System, method, and computer program product for controlling output port utilization

• US 20070171826A1
• Filed: 01/20/2006
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saisei Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Anagran, Inc. (Saisei Networks Pte Ltd.)
• Inventors: Roberts, Lawrence, Henderson, Alex
• Granted Patent: US 8,547,843 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/22 Traffic shaping
• 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 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product are provided. In use, a plurality of flows associated with packets destined for an output port is identified. A utilization associated with the output port is further measured. Thus, rates of a plurality of the flows destined for the output port may be individually controlled at an input port thereof, based on the utilization to ensure that the utilization remains less than 99.9% and avoid buffering more than 400 packets with a correspondingly low delay.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying a plurality of flows associated with packets destined for an output port;

measuring a utilization associated with the output port; and

individually controlling rates of a plurality of the flows destined for the output port, at an input port thereof, based on the utilization to ensure that the utilization remains less than 99.9% and avoid buffering more than 400 packets with a correspondingly low delay.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the rates of all of the flows destined for the output port are individually controlled.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the rates of the plurality of flows destined for the output port are each individually controlled in a different manner, at the input port thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the rates of the plurality of flows destined for the output port are individually controlled, at the input port thereof, based on the utilization to ensure that the utilization remains less than 95%.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the rates of the plurality of flows destined for the output port are individually controlled, at the input port thereof, based on the utilization to avoid use of more than 1 MB of buffer capacity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the rates of the plurality of flows destined for the output port are individually controlled, at the input port thereof, based on the utilization to avoid use of more than 100 KB of buffer capacity.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the packets together comprise streaming media.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the streaming media includes audio streaming media.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the streaming media includes video streaming media.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling is carried out utilizing an input flow manager.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the measuring is carried out utilizing an output flow manager.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the utilization is reported by the output flow manager to a network processing unit (NPU).

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the input flow manager controls the rates based on input from the NPU.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the utilization is measured periodically.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the utilization is measured periodically every millisecond.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling includes rejecting a new flow.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling includes discarding a new flow.

18. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium, comprising:

computer code for identifying a plurality of flows associated with packets destined for an output port;

computer code for measuring a utilization associated with the output port; and

computer code for individually controlling rates of a plurality of the flows destined for the output port, at an input port thereof, based on the utilization to ensure that the utilization remains less than or equal to 99.9% and avoid buffering more than 400 packets with a correspondingly low delay.

19. A system, comprising:

an input flow manager for identifying a plurality of flows associated with packets destined for an output port; and

an output flow manager for measuring a utilization associated with the output port;

wherein the input flow manager individually controls rates of a plurality of the flows destined for the output port, at an input port thereof, based on the utilization to ensure that the utilization remains less than 99.9% and avoid buffering more than 400 packets with a correspondingly low delay.