A network management mechanism that regulates access to resources by evaluating and controlling new connection requests based on predefined policies and available capacity.

Admission Control

Admission control serves as a gatekeeper mechanism in network management systems, determining whether new requests for resources or connections should be accepted or rejected based on current system conditions and policies.

Core Functions

Resource Evaluation

Assesses current system capacity and available resources
Monitors quality of service parameters
Evaluates network bandwidth utilization
Tracks system load metrics

Decision Making

The admission control system makes binary decisions based on:

Pre-configured policies and thresholds
Current resource availability
Service Level Agreement requirements
Network congestion patterns

Implementation Contexts

Network Services

Application Areas

Multimedia Streaming
- Ensures consistent video quality
- Manages bandwidth allocation
- Controls user session counts
Data Centers
- Load Balancing coordination
- Resource reservation
- Capacity Planning management

Benefits and Challenges

Advantages

Prevents system overload
Maintains service quality
Ensures fair resource distribution
Supports network reliability

Challenges

Complex decision algorithms
Network Latency in processing requests
Balance between utilization and protection
Dynamic resource assessment

Best Practices

Policy Definition
- Clear acceptance criteria
- Quality of Service thresholds
- Service Level Agreement alignment
- Resource reservation rules
Monitoring and Adjustment
- Regular performance assessment
- Policy refinement
- Network Analytics
- Capacity trending

Future Trends

The evolution of admission control is being shaped by:

Artificial Intelligence-driven decision making
Software Defined Networking integration
Network Automation management
Edge Computing control systems

Admission control remains a critical component in maintaining network stability and service quality, particularly as networks become more complex and demand for resources continues to grow.