US 2021/0243128 A1Published application

Efficient congestion control in a tunneled network

AssigneeAkamai Technologies, Inc.

InventorsWilliam R. Sears, Martin K. Lohner

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A method of congestion control implemented by a sender over a network link that includes a router having a queue. During a first state, information is received from a receiver. The information comprises an estimated maximum bandwidth for the link, a one-way transit time for traffic over the link, and an indication whether the network link is congested. In response to the link being congested, the sender transitions to a second state. While in the second state, a sending rate of packets in reduced, in part to attempt to drain the queue of data packets contributed by the sender. The sender transitions to a third state when the sender estimates that the queue has been drained of the data packets contributed. During the third state, the sending rate is increased until either the sender transitions back to the first state, or receives a new indication that the link is congested.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A method of congestion control over network links that include a router having a queue used by a set of sending entities, comprising:

as a particular sending entity is transmitting data over multiple paths, and for at least one path of the multiple paths:
during a first state, receiving information from a receiving entity, the information comprising an estimated maximum bandwidth for a network link, a one-way transit time for traffic over the network link, a receive rate, and an indication whether the network link is congested;
responsive to the indication that the network link is congested, transitioning the sending entity from the first state to a second state;
while in the second state, estimating an amount of data the particular sending entity has contributed to the queue;
reducing a sending rate of packets at least in part to attempt to drain the queue of data estimated to have been contributed by the particular sending entity;
and
transitioning the sending entity from the second state to a third state when the particular sending entity estimates that the queue has been drained of the data contributed by the particular sending entity.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/233,742Filed 19 Apr 2021
Priority: 27 Mar 2018
Published: 5 Aug 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

H04L 12/4641
Interconnection of networks: virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN]
H04L 47/24
Flow control; Congestion control: traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
H04L 12/4625
LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone: single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
H04L 47/125
Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion: by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering

Family

Application62/648,470Us provisional application · filed 27 Mar 2018
Application16/365,502Continuation · filed 26 Mar 2019
Application17/233,742Continuation
US 10,986,027 B1Related patent
US 11,805,061 B2Related patent
US 2021/0243128 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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