Resource reallocation for flow-enforced user traffic

A packet network including a plurality of network nodes interconnected by transmission links, a source node of the network located at an entry of the network comprising flow enforcement means including a buffer for allowing cells from a user terminal to be transmitted toward a destination terminal when a contract parameter value is not violated and storing the cells in said buffer when said contract parameter value is violated, each of said network nodes comprising:

• resource allocation means responsive to a connection request from said user terminal for invoking a call admission control (CAC) algorithm to accept or reject the connection request depending on the amount of resource requested by the user terminal, establishing said contract parameter value, and allocating a portion of a free bandwidth resource to said user terminal according to the established contract parameter value;
• and
• resource reallocation means, responsive to a reallocation request transmitted from said user terminal when occupancy of said buffer is higher than a predefined value, for transmitting a copy of the reallocation request to a downstream node to elicit an acceptance signal therefrom, reserving a portion of a pool bandwidth resource and invoking said CAC algorithm to reserve a portion of said free bandwidth resource,
• said resource reallocation means of said source node temporarily allocating said reserved portion of the pool bandwidth resource to said user terminal in response to said acceptance signal from the downstream node indicating that same amount of the reserved portion of the pool bandwidth resource is available in said downstream node, and permanently allocating said reserved portion of the free bandwidth resource to said user terminal and restoring the temporarily allocated portion of the pool bandwidth resource.

A packet network comprising at least first and second interconnected network nodes, each of said nodes comprising resource allocation means responsive to a connection request from a user terminal for invoking a call admission control (CAC) algorithm to accept or reject the connection request depending on the amount of resource requested by the user terminal, establishing a contract parameter value, and allocating a portion of a free bandwidth resource to said user terminal according to the established contract parameter value,

• said first node including:
• flow enforcement means including a buffer for allowing cells from said user terminal to be transmitted toward a destination terminal when said contract parameter value is not violated and storing the cells in said buffer when said contract parameter value is violated;
• and
• first resource reallocation means responsive to a reallocation request transmitted from said user terminal when occupancy of said buffer is higher than a predefined value for transmitting a copy of the reallocation request to said second node to elicit an acceptance signal therefrom and reserving a portion of a pool bandwidth resource, invoking said CAC algorithm to reserve a portion of said free bandwidth resource, said first resource reallocation means temporarily allocating the reserved portion of the pool bandwidth resource to the user terminal in response to the acceptance signal from the second node, transmitting a confirmation signal to the second node, and permanently allocating the reserved portion of the free bandwidth resource to the user terminal and restoring the temporarily allocated portion of the pool bandwidth resource,
• said second node including:
• second resource reallocation means responsive to the reallocation request from said first node for reserving a portion of a pool bandwidth resource, invoking said CAC algorithm to reserve a portion of the free bandwidth resource of the second node, transmitting said acceptance signal to said first node, said second resource reallocation means permanently allocating the reserved portion of the free bandwidth resource of the second node to the user terminal in response to said confirmation signal, and restoring the reserved portion of the pool bandwidth resource of the second node.

In a packet network including a plurality of network nodes interconnected by transmission links, a source node of the network located at an entry of the network comprising flow enforcement means including a buffer for allowing cells from a call-originating user terminal to be transmitted toward a destination terminal when a contract parameter value is not violated and storing the cells in said buffer when said contract parameter value is violated, and each of said nodes comprising call admission control means responsive to a connection request from said user terminal for invoking a call admission control (CAC) algorithm to allocate a portion of a free bandwidth resource to said user terminal and establish said contract parameter value, a method for controlling traffic of the user terminal, comprising the steps of:

• a) transmitting a reallocation request from the user terminal when occupancy of said buffer is higher than a predefined value;
• b) receiving said reallocation request at said source node, transmitting a copy of the reallocation request to a downstream node to elicit an acceptance signal therefrom and reserving a portion of a pool bandwidth resource;
• c) invoking said CAC algorithm to reserve a portion of said free bandwidth resource;
• d) receiving said acceptance signal at said source node indicating that same amount of the portion of the pool bandwidth resource reserved by the step (b) is available in said downstream node and temporarily allocating the reserved portion of the pool bandwidth resource to said user terminal;
• and
• e) permanently allocating the portion of the free bandwidth resource reserved by the step (c) to the user terminal and restoring the temporarily allocated portion of the pool bandwidth resource.

In a packet network comprising a first node located at an entry of the network and a second node, said first node comprising flow enforcement means including a buffer for allowing cells from a user terminal to be transmitted toward a destination terminal when a contract parameter value is not violated and storing the cells in said buffer when said contract parameter value is violated, and each of said first and second nodes comprising call admission control means responsive to a connection request from the user terminal for invoking a call admission control (CAC) algorithm to allocate a portion of a free bandwidth resource to said user terminal and establish said contract parameter value, a method for controlling traffic of said user terminal, comprising the steps of:

• a) transmitting a reallocation request from the user terminal when occupancy of said buffer is higher than a predefined value;
• b) receiving said reallocation request at said first node, transmitting a copy of the reallocation request from the first node to the second node to elicit an acceptance signal therefrom, and reserving a portion of a pool bandwidth resource of the first node;
• c) invoking said CAC algorithm to reserve a portion of said free bandwidth resource of the first node;
• d) receiving the copy of the reallocation request at said second node, reserving a portion of a pool bandwidth resource of the second node, transmitting said acceptance signal from the second node to said first node, and invoking said CAC algorithm to reserve a portion of said free bandwidth resource of the second node;
• e) receiving said acceptance signal at said first node indicating that same amount of said portion reserved by the step (b) is available in said second node, temporarily allocating said portion reserved by the step (b) to said user terminal, and transmitting a confirmation signal from said first node to said second node;
• f) permanently allocating the portion of the free bandwidth resource of the first node reserved by the step (c) to the user terminal and restoring the portion of the pool bandwidth resource of the first node temporarily allocated by the step (e);
• and
• g) receiving said confirmation signal at said second node for permanently allocating the portion of the free bandwidth resource of the second node reserved by the step (d) to the user terminal and restoring the portion of the pool bandwidth of the second node reserved by the step(d).