Method and apparatus for network congestion control based on transmission rate gradients

• US 10,516,616 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2019
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bequant S.L.
• Original Assignee: Bequant S.L.
• Inventors: Lopez Serrano, Jose, Pineiro Blanca, Luis, Lopez Serrano, Guillermo
• Primary Examiner(s): Qin, Zhiren
• Application Number:
  US16/281,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20190190831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 306 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/122 by diverting traffic away from congested entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/127 by using congestion prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/16 in connection oriented networks, e.g. frame relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/17 Interaction among intermediate nodes, e.g. hop by hop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/18 End to end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A method for congestion control in a data communication protocol employing acknowledged communication may include measuring a flight size. A transmission rate may be measured. A trend of the flight size may be determined. A trend of the transmission rate may be determined, and the trend may be derived from a transmission rate gradient calculation, in which either the transmission rate measurements or the transmission rate gradient calculations or both may be filtered to reduce their temporal variability. Whether there is a congestion may be detected according to the determined trend of the transmission rate and the trend of the flight size. Upon detection of the congestion, a change may be made from a current congestion control state to a new congestion control state. Data may be transmitted while respecting a maximum amount of unacknowledged data which the transmitting node may transmit. An apparatus is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for congestion control in a data communication protocol employing acknowledged communication in which a transmitting node transmits data to a receiving node and the receiving node acknowledges receipt of the data, the method to be performed by the transmitting node and comprising:

measuring a flight size indicating an amount of data sent by the transmitting node and not yet acknowledged by the receiving node;

measuring a transmission rate;

determining a trend of the flight size;

determining a trend of the transmission rate, wherein the trend is derived from a transmission rate gradient calculation, in which either the transmission rate measurements or the transmission rate gradient calculations or both, are filtered to reduce their temporal variability;

detecting whether there is a congestion according to the determined trend of the transmission rate and the trend of the flight size;

upon detection of the congestion, changing from a current congestion control state to a new congestion control state; and

transmitting data while respecting a maximum amount of unacknowledged data which the transmitting node may transmit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the current and the new congestion control states specify respectively a current and a new rule for increasing the flight size upon receipt of data acknowledgements, and the new rule produces a slower rate of increasing the flight size than the current rule.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

the congestion is detected when the trend of the flight size is increasing and the trend of the transmission rate is substantially stable.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the current and the new congestion control states specify respectively a current and a new rule for increasing the flight size upon receipt of data acknowledgements, and the new rule produces a slower rate of increasing the flight size than the current rule.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the current and the new congestion control states specify respectively a current and a new rule for modifying the flight size upon receipt of data acknowledgements, and the new rule produces lower flight size values than the current rule.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the trend of the flight size is calculated as a comparison of the current flight size and an estimate of a previous flight size.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the trend of the flight size is calculated as a comparison of the current flight size and an estimate of a previous flight size.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the congestion is detected when the trend of the flight size is either increasing or substantially stable and the trend of the transmission rate is decreasing.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the current and the new congestion control states specify respectively a current and a new rule for increasing the flight size upon receipt of data acknowledgements, and the new rule produces a faster rate of increasing the flight size than the current rule.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the current and the new congestion control states specify respectively a current and a new rule for modifying the flight size upon receipt of data acknowledgements, and the new rule produces higher flight size values than the current rule.

