Dynamic Rate Limiting in Wireless Mesh Networks

• US 20080225737A1
• Filed: 03/15/2007
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hart, Brian Donald, Douglas, Bretton Lee, Gong, Xiaohong, O'Hara, Robert B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,023,482 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/781 Centralised allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals

Abstract

A dynamic rate limiting mechanism for wireless mesh networks. In particular implementations, a method comprising monitoring one or more clients associated with a wireless mesh network and the respective hop counts of the clients to a root mesh node of the wireless mesh network; determining, responsive ton one or more events, a client data rate for one or more clients of the wireless mesh network based on the number of current clients and the respective hop counts of the current clients; and applying the client data rate to the wireless mesh network.

Claims

1. Logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution and when executed operable to:

monitor one or more clients associated with a wireless mesh network and the respective hop counts of the clients to a root mesh node of the wireless mesh network;

determine, responsive to one or more events, a client data rate for one or more clients of the wireless mesh network based on the number of current clients and the respective hop counts of the current clients; and

apply the client data rate to the wireless mesh network.

2. The logic of claim 1 wherein the client data rate is allocated between upstream and downstream traffic of the clients, and wherein the logic is further operable dynamically change allocation of the client data rate to upstream and downstream traffic of the clients based on observed utilization of the wireless mesh network.

3. The logic of claim 1 wherein an over-subscription parameter is operative to modify the client data rate, and wherein the logic is further operable to adjust the over-subscription parameter based on measured utilization of the wireless mesh network.

4. The logic of claim 1 wherein an over-subscription parameter is operative to modify the client data rate, and wherein the logic is further operable to adjust the over-subscription parameter based on one or more detected congestion events.

5. The logic of claim 4 wherein the logic is operable to decrease the over-subscription parameter, responsive to a threshold number of congestion events.

6. The logic of claim 4 wherein the logic is operable to increase the over-subscription parameter, responsive to a threshold number of client throttling events.

7. The logic of claim 1 wherein the client data rate applied to a given client is further based on a service level.

8. The logic of claim 7 wherein the logic is further operable to determine the client data rate for one or more clients of the wireless mesh network based on the number of current clients and the respective hop counts and service levels of the current clients.

9. The logic of claim 1 wherein the logic is further operable to transmit an upstream client data rate based on the determined client data rate to one or more elements of the wireless mesh network.

10. The logic of claim 1 wherein the logic is further operable to selectively reduce the client data rate of clients of locally congested elements of the wireless mesh network.

11. A method, comprising:

monitoring one or more clients associated with a wireless mesh network and the respective hop counts of the clients to a root mesh node of the wireless mesh network;

determining, responsive to one or more events, a client data rate for one or more clients of the wireless mesh network based on the number of current clients and the respective hop counts of the current clients; and

applying the client data rate to the wireless mesh network.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the client data rate is allocated between upstream and downstream traffic of the clients, and wherein the method further comprises dynamically changing allocation of the client data rate to upstream and downstream traffic of the clients based on observed utilization of the wireless mesh network.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein an over-subscription parameter is operative to modify the client data rate, and wherein the method further comprises adjusting the over-subscription parameter based on measured utilization of the wireless mesh network.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein an over-subscription parameter is operative to modify the client data rate, and wherein the method further comprises adjusting the over-subscription parameter based on one or more detected congestion events.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the method further comprises decreasing the over-subscription parameter, responsive to a threshold number of congestion events.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the method further comprises increasing the over-subscription parameter, responsive to a threshold number of client throttling events.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the client data rate applied to a given client is further based on a service level.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the method further comprises determining the client data rate for one or more clients of the wireless mesh network based on the number of current clients and the respective hop counts and service levels of the current clients.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the method further comprises transmitting an upstream client data rate based on the determined client data rate to one or more elements of the wireless mesh network.

20. The method of claim 11 further comprising selectively reducing the client data rate of clients of locally congested elements of the wireless mesh network.

21. A wireless mesh network comprising

a controller operative to

monitor one or more clients associated with a wireless mesh network and the respective hop counts of the clients to a root mesh node of the wireless mesh network;

determine, responsive to one or more events, a client data rate for one or more clients of the wireless mesh network based on the number of current clients and the respective hop counts of the current clients; and

provide an upstream client data rate derived from the client data rate to one or more wireless mesh access points;

enforce a downstream client data rate derived from the client data rate to network traffic of the one or more clients; and

a plurality of wireless mesh access points in a wireless mesh network operative to;

maintain wireless connections with one or more clients;

forward upstream traffic of the one or more clients across the wireless mesh network to a root node;

receive downstream traffic of the one or more clients across the wireless mesh network from the root node;

enforce the upstream client data rate on network traffic of the one or more clients.