# US 9,521,078 B2 · Method and apparatus for controlling congestion of network equipment > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,521,078 B2 - Document ID: US9521078B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/147,883 - Filed: 2014-01-06 - Published: 2014-10-16 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2013-04-10 - Assignees: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute - Applicants: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute - Inventors: Hak Suh Kim; Ki Cheol Jeon; Byungjun Ahn; Kyeong Ho Lee; Hae Sook Park - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9521078B2 ## CPC - H04L 47/125: by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering - H04L 47/32: by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A method of controlling congestion of network equipment that connects networks with each other, includes determining a type of congestion based on a location of the network equipment; and identifying a network connection section having a strong possibility of occurrence of congestion based on the type of congestion, and setting a critical congestion bandwidth that is used to determine the occurrence of congestion. Further, the method includes identifying users required for equal distribution of traffic upon occurrence of congestion based on the critical congestion bandwidth; and equally distributing traffic to the identified users based on the critical congestion bandwidth, and then dropping an excess of arriving traffic over the equally distributed traffic, thereby performing avoidance of the congestion. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of controlling congestion of network equipment that connects networks with each other, comprising: determining a type of congestion based on types of the network equipment; identifying a network connection section having a strong possibility of occurrence of congestion based on the type of congestion, and setting a critical congestion bandwidth that is used to determine the occurrence of congestion; identifying users required for equal distribution of traffic upon occurrence of congestion based on the critical congestion bandwidth; and equally distributing traffic to the identified users based on the critical congestion bandwidth, and then dropping an excess of arriving traffic over the equally distributed traffic, thereby performing avoidance of the congestion. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the type of congestion comprises determining the type of congestion to be an external or internal network output congestion type depending on an amount of traffic that arrives from each of the networks that are connected by the network equipment. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the type of congestion comprises determining the type of congestion to be an external or internal network output congestion type based on types of apparatuses included in each of the networks that are connected by the network equipment. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said setting the critical bandwidth comprises: identifying an interface of the network equipment, that is, the network connection section; and setting the critical bandwidth using a Command Line Interface (CLI) of the identified interface. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said setting the critical bandwidth comprises: setting the critical bandwidth in compliance with Quality of Service (QoS) policies set in the network equipment. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying the users comprises identifying the users using header information of packets arriving from the users. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein header information of the packets includes source or destination addresses of the packets. ### Claim 8 An apparatus for controlling congestion of network equipment that connects networks with each other, comprising: a congestion type determination unit configured to determine a type of congestion based on types of the network equipment; a critical bandwidth setting unit configured to identify a network connection section having a strong possibility of occurrence of congestion based on the type of congestion, and to set a critical congestion bandwidth that is used to determine the occurrence of congestion; and a traffic control unit configured to identify users required for equal distribution of traffic upon occurrence of congestion based on the critical congestion bandwidth, and to equally distribute traffic to the identified users based on the critical congestion bandwidth and then drop an excess of arriving traffic over the equally distributed traffic, thereby performing avoidance of the congestion. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the congestion type determination unit determines the type of congestion depending on an amount of traffic that arrives from each of the networks that are connected by the network equipment. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the congestion type determination unit determines the type of congestion based on types of apparatuses included in each of the networks that are connected by the network equipment. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the critical bandwidth setting unit identifies an interface of the network equipment, that is, the network connection section, and sets the critical bandwidth using a CLI of the identified interface. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein: the congestion control apparatus comprises QoS policies set in the network equipment; and the critical bandwidth setting unit sets the critical bandwidth in compliance with the Quality of Service (QoS) policies set in the network equipment. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the traffic control unit identifies the users using header information of packets arriving from the users. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein header information of the packets includes source or destination addresses of the packets.