US 8,526,452 B1 · Quality of service packet scheduler design

Abstract

Systems, methods, devices, and processors are described for quality of service (QoS) packet scheduling in satellite communications systems. A packet received at the QoS packet scheduler may be assigned a virtual departure time utilizing novel self-clocked fair queuing techniques. The virtual departure time for a packet assigned to a queue may depend on a different weight assigned to the queues. Queues may be treated as low latency queues in some cases and may be provided with committed information rates in other cases. Low latency queues may be assigned weights equal to infinity, or the reciprocal of the weight equal to zero. Queues with committed information rates may assign different weights to packets depending on whether the rate that packets are received exceeds the committed information rate. Packets may then be scheduled based on their virtual departure time order.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A method of self-clocked fair queuing with a committed information rate for a satellite communication system, the method comprising:

identifying a first set of packets among a plurality of received packets for a first queue of a plurality of queues;
identifying a receiving rate associated with the first set of packets;
associating a first designation with each packet of the first set of packets when the receiving rate is less than or equal to the committed information rate;
associating the first designation with each packet from at least a first subset of the first set of packets and a second designation with each packet from at least a second subset of the first set of packets when the receiving rate is greater than the committed information rate;
associating the first designation with a first weight and the second designation with a second weight;
assigning virtual departure times to respective packets from the first set of packets based on the respective weight associated with the respective designation associated with each respective packet such that packets associated with the first designation are assigned virtual departure times with earlier virtual departure times than packets associated with the second designation;
and
transmitting the respective packets based on their respective virtual departure times.

5 more elements

A self-clocked fair queuing device with a committed information rate for a satellite communication system, the device comprising:

a sorter module configured to identify a first set of packets among a plurality of received packets for a first queue;
a rate monitor module configured to:
identify a receiving rate associated with the first set of packets;
associate a first designation with each packet of the first set of packets when the receiving rate is less than or equal to the committed information rate;
and
associate the first designation with each packet from at least a first subset of the first set of packets and a second designation with each packet from at least a second subset of the first set of packets when the receiving rate is greater than the committed information rate;
and
a virtual departure time assigner module configured to:
associate the first designation with a first weight and the second designation with a second weight;
and
assign virtual departure times to respective packets from the first set of packets based on the respective weight associated with the respective designation associated with each respective packet such that packets associated with the first designation are assigned virtual departure times with earlier virtual departure times than packets associated with the second designation;
and
an ordering module configured to order the respective packets for transmission based on their respective virtual departure times.

10 more elements

A self-clocked fair queuing device with a committed information rate for a satellite communication system, the device comprising:

a means for identifying a first set of packets among a plurality of received packets for a first queue of a plurality of queues;
a means for identifying a receiving rate associated with the first set of packets;
a means for associating a first designation with each packet of the first set of packets when the receiving rate is less than or equal to the committed information rate;
a means for associating the first designation with each packet from at least a first subset of the first set of packets and a second designation with each packet from at least a second subset of the first set of packets when the receiving rate is greater than the committed information rate;
a means for associating the first designation with a first weight and the second designation with a second weight;
a means for assigning virtual departure times to respective packets from the first set of packets based on the respective weight associated with the respective designation associated with each respective packet such that packets associated with the first designation are assigned virtual departure times with earlier virtual departure times than packets associated with the second designation;
and
a means for transmitting the respective packets based on their respective virtual departure times.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Quality of service packet scheduler design

Life of this patent

Quality of service packet scheduler design

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24