Method, network element and terminal device for marking data packets

• US 20050018690A1
• Filed: 08/17/2001
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kilkki, Kalevi
• Granted Patent: US 7,693,057 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.600
• 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 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]

Abstract

A method and a network element for marking data packets to be transmitted in a packet switched network with a priority information I, said packets being treated in said network according to said priority information I. The priority information I is calculated based on a required bit rate B_SIO and preferably on a nominal bit rate NBR and on a momentary bit rate MBR, thereby a terminal device used with the network element is able to inform the network element in advance about the required bit rate.

Claims

1. A method for marking data packets to be transmitted in a packet switched network with a priority information (I) for treating said packets in said network according to said priority information (I), comprising the steps of determining a required bit rate (B_SIO) being required for an application of a certain service connection;

and calculating said priority information (I) depending on said required bit rate (B_SIO).

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of determining a nominal bit rate (NBR) allocated to said service connection;

measuring a momentary bit rate (MBR) of said connection; and

calculating said priority information (I) further depending on said nominal bit rate (NBR) and said momentary bit rate (MBR).

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said required bit rate (B_SIO), being provided by a user of said certain service connection.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein said required bit rate (B_SIO) being provided by an application of said certain service connection.

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein calculating said priority information (I) being further depending on a gain factor (C_SIO) indicating a gain over a ratio of said nominal bit rate (NBR) and said momentary bit rate (MBR).

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said priority information (I) being calculated as a linear scale importance value being calculated as the product of said gain factor (C_SIO) and said nominal bit rate (NBR) divided by said required bit rate (B_SIO) if said momentary bit rate (MBR) is less than or equal to said required bit rate (B_SIO), and being calculated to zero if said momentary bit rate (MBR) exceeds said required bit rate (B_SIO);

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said priority information (I) being calculated based on a logarithmic scale importance value (I′

) being calculated by dividing the logarithm of said linear scale importance value (I) by the logarithm of a system base number (z) and adding the result of said division to an importance value constant (I_o).

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein said priority information (I) being calculated by determining the closest integer value near said logarithmic scale importance value (I′

);

determining the minimum value of said closest integer value and a constant (N) subtracted by one; and

determining the maximum value of said minimum value and zero, whereby said constant (N) is the total number of priority or importance levels.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said packets being treated such that a packet comprising a value of said priority information (I) that is higher than a value of a priority information (I) of a further packet is transmitted before said further packet.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein said steps are repeated consecutively.

11. A network element for marking data packets to be transmitted in a packet switched network with a priority information (I) for treating said packets in said network according to said priority information (I), comprising required bit rate determining means for determining a required bit rate (B_SIO) being required for an application of a certain service connection;

and

calculation means for calculating said priority information (I) depending on said required bit rate (B_SIO).

12. A network element according to claim 11, further comprising

nominal bit rate determining means for determining a nominal bit rate (NBR) allocated to a certain service connection;

momentary bit rate measuring means for measuring a momentary bit rate (MBR) of said connection; and

whereby said calculation means calculating said priority information (I) further depending on said nominal bit rate (NBR) and said momentary bit rate (MBR) and being connected to said nominal bit rate determining means, said momentary bit rate measuring means and said required bit rate measuring means.

13. A network element according to claim 11, comprising means for use in a method for marking dlat packets to be transmitted in a packet switched network with a priority information (I) for treating said packets in said network according to said priority information (I), comprising the steps of determining a required bit rate (BSIO) being required for an application 10 of a certain service connection and calculating said priority information (I) depending on said required bit rate (BSIO).

14. A terminal device for generating data packets to be transmitted in a packet switched network, said packets being treated in said network according to a priority information (D being attached to said packets by means of a network element comprising required bit rate determining means for determining a bit rate (B_SIO) required for an application of a certain service connection;

and calculation means for calculating said priority information (I) depending on Raid required bit rate (B_SIO) by using a method for marking data packets to be transmitted in a packet switched network with a priority information (I) for treating said packets in said network according to said priority information (I), comprising the steps of determining a required bit rate (B_SIO) being required for an application 10 of a certain service connection and calculating Raid priority information (I) depending on said required bit rate (BSIO), said terminal device comprising means for generating a bitstream with a constant bit rate flow; and

means for generating a required bit rate information element indicating to said network element a required bit rate for a service connection for transmitting said bitstream with a constant bit rate flow.