules, the UPF assigns different levels of priority based on their selectivity. More specific rules, such as those defined by Application Detection Function (ADF) identifiers, have higher priority compared to more general rules. This prioritization ensures that the UPF applies the most appropriate processing rules and actions to each packet based on the specific application or service it belongs to. [0010] However, traditional methods of application detection, particularly at the L7 layer, have limitations. Performing DPI on each packet to extract L7 characteristics and match them against an application identification database can be computationally intensive and resource-consuming. This becomes a significant challenge, especially in high-traffic scenarios where UPF nodes need to handle a large volume of packets. [0011] Therefore, there is a need for an optimization technique that improves the efficiency and performance of the Application Detection Function in the UPF. By leveraging IP matching at the L3 layer, the UPF can selectively process packets based on the IP address of the server hosting the application. This approach eliminates the need for costly DPI operations on all packets, leading to significant CPU savings and improved UPF performance. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0012] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and system of handling traffic request in a network. [0013] In one aspect of the present invention, a system of handling traffic request in a network is disclosed. The system includes a transceiver configured to receive a traffic request from the network. The traffic request includes at least one data packet along with an Internet Protocol (IP) address. Further, the system includes a mapping module configured to map the IP address from the received traffic request against a