Method and apparatus for allocation of available bandwidth

A method for determining a number of data cells to transmit after transmission of a first management cell and before transmission of a second management cell, by a source node sending data cells and management cells onto a data transfer network to a plurality of destination nodes, said source node using a potentially different transmittal rate for each said destination node of said plurality of destination nodes, comprising:

• a) determining a time interval;
• b) selecting a particular destination node of said plurality of destination nodes;
• c) sending a first management cell from said source node to a said particular destination node;
• d) sending a first number of data cells from said source node following said first management cell to said particular destination node, said first number calculated as a product of said time interval and a first cell transmittal rate used for transmitting cells to said particular destination node;
• e) sending a second management cell to said first destination node after said first number of data cells is sent;
• f) completing steps b-e for each of said destination nodes, where said product is computed for each said destination node using said time interval and a transmission rate used for transmission of cells to said each of said destination nodes.

A method for determining a number of data cells to transmit after transmission of a first management cell and before transmission of a second management cell, by a source node sending data cells and management cells onto a data transfer network to a plurality of destination nodes, said source node using a potentially different transmittal rate for each said destination node of said plurality of destination nodes, comprising:

• a) determining a time interval;
• b) sending a first management cell from said source node to a first destination node of said plurality of destination nodes;
• c) sending a first number of data cells from said source node following said first management cell to said first destination node, said first number calculated in relation to a number of cells calculated by a product of said time interval and a first cell transmittal rate used for transmitting cells to said first destination node;
• d) sending a second management cell to said first destination node after said first number of data cells is sent;
• and,
• e) completing steps b-d for each of said destination nodes.

A method for varying the source cell transmittal rate by a source node sending data cells and management cells onto a data transfer network to at least one destination node, comprising:

• a) determining a time interval;
• b) sending a first management cell from said source node to said destination node;
• c) sending a first number of data cells from said source node following said first management cell, said first number calculated in relation to a number of cells calculated by a product of said time interval and a first cell transmittal rate;
• d) sending a second management cell after said first number of data cells is sent;
• and,
• e) repeating steps b-d for each destination node of said plurality of destination nodes.

A source node in a data transfer network comprising:

• a central processing unit (CPU) for determining a number of data cells to transmit after transmission of a first management cell and before transmission of a second management cell, by a source node sending data cells and management cells onto a data transfer network to a plurality of destination nodes, said source node using a potentially different transmittal rate for each said destination node of said plurality of destination nodes;
• a memory for storing a time interval;
• a cell I/O handler to select a particular destination node of said plurality of destination nodes, said cell I/O handler sending a first management cell from said source node to a said particular destination node;
• an output buffer to send a first number of data cells from said source node following said first management cell to said particular destination node, said source node calculating said first number in relation to a number of cells calculated by a product of said time interval and a first cell transmittal rate used for transmitting cells to said particular destination node, and said source node sending a second management cell to said first destination node after said first number of data cells is sent, and said source node completing steps b-e for each of said destination nodes, where said product is computed for each said destination node using said time interval and a transmission rate used for transmission of cells to said each of said destination nodes.

A method for transmitting data cells in a computer network, comprising:

• establishing a time period;
• establishing a plurality of sessions for transmitting the data cells;
• computing a first number of data cells as a product of said time period and a transmission rate for a first session of said plurality of sessions;
• transmitting, in said first session, a first management cell followed by said first number of data cells followed by a second management cell;
• computing a second number of data cells as a product of said time period and a transmission rate for a second session of said plurality of sessions;
• and,
• transmitting, in said second session, a third management cell followed by said second number of data cells followed by a fourth management cell.

A node in a computer network, comprising:

• a data processing control system to establish a plurality of sessions for transmitting a plurality of data cells in each of a plurality of sessions;
• a central processing unit in said data processing control system to establish a time period,
• compute a first number of data cells as a product of said time period and a transmission rate for a first session of said plurality of sessions,
• compute a second number of data cells as a product of said time period and a transmission rate for a second session of said plurality of sessions;
• a transmitter to transmit in said first session, a first management cell followed by said first number of data cells followed by a second management cell, and to transmit in said second session, a third management cell followed by said second number of data cells followed by a fourth management cell.

A node in a computer network, comprising:

• means for establishing a plurality of sessions, and for transmitting a plurality of data cells in each of said plurality of sessions;
• means for establishing a time period;
• means for computing a first number of data cells as a product of said time period and a transmission rate for a first session of said plurality of sessions;
• means for computing a second number of data cells as a product of said time period and a transmission rate for a second session of said plurality of sessions;
• and,
• a transmitter to transmit in said first session, a first management cell followed by said first number of data cells followed by a second management cell, and to transmit in said second session, a third management cell followed by said second number of data cells followed by a fourth management cell.