Quality of service (QoS) scheduling for packet switched, in particular GPRS/EGPRS, data services

• US 20040042460A1
• Filed: 06/23/2003
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Guethaus, Roland Johannes, Gruhl, Stefan
• Application Number:
  US10/601,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20040042460A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/58 Changing or combining different scheduling modes, e.g. multimode scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/60 implementing hierarchical scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/543 based on requested quality, e.g. QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A method and devices are disclosed for improving in a multi-layer packet switching network or system quality of service (QoS) scheduling having a rate-conserving scheduling functionality based on two scheduling layers operating on two granularities in protocol data units of at least one incoming data flow. The method maintains QoS requirements and determines a service order for the protocol data units by an upper scheduling layer, implementing packet switching based on constraints provided by the lower scheduler layer, selecting service ordered protocol data units on demand by the lower scheduling layer in dependence on these constraints for efficiently allocating timeslots for the data flows, and serving the selected protocol data units by the lower scheduling layer.

Claims

1. A method for improving in a multi-layer packet switching network or system quality of service (QoS) scheduling having a rate-conserving scheduling functionality based on two scheduling layers operating on two granularities in protocol data units (PDU) of at least one incoming data flow, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining QoS requirements and determining a service order for the protocol data units by an upper scheduling layer,

implementing packet switching based on constraints by a lower scheduler layer,

selecting service ordered protocol data units on demand by the lower scheduling layer in dependence on these constraints for efficiently allocating timeslots for the data flows, and

serving the selected protocol data units by the lower scheduling layer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring an achieved data throughput by the lower scheduling layer, and

deducting a scheduling order in dependence of the monitored data throughput.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

strictly serving the protocol data units in dependence on definable precedence classes based on system constraints related to the protocol data units and/or the step of

defining at least one precedence semantics according to which protocol data units of different precedence classes are served.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

giving selectable protocol data units preferential service.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the selectable protocol data units are of a real-time application

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the selectable protocol data units are of signalling traffic

7. The method of any of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

scheduling in the lower scheduling layer one selected protocol data unit from each data flow after another, or the step of;

scheduling in the lower scheduling layer the protocol data units from one selected data flow prior to the scheduling of the protocol data units from an other selected data flow.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

defining in dependence on system constraints precedence classes, and

providing for each precedence class a respective service order of selected protocol data units.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

ordering the protocol data units respectively in dependence on timeslot allocation constraints.

10. A transceiver in a multi-layer packet switching network or system comprising:

at least a first and second scheduling means each of which is operating on a different granularity in protocol data units of at least one incoming data flow,

wherein an upper layer scheduling means comprises means for maintaining QoS requirements and for determining a service order for the protocol data units, and

wherein a lower layer scheduling means comprises means for implementing packet switching based system constraints,

means for selecting service ordered protocol data units in dependence on these constraints for efficiently allocating timeslots for the data flows, and

means for serving the selected protocol data units.

11. A computer readable medium storing computer program instructions which are executable on a computer system in a multi-layer packet switching network or system, the computer instructions defining the steps of:

maintaining QoS requirements and determining a service order for the protocol data units by an upper scheduling layer,

implementing packet switching based on constraints by a lower scheduler layer,

selecting service ordered protocol data units on demand by the lower scheduling layer in dependence on these constraints for efficiently allocating timeslots for the data flows, and

serving the selected protocol data units by the lower scheduling layer.