Application-based network quality of service provisioning

• US 20030204596A1
• Filed: 04/29/2002
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Yadav, Satyendra
• Application Number:
  US10/135,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20030204596A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/18 End to end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2475 for supporting traffic characterised by the type of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus implementing systems and techniques for providing application-based network quality of service (QoS). QoS may be provided in a connectionless packet-switched network using QoS system components placed in the network stacks of end nodes in the network. In general, in one implementation, a technique includes: examining a set of instructions embodying an invoked application to identify the invoked application, obtaining a quality-of-service policy corresponding to the identified application, and managing network communications generated by the invoked application, using the quality-of-service policy to provide a specified network quality of service to the invoked application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

examining a set of instructions embodying at least a portion of an invoked application to identify the invoked application;

obtaining a quality-of-service policy corresponding to the identified application; and

managing network communications generated by the invoked application, using the quality-of-service policy to provide a specified network quality of service to the invoked application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein examining the set of instructions comprises:

applying a hash function to data including the set of instructions to generate a hash value of the data; and

comparing the hash value with hash values for known applications.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein examining the set of instructions further comprises examining the set of instructions in a dynamic quality-of-service provisioning system component invoked with the invoked application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the dynamic quality-of-service provisioning system component and the invoked application run within a single execution context.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein managing network communications comprises:

intercepting, in the dynamic quality-of-service provisioning system component, a network request from the invoked application;

programming a quality-of-service provisioning kernel component with one or more quality-of-service parameters corresponding to the network request;

filtering network communications in the quality-of-service provisioning kernel component; and

enforcing, in the quality-of-service provisioning kernel component, the one or more quality-of-service parameters.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the quality-of-service policy comprises an application-specific quality-of-service policy.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein obtaining the quality-of-service policy comprises receiving the quality-of-service policy from a policy server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the policy server comprises a remote policy server, and wherein obtaining the quality-of-service policy further comprises:

requesting the quality-of-service policy from a local policy enforcer in communication with the remote policy server; and

receiving the quality-of-service policy from the local policy enforcer.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein managing network communications comprises initiating quality-of-service control interactions with networking devices.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein initiating quality-of-service control interactions comprises sending resource reservation messages to the networking devices.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein initiating quality-of-service control interactions comprises adding class-of-service identifiers to the network communications.

12. A machine-readable medium embodying machine instructions for causing one or more machines to perform operations comprising:

examining a set of instructions embodying at least a portion of an invoked application to identify the invoked application;

obtaining a quality-of-service policy corresponding to the identified application; and

managing network communications generated by the invoked application, using the quality-of-service policy to provide a specified network quality of service to the invoked application.

13. The machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein examining the set of instructions comprises:

applying a hash function to data including the set of instructions to generate a hash value of the data; and

comparing the hash value with hash values for known applications.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein examining the set of instructions further comprises examining the set of instructions in a dynamic quality-of-service provisioning system component invoked with the invoked application.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the dynamic quality-of-service provisioning system component and the invoked application run within a single execution context.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein managing network communications comprises:

intercepting, in the dynamic quality-of-service provisioning system component, a network request from the invoked application;

programming a quality-of-service provisioning kernel component with one or more quality-of-service parameters corresponding to the network request;

filtering network communications in the quality-of-service provisioning kernel component; and

enforcing, in the quality-of-service provisioning kernel component, the one or more quality-of-service parameters.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the quality-of-service policy comprises an application-specific quality-of-service policy.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein obtaining the quality-of-service policy comprises receiving the quality-of-service policy from a policy server.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the policy server comprises a remote policy server, and wherein obtaining the quality-of-service policy further comprises:

requesting the quality-of-service policy from a local policy enforcer in communication with the remote policy server; and

receiving the quality-of-service policy from the local policy enforcer.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein managing network communications comprises initiating quality-of-service control interactions with networking devices.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein initiating quality-of-service control interactions comprises sending resource reservation messages to the networking devices.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein initiating quality-of-service control interactions comprises adding class-of-service identifiers to the network communications.

23. A system comprising:

communication means for linking multiple machines with each other;

means for examining a set of instructions embodying at least a portion of an application invoked on at least one of said machines to identify the invoked application;

means for obtaining a quality-of-service policy corresponding to the identified application; and

means for managing network communications generated by the invoked application, using the quality-of-service policy to provide a specified network quality of service to the invoked application.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the means for examining comprises:

means for applying a hash function to data including the set of instructions to generate a hash value of the data; and

means for comparing the hash value with hash values for known applications.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the quality-of-service policy comprises an application-specific quality-of-service policy.

26. A system comprising:

an enterprise network including networking devices;

a policy server coupled with the network; and

a machine coupled with the network, the machine including an application-layer component to examine a set of instructions embodying at least a portion of an invoked application to identify the invoked application and to obtain a quality-of-service policy corresponding to the identified application, the machine further including a kernel component to manage quality of service relating to network flows corresponding to the invoked application using parameters from the quality-of-service policy.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the machine further includes a local policy enforcer to receive the quality-of-service policy from the policy server and to provide the quality-of-service policy to the application-layer component.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the policy server comprises a plurality of networked machines creating a network operations center.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the application-layer component applies a hash function to data including the set of instructions to generate a hash value of the data, and compares the hash value with hash values for known applications.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the enterprise network comprises an Internet Protocol network, and wherein the networking devices comprise routers and multilayer switches.