Modifying a Rate Based On At Least One Performance Characteristic

• US 20100034115A1
• Filed: 10/19/2009
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: World Wide Packets, Inc. (Ciena Corporation)
• Original Assignee: World Wide Packets, Inc. (Ciena Corporation)
• Inventors: Busch, Dackary Ronald
• Granted Patent: US 8,175,093 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• 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 43/0847 Transmission error
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks

Abstract

Network operating methods provide a first packet switch configured to send a plurality of packets from the first packet switch to a second packet switch via a network path traversing one or more intermediate packet switches, access data describing at least one performance characteristic of the network path, and based on the data, modify a rate at which the first packet switch sends the plurality of packets to the second packet switch via the path. Network management methods receive data describing at least one performance characteristic of a network path having a first endpoint on a first packet switch, a second endpoint on a second packet switch, the network path traversing one or more intermediate packet switches and, based on the received data, instruct the first packet switch to modify a rate at which the first packet switch sends packets to the second packet switch via the network path.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A packet switch operating method comprising:

monitoring at least one performance characteristic of a packet tunnel, the packet switch being configured to receive packets associated with the packet tunnel;

determining, based on the monitoring, that data describing the monitored performance characteristic should be forwarded to a device configured to modify a rate at which packets ingress the packet tunnel; and

sending the data to the device.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the packet switch comprises an intermediate packet switch of the tunnel and further comprising receiving packets associated with the tunnel and forwarding the received packets only to another packet switch associated with the tunnel.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the device comprises a network management system configured to evaluate the data and instruct a packet switch on which the tunnel originates to modify the rate.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the packet switch comprises an endpoint of the tunnel.

22. The method of claim 18 further comprising prior to the sending, receiving first packets associated with the tunnel at a rate greater than the modified rate and subsequent to the sending, receiving second packets associated with the tunnel at a rate less than or equal to the modified rate.

23. A network management method comprising:

receiving data describing at least one performance characteristic of a network path having a first endpoint on a first packet switch, a second endpoint on a second packet switch, the network path traversing one or more intermediate packet switches; and

based on the received data, instructing the first packet switch to modify a rate at which the first packet switch sends packets to the second packet switch via the network path.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the performance characteristic comprises a frame loss value, a bit error rate value, a latency value, a jitter value, or a bandwidth value.

25. (canceled)