BANDWIDTH ALLOCATION MANAGEMENT

• US 20120059937A1
• Filed: 09/08/2010
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dheap, Vijay, Nagpal, Abhinay R., Patil, Sandeep R., Jape, Suyash S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,258,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control

Abstract

Bandwidth allocation management includes determining current available bandwidth of a network within which a computer system is operating. The bandwidth allocation management also includes using the current available bandwidth and applied feature delivery settings to determine an adjustment in feature delivery to the computer system. At least a portion of the feature delivery settings is specified by an end user of the computer system.

Claims

1. A method for implementing bandwidth allocation management, the method comprising:

determining current available bandwidth of a network within which a computer system is operating; and

using the current available bandwidth and applied feature delivery settings to determine an adjustment in feature delivery to the computer system, at least a portion of the feature delivery settings specified by an end user of the computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein features delivered correspond to one or more applications executing on the computer system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

implementing the adjustment when a bandwidth threshold value identified from the current available bandwidth has been exceeded as defined by the feature delivery settings.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying feature delivery settings specified for the computer system to historical usage information, the historical usage information including patterns of feature usage and non-usage of the computer system;

wherein the adjustment in feature delivery includes disabling an unused feature as determined from the historical usage information and based upon a current state of the computer system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the historical user information includes patterns of feature usage and non-usage as between the computer system and a peer computer system;

wherein the adjustment in feature delivery includes disabling a feature that is unused between the computer system and the peer computer system as determined by the patterns of feature usage.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining capabilities of peer computer systems of the computer system;

wherein determining the adjustment in feature delivery includes factoring in the capabilities of the peer computer systems in determining the adjustment.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

implementing the adjustment in response to determining a bandwidth threshold value identified from the current available bandwidth has been exceeded and in response to an acceptance of the adjustment by the end user system upon receiving a suggestion to implement the adjustment.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

searching system records for the end user system; and

identifying elements in the system records that specify an anticipated need by the end user system to employ a feature of an application at a specified time;

wherein determining an adjustment to the feature delivery includes permitting download of the feature for use by the end user system at the specified time.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a social network status and feature capabilities to determine the adjustment in the feature delivery to the computer system, comprising;

determining availability of a peer computer system on the social network; and

disabling a communication feature on the computer system when it is determined that the peer computer system is unavailable for communication or lacks feature capability corresponding to a feature subject to the disabling.

10. A system for implementing bandwidth allocation management, the system comprising:

a computer processor; and

a bandwidth allocation management application executing on the computer processor, the bandwidth allocation management application implementing a method, the method comprising;

determining current available bandwidth of a network within which a computer system is operating; and

using the current available bandwidth and applied feature delivery settings to determine an adjustment in feature delivery to the computer system, at least a portion of the feature delivery settings specified by an end user of the computer system.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein features delivered correspond to one or more applications executing on the computer system.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

implementing the adjustment when a bandwidth threshold value identified from the current available bandwidth has been exceeded as defined by the feature delivery settings.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

applying feature delivery settings specified for the computer system to historical usage information, the historical usage information including patterns of feature usage and non-usage of the computer system;

wherein the adjustment in feature delivery includes disabling an unused feature as determined from the historical usage information and based upon a current state of the computer system.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the historical user information includes patterns of feature usage and non-usage as between the computer system and a peer computer system;

wherein the adjustment in feature delivery includes disabling a feature that is unused between the computer system and the peer computer system as determined by the patterns of feature usage.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

determining capabilities of peer computer systems of the computer system;

wherein determining the adjustment in feature delivery includes factoring in the capabilities of the peer computer systems in determining the adjustment.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

implementing the adjustment in response to determining a bandwidth threshold value identified from the current available bandwidth has been exceeded and in response to an acceptance of the adjustment by the end user system upon receiving a suggestion to implement the adjustment.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

searching system records for the end user system; and

identifying elements in the system records that specify an anticipated need by the end user system to employ a feature of an application at a specified time;

wherein determining an adjustment to the feature delivery includes permitting download of the feature for use by the end user system at the specified time.

18. A computer program product for implementing bandwidth allocation management, the computer program product including a computer-readable storage medium having instructions programmed thereon, the instructions executed by a computer processor for implementing a method, the method comprising:

determining current available bandwidth of a network within which a computer system is operating; and

using the current available bandwidth and applied feature delivery settings to determine an adjustment in feature delivery to the computer system, at least a portion of the feature delivery settings specified by an end user of the computer system.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein features delivered correspond to one or more applications executing on the computer system.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

implementing the adjustment when a bandwidth threshold value identified from the current available bandwidth has been exceeded as defined by the feature delivery settings.

21. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

applying feature delivery settings specified for the computer system to historical usage information, the historical usage information including patterns of feature usage and non-usage of the computer system;

wherein the adjustment in feature delivery includes disabling an unused feature as determined from the historical usage information and based upon a current state of the computer system.

22. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the historical user information includes patterns of feature usage and non-usage as between the computer system and a peer computer system;

wherein the adjustment in feature delivery includes disabling a feature that is unused between the computer system and the peer computer system as determined by the patterns of feature usage.

23. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

determining capabilities of peer computer systems of the computer system;

wherein determining the adjustment in feature delivery includes factoring in the capabilities of the peer computer systems in determining the adjustment.

24. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

implementing the adjustment in response to determining a bandwidth threshold value identified from the current available bandwidth has been exceeded and in response to an acceptance of the adjustment by the end user system upon receiving a suggestion to implement the adjustment.

25. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

searching system records for the end user system; and

identifying elements in the system records that specify an anticipated need by the end user system to employ a feature of an application at a specified time;

wherein determining an adjustment to the feature delivery includes permitting download of the feature for use by the end user system at the specified time.