MODELING PACKET TRAFFIC USING AN INVERSE LEAKY BUCKET

• US 20090080331A1
• Filed: 09/20/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tellabs Operations Incorporated (Infinera Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Tellabs Operations Incorporated (Infinera Corp.)
• Inventors: Kenney, John Belden
• Granted Patent: US 8,385,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5061 characterised by the interaction between service providers and their network customers, e.g. customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/21 using leaky-bucket

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and computer program of modeling packet traffic in terms of Leaky Bucket parameters. The Leaky Bucket parameters are tested based on conformance of packet traffic. If a result of the testing is nonconformance of the packet traffic, one or more of the Leaky Bucket parameters is modified such that the packet traffic is conforming. The one or more modified Leaky Bucket parameters is stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

Claims

1. A method of modeling packet traffic in terms of Leaky Bucket parameters, the method comprising:

testing the Leaky Bucket parameters based on conformance of packet traffic;

modifying, if a result of the testing is nonconformance of the packet traffic, one or more of the Leaky Bucket parameters such that the packet traffic is conforming; and

storing the one or more modified Leaky Bucket parameters in a computer-readable storage medium.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the Leaky Bucket parameters include a tolerance and a target packet inter-arrival interval,

the testing includes

determining, based on packet traffic information, whether a provided packet of the packet traffic would be a conforming packet in a Leaky Bucket parameterized by the tolerance and the target packet inter-arrival interval, and

the modifying includes

generating, if the testing determines that the provided packet would not be a conforming packet, a new target packet inter-arrival interval for which the provided packet would be a conforming packet.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein

the packet traffic information includes packet set information of a set of one or more consecutive packets, the set including a beginning packet that is a most recent packet having an arrival state less than or equal to zero, and an ending packet that is a current packet, and

the arrival state of a packet corresponds to a state of the Leaky Bucket at an arrival time of the packet.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the generating comprises:

generating an estimated new target inter-arrival interval based on the packet set information;

updating arrival states of packets in the set based on the estimated new target inter-arrival interval;

determining a most recent packet having an updated arrival state less than or equal to zero;

outputting the estimated new target inter-arrival interval as the new target inter-arrival interval if the most recent packet having an updated arrival state less than or equal to zero is the beginning packet of the set; and

if the most recent packet having an updated arrival state less than or equal to zero is not the beginning packet of the set, redefining the set to begin with the most recent packet having an updated arrival state less than or equal to zero.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

discarding packet information of one or more packets preceding the beginning packet of the set.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

consolidating packet information of consecutive packets of the packet traffic; and

updating the packet traffic information to include the consolidated packet information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the consolidating comprises:

comparing an arrival state of the provided packet with an arrival state of a prior packet that immediately precedes the provided packet, wherein the arrival state of a packet corresponds to a state of the Leaky Bucket at an arrival time of the packet; and

consolidating the packet information of the prior packet with the packet information of a packet immediately preceding the prior packet, if an arrival state of the prior packet is greater than the arrival state of the provided packet.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the consolidating comprises:

setting a consolidated arrival time equal to an arrival time of an earliest arriving packet of the consecutive packets; and

setting a consolidated packet length equal to a sum of packet lengths of the consecutive packets.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

discarding non-consolidated packet information of the consecutive packets that were consolidated.

10. An apparatus for modeling packet traffic in terms of Leaky Bucket parameters, the apparatus comprising:

a tester that tests the Leaky Bucket parameters based on conformance of packet traffic;

a modifier that modifies, if a result of the testing is nonconformance of the packet traffic, one or more of the Leaky Bucket parameters such that the packet traffic is conforming; and

a storage unit that stores the one or more modified Leaky Bucket parameters.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the Leaky Bucket parameters include a tolerance and a target packet inter-arrival interval,

the tester determines, based on packet traffic information, whether a provided packet of the packet traffic would be a conforming packet in a Leaky Bucket parameterized by the tolerance and the target packet inter-arrival interval, and

the modifier generates, if the tester determines that the provided packet would not be a conforming packet, a new target packet inter-arrival interval for which the provided packet would be a conforming packet.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein

