SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COMMUNICATING IN A NETWORK

• US 20120106342A1
• Filed: 11/01/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sundararajan, Jay Kumar, Giaretta, Gerardo, Craig, David William, Laganier, Julien H., Horn, Gavin Bernard, Kassa, Debessay Fesehaye
• Granted Patent: US 9,094,326 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 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/27 Evaluation or update of window size, e.g. using information derived from acknowledged [ACK] packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation

Abstract

Systems and methods for prioritizing transmission control protocol (TCP) flows for communication devices in a network are described herein. The systems and methods herein may further allocate bandwidth to the flows based on the priority of the flows. Further, the systems and methods herein allow devices to determine whether particular flows share a traffic flow constraint or bottleneck that limits the overall available bandwidth to the flows. Therefore, allocation of bandwidth for one flow may be adjusted based on allocation of bandwidth to another flow if the flows share a traffic flow constraint. Further, the systems and methods herein allow for target data rates to be determined for the flows based on shared traffic flow constraints.

Claims

1. A device operative in a communication network, the device comprising:

a processor configured to;

identify a set of flows from a plurality of flows based on a shared traffic flow constraint, wherein the set of flows comprises a first flow and a second flow; and

allocate bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows based on the traffic flow constraint and an available bandwidth associated with the traffic flow constraint.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to identify the set of flows by determining whether the first flow experiences a congestion event within a threshold time period of the second flow experiencing the congestion event.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the congestion event comprises at least one of the following:

a dropped packet, an increased round trip time, a reduction in a sending rate, a reduction in instantaneous throughput.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to identify the set of flows by determining whether the first flow is allocated a first expected bandwidth and the second flow is allocated a second expected bandwidth.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to identify the set of flows by determining whether the first flow is allocated a first expected receiving data rate and the second flow is allocated a second expected receiving data rate.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to identify the set of flows by determining whether the first flow is allocated a first expected congestion window size and the second flow is allocated a second expected congestion window size

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a first target data rate for the first flow and a second target data rate for the second flow.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the first target data rate and the second target data rate are determined based on an available bandwidth associated with the traffic flow constraint.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to allocate bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows by adjusting a decrease parameter associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to allocate bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows by adjusting an increase parameter associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to allocate bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows by adjusting a congestion window size associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to allocate bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows by adjusting a receive window size associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to allocate bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows by adjusting an acknowledgment delay time associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

14. A method operative in a device operative in a communication network, the method comprising:

identifying a set of flows from a plurality of flows based on a shared traffic flow constraint, wherein the set of flows comprises a first flow and a second flow; and

allocating bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows based on the traffic flow constraint and an available bandwidth associated with the traffic flow constraint.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein identifying the set of flows comprises determining whether the first flow experiences a congestion event within a threshold time period of the second flow experiencing the congestion event.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the congestion event comprises at least one of the following:

a dropped packet, an increased round trip time, a reduction in a sending rate, a reduction in instantaneous throughput.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein identifying the set of flows comprises determining whether the first flow is allocated a first expected bandwidth and the second flow is allocated a second expected bandwidth.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein identifying the set of flows comprises determining whether the first flow is allocated a first expected receiving data rate and the second flow is allocated a second expected receiving data rate.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein identifying the set of flows comprises determining whether the first flow is allocated a first expected congestion window size and the second flow is allocated a second expected congestion window size

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining a first target data rate for the first flow and a second target data rate for the second flow.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first target data rate and the second target data rate are determined based on an available bandwidth associated with the traffic flow constraint.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein allocating bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows comprises adjusting a decrease parameter associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein allocating bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows comprises adjusting an increase parameter associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein allocating bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows comprises adjusting a congestion window size associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein allocating bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows comprises adjusting a receive window size associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein allocating bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows comprises adjusting an acknowledgment delay time associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

27. A device operative in a communication network, the device comprising:

means for identifying a set of flows from a plurality of flows based on a shared traffic flow constraint, wherein the set of flows comprises a first flow and a second flow; and

means for allocating bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows based on the traffic flow constraint and an available bandwidth associated with the traffic flow constraint.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the means for identifying the set of flows comprises means for determining whether the first flow experiences a congestion event within a threshold time period of the second flow experiencing the congestion event.

29. The device of claim 28, wherein the congestion event comprises at least one of the following:

a dropped packet, an increased round trip time, a reduction in a sending rate, a reduction in instantaneous throughput.

30. The device of claim 27, wherein the means for identifying the set of flows comprises means for determining whether the first flow is allocated a first expected bandwidth and the second flow is allocated a second expected bandwidth.

31. The device of claim 27, wherein the means for identifying the set of flows comprises means for determining whether the first flow is allocated a first expected receiving data rate and the second flow is allocated a second expected receiving data rate.

32. The device of claim 27, wherein the means for identifying the set of flows comprises means for determining whether the first flow is allocated a first expected congestion window size and the second flow is allocated a second expected congestion window size

33. The device of claim 27, further comprising means for determining a first target data rate for the first flow and a second target data rate for the second flow.

34. The device of claim 33, wherein the first target data rate and the second target data rate are determined based on an available bandwidth associated with the traffic flow constraint.

35. The device of claim 27, wherein the means for allocating bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows comprises means for adjusting a decrease parameter associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

36. The device of claim 27, wherein the means for allocating bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows comprises means for adjusting an increase parameter associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

37. The device of claim 27, wherein the means for allocating bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows comprises means for adjusting a congestion window size associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

38. The device of claim 27, wherein the means for allocating bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows comprises means for adjusting a receive window size associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

39. The device of claim 27, wherein the means for allocating bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows comprises means for adjusting an acknowledgment delay time associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

40. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing a computer to identify a set of flows from a plurality of flows based on a shared traffic flow constraint, wherein the set of flows comprises a first flow and a second flow; and

code for causing a computer to allocate bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows based on the traffic flow constraint and an available bandwidth associated with the traffic flow constraint.

41. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein code for causing the computer to identify the set of flows comprises code for causing the computer to determine whether the first flow experiences a congestion event within a threshold time period of the second flow experiencing the congestion event.

42. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the congestion event comprises at least one of the following:

a dropped packet, an increased round trip time, a reduction in a sending rate, a reduction in instantaneous throughput.

43. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein code for causing the computer to identify the set of flows comprises code for causing the computer to determine whether the first flow is allocated a first expected bandwidth and the second flow is allocated a second expected bandwidth.

44. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein code for causing the computer to identify the set of flows comprises code for causing the computer to determine whether the first flow is allocated a first expected receiving data rate and the second flow is allocated a second expected receiving data rate.

45. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein code for causing the computer to identify the set of flows comprises code for causing the computer to determine whether the first flow is allocated a first expected congestion window size and the second flow is allocated a second expected congestion window size

46. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing a computer to determine a first target data rate for the first flow and a second target data rate for the second flow.

47. The computer program product of claim 46, wherein the first target data rate and the second target data rate are determined based on an available bandwidth associated with the traffic flow constraint.

48. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein the code for causing the computer to allocate bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows comprises code for causing the computer to adjust a decrease parameter associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

49. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein the code for causing the computer to allocate bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows comprises code for causing the computer to adjust an increase parameter associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

50. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein the code for causing the computer to allocate bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows comprises code for causing the computer to adjust a congestion window size associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

51. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein the code for causing the computer to allocate bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows comprises code for causing the computer to adjust a receive window size associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.

52. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein the code for causing the computer to allocate bandwidth to each of the flows in the set of flows comprises code for causing the computer to adjust an acknowledgment delay time associated with at least one of the flows of the set of flows.