US 7,088,678 B1 · System and method for traffic shaping based on generalized congestion and flow control

Abstract

A system and methods are shown for traffic shaping and congestion avoidance in a computer network such as a data-over-cable network. A headend of the data-over-cable system includes a traffic shaper configured to calculate a packet arrival rate from a cable modem and a traffic conditioner configured to calculate an average queue size on an output interface to an external network. For example, the traffic shaper compares the packet arrival rate to three packet arrival thresholds including a committed rate threshold, a control rate threshold and a peak rate threshold. If the calculated packet arrival rate falls between the committed threshold and control rate threshold, the traffic shaper applies a link layer mechanism, such as a MAP bandwidth allocation mechanism, to lower the transmission rate from the cable modem.

Claims35

Dependent claims

A method for traffic shaping in a computer network, the method comprising:

receiving at least one data packet on a traffic manager from a user network entity;
calculating at least one flow control parameter using the at least one data packet received from the user network entity;
comparing the at least one flow control parameter to at least three threshold levels comprising at least a committed threshold level, a control threshold level and a peak threshold level;
and
applying a link layer control mechanism to control data flow from the user network entity if a value of the at least one flow control parameter is between the committed threshold level and the control threshold level.

2 more elements

A system for traffic shaping in a computer network, the system comprising:

an input interface arranged to receive at least one data packet from a network entity via an upstream communication link;
an output interface arranged to send the at least one data packet to an outside network;
a traffic manager connected to the input interface and the output interface, the traffic manager arranged to calculate at least one flow control parameter using the at least one data packet received from the network entity and compare the flow control parameter to a set of flow control threshold levels comprising a committed threshold level, a control threshold level and a peak threshold level, the traffic manager further arranged to apply a flow control mechanism to control data flow from the network entity if a value of the at least one flow control parameter falls between the committed threshold level and the control threshold level.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System and method for traffic shaping based on generalized congestion and flow control

Life of this patent

System and method for traffic shaping based on generalized congestion and flow control

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims35