Method, system, and product for alleviating router congestion
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsDeanna Lynn Brown, Vinit Jain, Venkat Venkatsubra
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method, system, and product are described for alleviating router congestion when the router is processing packets transmitted by computer systems having a congestion notification capability. The router marks packets transmitted between a first computer system and a second computer system when the first and second computer systems have the congestion notification capability. The marking indicates that the router is moderately congested. A marked packet is then received by the first computer system. The router then drops packets transmitted by the first computer system when the packets were transmitted subsequent to the receipt of the marked packet.
Claims20
A method of alleviating congestion in a router, said method comprising:
- receiving packets at the router, wherein the packets are transmitted by at least one computer system having a congestion notification capability;
- notifying the at least one computer system that the router is moderately congested, wherein the router may pass packets having an explicit congestion notification bit set when the router is moderately congested, and wherein when the router is severely congested the router will drop packets indiscriminately;
- and
- dropping packets having the explicit congestion notification bit set after the step of notifying and while the router is moderately congested.
A computer program product comprising:
- a computer usable medium having computer usable program code for alleviating congestion in a router, said computer program product including:
- computer usable program code for receiving packets at the router, wherein the packets are transmitted by at least one computer system having a congestion notification capability;
- computer usable program code for notifying the at least one computer system that the router is moderately congested, wherein the router may pass packets having an explicit congestion notification bit set when the router is moderately congested, and wherein when the router is severely congested the router will drop packets indiscriminately;
- and
- computer usable program code for dropping packets having the explicit congestion notification bit set after notifying the at least one computer system that the router is moderately congested and while the router is moderately congested.
A router system for alleviating congestion, the router system comprising at least one router adapted to perform the steps of:
- receiving packets at the at least one router, wherein the packets are transmitted by at least one computer system having a congestion notification capability;
- notifying the at least one computer system that the at least one router is moderately congested, wherein the at least one router may pass packets having an explicit congestion notification bit set when the at least one router is moderately congested, and wherein when the at least one router is severely congested the at least one router will drop packets indiscriminately;
- and
- dropping packets having the explicit congestion notification bit set after the step of notifying and while the at least one router is moderately congested.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.