Method and a system for finding smallest hop-specific data transfer speed

A method for controlling a network element, the method comprising:

• controlling the network element to transmit first data to a first other network element via a first data transfer path from the network element to the first other network element, the first data comprising an Ethernet Operations, Administration, and Management message;
• forming, at least partly on the basis of second data received from the first other network element, a first limit value indicating a smallest of hop-specific data transfer speeds related to the first data transfer path;
• controlling a transmission speed of a first data flow transmitted from the network element to the first other network element to be limited on the basis the first limit value;
• controlling the network element to transmit the first data to a second other network element via a second data transfer path from the network element to the second other network element;
• forming, on the basis of other second data received from the second other network element, a second limit value indicating smallest of hop-specific data transfer speeds related to the second data transfer path,
• controlling transmission speed of a second data flow transmitted from the network element to the second other network element to be limited on the basis of the second limit value;
• and
• controlling transmission speed of an aggregate of the first data flow and the second data flow to be limited to be:
• i) at most the first limit value when the first limit value is related to a hop belonging to both of the first and second data transfer paths and the second limit value is equal to or smaller than the first limit value and related to a hop outside the first data transfer path,
• ii) at most the second limit value when the second limit value is related to a hop belonging to both of the first and second data transfer paths and the first limit value is equal to or smaller than the second limit value and related to a hop outside the second data transfer path, and
• iii) at most the first limit value equal to the second limit value when both the first limit value and the second limit value belong to a hop belonging to both of the first data transfer path and the second data transfer path,
• wherein the Ethernet Operations, Administration, and Management message represents a request for the second data.

A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program for controlling a network element, the computer program comprising computer executable instructions for controlling a programmable processor to:

• control the network element to transmit first data to a first other network element via a first data transfer path from the network element to the first other network element, the first data comprising an Ethernet Operations, Administration, and Management message;
• form, on the basis of second data received from the first other network element, a first limit value indicating a smallest data transfer speed of hop-specific data transfer speeds related to the first data transfer path;
• control a transmission speed of a first data flow transmitted from the network element to the first other network element to be limited on the basis of the first limit value,
• control the network element to transmit the first data to a second other network element via a second data transfer path from the network element to the second other network element;
• form, on the basis of other second data received from the second other network element, a second limit value indicating smallest of hop-specific data transfer speeds related to the second data transfer path,
• control transmission speed of a second data flow transmitted from the network element to the second other network element to be limited on the basis of the second limit value, and
• control transmission speed of an aggregate of the first data flow and the second data flow to be limited to be:
• i) at most the first limit value when the first limit value is related to a hop belonging to both of the first and second data transfer paths and the second limit value is equal to or smaller than the first limit value and related to a hop outside the first data transfer path,
• ii) at most the second limit value when the second limit value is related to a hop belonging to both of the first and second data transfer paths and the first limit value is equal to or smaller than the second limit value and related to a hop outside the second data transfer path, and
• iii) at most the first limit value equal to the second limit value when both the first limit value and the second limit value belong to a hop belonging to both of the first data transfer path and the second data transfer path,
• wherein the Ethernet Operations, Administration, and Management message represents a request for the second data.