Altering switch behavior based on statistical data
AssigneeWorld Wide Packets, Inc.
InventorsGarrett Oren Lee, Loren Larsen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This document describes tools that enable a switch to temporarily alter its forwarding behavior when statistical data characterizing the switch satisfies a user-specified condition. To do so, the tools may monitor chronological sets of statistical data associated with the switch over a period of time. If the tools determine at one point during the period of time that one set of statistical data satisfies the user-specified condition, the tools alter the forwarding behavior of the switch for the remainder of the period of time. At the conclusion of the period of time, the tools restore the original forwarding behavior to the switch.
Claims14
A packet switch operating method comprising:
- accessing statistical data, the statistical data characterizing operation of a switch module of a packet switch during each of a set of chronological equal-length time periods;
- forwarding packets received by a port of the packet switch during at least a portion of each of the time periods of the set, the portions commencing at the beginnings of the time periods of the set;
- based on the statistical data, the packet switch determining during each of the periods of the set whether a subset of the statistical data characterizing the operation of the switch module during a portion of the period satisfies a user-specified condition;
- for periods of the set in which the user-specified condition is satisfied and in response to the determining, configuring the switch module to temporarily discard data packets received by the port from subsequent to the determining until the end of the period;
- and
- after the conclusion of periods of the set during which the user-specified condition is satisfied, configuring the switch module to resume forwarding packets received on the port.
A method implemented at least in part by a computing device comprising:
- limiting an amount of data relayed from an ingress switch port to one or more of a set of egress switch ports during a predetermined period of time to a user-specified value plus a finite error value, the predetermined period of time comprising a plurality of sub-periods;
- comparing an amount of data relayed from the ingress switch port to the one or more egress switch ports between the beginning of the predetermined period of time and the end of one of the sub-periods of the plurality with the user-specified value;
- determining that during the one of the sub-periods of the plurality, the amount of data relayed from the ingress switch port to the one or more egress switch ports between the beginning of the predetermined period of time and the end of the one sub-period of the plurality exceeds the user-specified value;
- discarding data packets received by the ingress switch port during sub-periods of the plurality occurring subsequent to the one sub-period of the plurality;
- and
- wherein the amount of data relayed from the ingress switch port to the one or more egress switch ports between the beginning of the predetermined period of time and the end of the one sub-period of the plurality exceeds the user-specified value by the finite error value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.