11. An apparatus for controlling, in a transmitting node, congestion in a data communication protocol employing acknowledged communication in which the transmitting node transmits data to a receiving node and the receiving node acknowledges receipt of the data, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

measure a flight size indicating an amount of data sent by the transmitting node and not yet acknowledged by the receiving node;

measure a transmission rate;

determine a trend of the flight size;

determine a trend of the transmission rate, wherein the trend is derived from a transmission rate gradient calculation, in which either the transmission rate measurements or the transmission rate gradient calculations or both, are filtered to reduce their temporal variability;

detect whether there is a congestion according to the determined trend of the transmission rate and the trend of the flight size;

upon detection of the congestion, change from a current congestion control state to a new congestion control state; and

transmit data while respecting a maximum amount of unacknowledged data which the transmitting node may transmit.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the current and the new congestion control states specify respectively a current and a new rule for increasing the flight size upon receipt of data acknowledgements, and the new rule produces a slower rate of increasing the flight size than the current rule.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the congestion is detected when the trend of the flight size is increasing and the trend of the transmission rate is substantially stable.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the current and the new congestion control states specify respectively a current and a new rule for increasing the flight size upon receipt of data acknowledgements, and the new rule produces a slower rate of increasing the flight size than the current rule.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the current and the new congestion control states specify respectively a current and a new rule for modifying the flight size upon receipt of data acknowledgements, and the new rule produces lower flight size values than the current rule.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the trend of the flight size is calculated as a comparison of the current flight size and an estimate of a previous flight size.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the trend of the flight size is calculated as a comparison of the current flight size and an estimate of a previous flight size.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the congestion is detected when the trend of the flight size is either increasing or substantially stable and the trend of the transmission rate is decreasing.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the current and the new congestion control states specify respectively a current and a new rule for increasing the flight size upon receipt of data acknowledgements, and the new rule produces a faster rate of increasing the flight size than the current rule.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the current and the new congestion control states specify respectively a current and a new rule for modifying the flight size upon receipt of data acknowledgements, and the new rule produces higher flight size values than the current rule.

21. A method for congestion control in a data communication protocol employing acknowledged communication in which a transmitting node transmits data to a receiving node and the receiving node acknowledges receipt of the data, the method to be performed by the transmitting node and comprising:

measuring a flight size indicating an amount of data sent by the transmitting node and not yet acknowledged by the receiving node;

measuring a transmission rate;

determining a trend of the flight size;

determining a trend of the transmission rate, wherein the trend is derived from a transmission rate gradient calculation, in which either the transmission rate measurements or the transmission rate gradient calculations or both, are filtered to reduce their temporal variability;

detecting whether there is a congestion according to the determined trend of the transmission rate and the trend of the flight size;

upon detection of the congestion, modifying the flight size; and

transmitting data while respecting a maximum amount of unacknowledged data which the transmitting node may transmit.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein

the congestion is detected when the trend of the flight size is either increasing or substantially stable and the trend of the transmission rate is decreasing.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein modifying the flight size comprises increasing the flight size upon detecting the congestion.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein

modifying the flight size comprises changing from a current congestion control state to a new congestion control state upon detecting the congestion, wherein the current and the new congestion control states specify respectively a current and a new rule for increasing the flight size upon receipt of data acknowledgements, and

the new rule produces a faster rate of increasing the flight size than the current rule.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein modifying the flight size comprises changing from a current congestion control state to a new congestion control state upon detecting the congestion, wherein the current and the new congestion control states specify respectively a current and a new rule for setting the flight size upon receipt of data acknowledgements, and the new rule produces higher flight size values than the current rule.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein

the congestion is detected when the trend of the flight size is increasing and the trend of the transmission rate is substantially stable.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein modifying the flight size comprises changing from a current congestion control state to a new congestion control state upon detecting the congestion, wherein the current and the new congestion control states specify respectively a current and a new rule for modifying the flight size upon receipt of data acknowledgements, and the new rule produces lower flight size values than the current rule.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the trend of the flight size is calculated as a comparison of the current flight size and an estimate of a previous flight size.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein

modifying the flight size comprises changing from a current congestion control state to a new congestion control state upon detecting the congestion, wherein the current and the new congestion control states specify respectively a current and a new rule for increasing the flight size upon receipt of data acknowledgements, and

the new rule produces a slower rate of increasing the flight size than the current rule.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein the trend of the flight size is calculated as a comparison of the current flight size and an estimate of a previous flight size.