the packet traffic information includes packet set information of a set of one or more consecutive packets, the set including a beginning packet that is a most recent packet having an arrival state less than or equal to zero, and an ending packet that is a current packet, and

the arrival state of a packet corresponds to a state of the Leaky Bucket at an arrival time of the packet.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the modifier:

generates an estimated new target inter-arrival interval based on the packet set information;

updates arrival states of packets in the set based on the estimated new target inter-arrival interval;

determines a most recent packet having an updated arrival state less than or equal to zero;

outputs the estimated new target inter-arrival interval as the new target inter-arrival interval if the most recent packet having an updated arrival state less than or equal to zero is the beginning packet of the set; and

if the most recent packet having an updated arrival state less than or equal to zero is not the beginning packet of the set, redefines the set to begin with the most recent packet having an updated arrival state less than or equal to zero.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a packet consolidator that consolidates packet information of consecutive packets of the packet traffic, and updates the packet traffic information to include the consolidated packet information.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the consolidator:

compares an arrival state of the provided packet with an arrival state of a prior packet that immediately precedes the provided packet, wherein the arrival state of a packet corresponds to a state of the Leaky Bucket at an arrival time of the packet; and

consolidates the packet information of the prior packet with the packet information of a packet immediately preceding the prior packet, if an arrival state of the prior packet is greater than the arrival state of the provided packet.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the consolidator:

sets a consolidated arrival time equal to an arrival time of an earliest arriving packet of the consecutive packets; and

sets a consolidated packet length equal to a sum of packet lengths of the consecutive packets.

17. Computer-executable program instructions, stored on a computer storage medium, for modeling packet traffic in terms of Leaky Bucket parameters, the program instructions comprising:

code to test the Leaky Bucket parameters based on conformance of packet traffic;

code to modify, if a result of the testing is nonconformance of the packet traffic, one or more of the Leaky Bucket parameters such that the packet traffic is conforming; and

code to store the one or more modified Leaky Bucket parameters in a computer-readable storage medium.

18. The program instructions of claim 17, wherein the Leaky Bucket parameters include a tolerance and a target packet inter-arrival interval,

the code to test includes

code to determine, based on packet traffic information, whether a provided packet of the packet traffic would be a conforming packet in a Leaky Bucket parameterized by the tolerance and the target packet inter-arrival interval, and

the code to modify includes

code to generate, if the testing determines that the provided packet would not be a conforming packet, a new target packet inter-arrival interval for which the provided packet would be a conforming packet.

19. The program instructions of claim 18, wherein

the packet traffic information includes packet set information of a set of one or more consecutive packets, the set including a beginning packet that is a most recent packet having an arrival state less than or equal to zero, and an ending packet that is a current packet, and

the arrival state of a packet corresponds to a state of the Leaky Bucket at an arrival time of the packet.

20. The program instructions of claim 19, wherein the code to generate comprises:

code to generate an estimated new target inter-arrival interval based on the packet set information;

code to update arrival states of packets in the set based on the estimated new target inter-arrival interval;

code to determine a most recent packet having an updated arrival state less than or equal to zero;

code to output the estimated new target inter-arrival interval as the new target inter-arrival interval if the most recent packet having an updated arrival state less than or equal to zero is the beginning packet of the set; and

code to redefine the set to begin with the most recent packet having an updated arrival state less than or equal to zero, if the most recent packet having an updated arrival state less than or equal to zero is not the beginning packet of the set.

21. The program instructions of claim 18, further comprising:

code to consolidate packet information of consecutive packets of the packet traffic; and

code to update the packet traffic information to include the consolidated packet information.

22. The program instructions of claim 21, wherein the code to consolidate comprises:

code to compare an arrival state of the provided packet with an arrival state of a prior packet that immediately precedes the provided packet, wherein the arrival state of a packet corresponds to a state of the Leaky Bucket at an arrival time of the packet; and

code to consolidate the packet information of the prior packet with the packet information of a packet immediately preceding the prior packet, if an arrival state of the prior packet is greater than the arrival state of the provided packet.

23. The program instructions of claim 21, wherein the code to consolidate comprises:

code to set a consolidated arrival time equal to an arrival time of an earliest arriving packet of the consecutive packets; and

code to set a consolidated packet length equal to a sum of packet lengths of the consecutive packets.