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US 9,866,431 B2Granted
Deterministic control loop scheduling
AssigneeCisco Technology, Inc.
InventorsPatrick Wetterwald, Pascal Thubert, Jean-Philippe Vasseur
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In one embodiment, a scheduling device in a network receives routing metrics regarding a network path between a device controller and a networked device. The scheduling device also receives controller metrics for the device controller. The scheduling device determines time costs associated with the network path and one or more control operations performed by the device controller, based on the routing and controller metrics. The scheduling device generates a communication schedule based on the time costs and instructs the device controller and the networked device to use the communication schedule.
Claims18
A method, comprising:
- receiving, at a scheduling device in a network, routing metrics regarding a network path between a device controller and a networked device in a control loop running in the network, wherein the routing metrics are indicative of a time associated with transferring data along various links of the network path, wherein the device controller executes a control process within a virtual machine to control the networked device;
- receiving, at the scheduling device, controller metrics from the device controller, wherein the controller metrics indicate a delay associated with the device controller executing a control application;
- determining, by the scheduling device based on the routing metrics and the controller metrics, a time cost associated with the network path and one or more control operations of the control application performed by the device controller, wherein the time cost is a sum of the time associated with transferring data along the various links of the network path and the delay associated with the device controller executing the one or more control operations of the control application;
- generating, by the scheduling device, a communication schedule based on the time cost;
- and
- sending, by the scheduling device, instructions to the device controller and the networked device that instruct the device controller and the networked device to use the communication schedule for performing the one or more control operations in the control loop at specific times.
3 more elements
An apparatus operating as a path computation element, comprising:
- one or more network interfaces to communicate with a network;
- a processor coupled to the network interfaces and configured to execute computer instructions;
- and
- a memory configured to store the computer instructions executable by the processor, the computer instructions when executed configured to:
- receive routing metrics regarding a network path between a device controller and a networked device in a control loop running in the network, wherein the routing metrics are data indicative of a time associated with transferring data along various links of the network path, wherein the device controller executes a control process within a virtual machine to control the networked device;
- receive controller metrics from the device controller, wherein the controller metrics indicate a delay associated with the device controller executing a control application;
- determine, based on the routing metrics and the controller metrics, a time cost associated with the network path and one or more operations of the control application performed by the device controller, wherein the time cost is a sum of the time associated with transferring data along the various links of the network path and the delay associated with the device controller executing the one or more control operations of the control application;
- generate a communication schedule based on the time cost;
- and
- send instructions to the device controller and the networked device that instruct the device controller and the networked device to use the communication schedule for performing the one or more control operations in the control loop at specific times.
7 more elements
A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having software encoded thereon, the software when executed by a processor of a path computation element configured to:
- receive routing metrics regarding a network path between a device controller and a networked device in a control loop running in the network, wherein the routing metrics are data indicative of a time associated with transferring data along various links of the network path, wherein the device controller executes a control process within a virtual machine to control the networked device;
- receive controller metrics from the device controller, wherein the controller metrics indicate a delay associated with the device controller executing a control application;
- determine, based on the routing metrics and the controller metrics, a time cost associated with the network path and one or more operations of the control application performed by the device controller, wherein the time cost is a sum of the time associated with transferring data along the various links of the network path and the delay associated with the device controller executing the one or more control operations of the control application;
- generate a communication schedule based on the time cost;
- and
- send instructions to the device controller and the networked device to instruct the device controller and the networked device to use the communication schedule for performing the one or more control operations in the control loop at specific times.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.