Multimedia data flow dropping with notification

A computer program product including a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions contained thereon, the computer-readable instructions capable of causing a computer of a network device in a network to perform the following:

• receiving, by the computer of the network device, a plurality of data packets to be forwarded by the network device, each data packet being associated with one of a plurality of multimedia data flows via header information in the respective data packet;
• receiving an identification of at least a first multimedia data flow of the plurality of multimedia data flows, to be dropped by the network device to relieve a congestion condition within the network, wherein the identification is based on a priority level associated with the first multimedia data flow, wherein no identification of a second multimedia data flow of the plurality of multimedia data flows is received, and wherein the network device is configured to forward data packets associated with the second multimedia data flow and not data packets associated with the first multimedia data flow, wherein the data packets associated with the first multimedia data flow are dropped;
• sending a first notification message to a source from which the first multimedia data flow originates, to instruct the source to stop sending the first multimedia data flow;
• and
• sending a second notification message to a destination of the first multimedia data flow, to instruct the destination to perform a predefined action responsive to the identification of the first multimedia data flow to be dropped by the network device.

A system, comprising:

• a module that receives a plurality of data packets to be forwarded by the system, each data packet being associated with one of a plurality of multimedia data flows via header information in the respective data packet;
• a module that receives an identification of at least a first multimedia data flow to be dropped by the system to relieve a congestion condition in a network, wherein the identification is based on a priority level associated with the first multimedia data flow, wherein no identification of a second multimedia data flow of the plurality of multimedia data flows is received, and wherein the system is configured to forward data packets associated with the second multimedia data flow and not data packets associated with the first multimedia data flow, wherein the data packets associated with the first multimedia data flow are dropped;
• a module that sends, by operation of a computer processor, a first notification message to a source from which the first multimedia data flow originates, to instruct the source to stop sending the first multimedia data flow;
• and
• a module that sends a second notification message to a destination of the first multimedia data flow, to instruct the destination to perform a predefined action responsive to the identification of the first multimedia data flow to be dropped by the system.

A source entity in a computer network, comprising:

• a first module of the source entity in the computer network, for sending a plurality of data packets to a transmitting entity in the computer network, to be forwarded by the transmitting entity to a destination entity in the computer network, wherein each data packet is associated with one of a plurality of multimedia data flows via header information in the respective data packet;
• a second module of the source entity, for receiving a first notification message from the transmitting entity, wherein the first notification message identifies, from the plurality of multimedia data flows, at least a first multimedia data flow to be dropped by the transmitting entity based on a priority level associated with the first multimedia data flow and to relieve a congestion condition within the computer network, wherein a second multimedia data flow of the plurality of multimedia data flows is not identified to be dropped;
• and
• a third module of the source entity to effect, by operation of a computer processor, stopping transmission of data packets associated with the first multimedia data flow identified in the first notification message received by the second module of the source entity and not data packets associated with the second multimedia data flow;
• wherein the transmitting entity is configured to send a second notification message to the destination entity, to instruct the destination entity to perform a predefined action responsive to the transmitting entity identifying the first multimedia data flow to be dropped based on the priority level associated with the first multimedia data flow and.

A destination entity in a computer network, comprising:

• a first module of the destination entity in the computer network, for receiving a plurality of data packets forwarded by a transmitting entity in the computer network, wherein the plurality of data packets originate from a source entity in the computer network, wherein each data packet is associated with one of a plurality of multimedia data flows via header information in the respective data packet, wherein the transmitting entity is configured to send a first notification message to the source entity, wherein the first notification message identifies, from the plurality of multimedia data flows, at least a first multimedia data flow to be dropped by the transmitting entity based on a priority level associated with the first multimedia data flow and to relieve a congestion condition within the computer network;
• a second module of the destination entity, for receiving a second notification message from the transmitting entity, wherein the second notification message identifies the first multimedia data flow to be dropped by the transmitting entity based on the priority level associated with the at least one multimedia data flow, wherein the second notification message does not identify a second multimedia data flow of the plurality of multimedia data flows, and wherein the transmitting entity is configured to forward data packets associated with the second multimedia data flow and not data packets associated with the first multimedia data flow, wherein the data packets associated with the first multimedia data flow are dropped;
• and
• a third module of the destination entity to perform, by operation of a computer processor, a notification function to inform a second entity that transmission of the first multimedia data flow identified in the second notification message received by the second module of the destination entity is to cease.

A method, performed by a device in a network that provides a congestion relieving service to at least one other entity in the network, comprising:

• receiving, by the device in the network, a plurality of data packets to be forwarded by the device, each data packet being associated with one of a plurality of multimedia data flows via header information in the respective data packet;
• receiving, from the at least one other entity, information identifying at least a first multimedia data flow that needs to be dropped to relieve a congestion condition within the network, wherein the identification is based on a priority level associated with the at least one multimedia data flow, wherein the information does not identify a second multimedia data flow of the plurality of multimedia data flows, wherein the device is configured to forward data packets associated with the second multimedia data flow and not data packets associated with the first multimedia data flow, wherein the data packets associated with the first multimedia data flow are dropped;
• sending a first notification message, in response to receiving the information identifying the first multimedia data flow from the entity, to a source from which the first multimedia data flow originates in the network, to instruct the source to stop sending the first multimedia data flow;
• and
• sending a second notification message, in response to receiving the information identifying the first multimedia data flow from the entity, to a destination of the first multimedia data flow, to instruct the destination to perform a predefined action responsive to the first multimedia data flow being identified to be dropped by the device.