Efficient urgency-aware rate control scheme for multiple bounded flows

An apparatus for controlling a flow rate of multiple data flows at a network node on a path of the data flows, the apparatus comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• at least one processor device, coupled to the memory, operative to:
• provide i) a private restriction token bucket for each of the data flows, ii) a private guarantee token bucket for each of the data flows and iii) a shared token bucket common to all of the data flows, wherein the restriction token bucket for a given one of the data flows, data flow i, has a refill rate Ri , which is equal to a maximum flow rate for the data flow i and the guarantee token bucket for the data flow i has a refill rate Gi which is equal to a minimum flow rate for the data flow i;
• obtain n number of tokens from the restriction token bucket for the data flow i when a message belonging to the data flow i arrives at the node and needs the n number of tokens to pass through the node;
• attempt to obtain the n number of tokens from one or more of A) the guarantee token bucket for the data flow i and B) the shared token bucket;
• and
• transmit the message if the n number of tokens are obtained from one or more of A) the guarantee token bucket for the data flow i and B) the shared token bucket, otherwise delaying transmission of the message until the n number of tokens are available in one or more of A) the guarantee token bucket for the data flow i and B) the shared token bucket.

An article of manufacture for controlling a flow rate of multiple data flows at a network node on a path of the data flows, comprising a non-transitory machine-readable recordable medium containing one or more programs which when executed implement the steps of:

• providing i) a private restriction token bucket for each of the data flows, ii) a private guarantee token bucket for each of the data flows and iii) a shared token bucket common to all of the data flows, wherein the restriction token bucket for a given one of the data flows, data flow i, has a refill rate Ri which is equal to a maximum flow rate for the data flow i and the guarantee token bucket for the data flow i has a refill rate Gi which is equal to a minimum flow rate for the data flow i;
• obtaining n number of tokens from the restriction token bucket for the data flow i when a message belonging to the data flow i arrives at the node and needs the n number of tokens to pass through the node;
• attempting to obtain the n number of tokens from one or more of A) the guarantee token bucket for the data flow i and B) the shared token bucket;
• and
• transmitting the message if the n number of tokens are obtained from one or more of A) the guarantee token bucket for the data flow i and B) the shared token bucket, otherwise delaying transmission of the message until the n number of tokens are available in one or more of A) the guarantee token bucket for the data flow i and B) the shared token bucket.