Method for managing inter-zone bandwidth in a two-way messaging network

• US 20060015639A1
• Filed: 07/13/2004
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Taylor, Benjamin F.
• Application Number:
  US10/890,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20060015639A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/35 by embedding flow control information in regular packets, e.g. piggybacking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/745 Reaction in network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/781 Centralised allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/783 Distributed allocation of resources, e.g. bandwidth brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data

Abstract

A congestion control level method for a messaging system having a plurality of exit routers (104) coupled to a plurality of zone controllers (102) which includes determining a congestion control value based on the traffic type, and notifying the plurality of zone controllers over the control plane of the congestion control level on the audio plane based on the congestion control value. The traffic type can be audio, voice and/or data as described herein.

Claims

1. A method for controlling congestion in a messaging system having a plurality of exit routers coupled to a plurality of zone controllers via inter-zone links, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a congestion control value based on a traffic type; and

notifying at least one zone controller over a control plane of the congestion control level on an audio plane based on the congestion control value.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps of determining the congestion control value, further comprises the steps of:

counting a predetermine number of bits based on the traffic type over a predetermined period of time;

determining if a predetermine threshold has been exceeded with the predetermined period of time; and

updating the congestion control value based the predetermined threshold.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of notifying the at least one zone controller over the control plane of the congestion level on the audio plane further comprises the step of the at least one zone controller detecting if the inter-zone links is congested.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of detecting if the inter-zone link is congested, further comprises the step of the at least one zone controller denying access to a predetermined number of user devices.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of notifying the at least one zone controller over the control plane of the congestion level on the audio plane further comprises the step of the at least one zone controller detecting if the inter-zone links is not congested.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of detecting if the inter-zone link is uncongested, further comprises the step of the at least one zone controller allowing access to a predetermined number of user devices.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of notifying the at least one zone controller over the control plane of the congestion level on the audio plane further comprises the step of the at least one zone controller detecting if the inter-zone links is oversubscribed.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of detecting if the inter-zone link is oversubscribed, further comprises the step of the at least one zone controller:

determining if an inter-zone link resource is available;

allowing a predetermined number of users to acquire the inter-zone link resource; and

denying access to at least one of the predetermined users when no inter-zone link resource is available.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the predetermined number of users is updated automatically based on a predetermined number of call loading requests of the inter-zone links between at least a first zone controller and a second zone controller.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the traffic type is based on audio.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the traffic type is based on data.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the traffic type is based on voice.

13. A congestion control level method for a messaging system having a bandwidth management device coupled to a plurality of zone controllers via inter-zone links, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a congestion control value based on a traffic type; and

notifying at least one zone controller over a control plane of the congestion control level on an audio plane based on the congestion control value.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of notifying the at least one zone controller of the congestion control level further comprises the step of notifying the inter-zone link over the control plane that there is the oversubscription on the audio plane.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of notifying the at least one zone controller of the congestion control level further comprises the step of notifying the inter-zone link over the control plane that there is congestion on the audio plane.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of notifying the at least one zone controller of the congestion control level further comprises the step of notifying the inter-zone link over the control plane that there is no congestion on the audio plane.

17. A congestion control level method for a messaging system having a plurality of zone controllers, the method comprising the steps of a zone controller:

receiving a congestion control value; and

determining the congestion control level based on the congestion control value.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of receiving the congestion control value further comprises determining the state of an inter-zone link.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of determining the state of the inter-zone link comprises the step of a zone controller detecting if the inter-zone link is congested.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of determining the state of the inter-zone link comprises the step of a zone controller detecting if the inter-zone link is uncongested.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of determining the state of the inter-zone link comprises the step of a zone controller detecting if the inter-zone link is oversubscribed.

22. A control congestion level method for a messaging system having zone controllers coupled to exit routers and utilizing inter-zone link resources for communication, the method comprising the steps of:

assessing a number of available inter-zone link resources to determine a congestion control level; and

processing the congestion control level based on feedback information received by at least one zone controller.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the step of processing the congestion level further comprises the step of receiving a congestion control value transmitted by at least one exit router.