EFFICIENT ADMISSION CONTROL FOR LOW POWER AND LOSSY NETWORKS

• US 20130019005A1
• Filed: 07/12/2011
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hui, Jonathan W., Vasseur, Jean-Philippe, Jayaraman, Vikram, Ganesan, Karthikeyan
• Granted Patent: US 9,100,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• 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 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• 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

Abstract

In one embodiment, a centralized network management server (NMS) determines a network state of a low power and lossy network (LLN) based on resource utilization due to traffic in the LLN. The NMS also determines an admission state based on the network state, and admission control (network-wide and/or localized control) based on the admission state. As such, the centralized NMS can then administer the admission control for all nodes in the LLN, where network-wide control comprises a single control command to all nodes in the LLN, and the nodes direct admission based on the control command, and where localized control comprises a request-response exchange between the nodes and the centralized NMS, and the NMS directs admission on a per-request basis.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining a network state of a low power and lossy network (LLN) by a centralized network management server (NMS) based on resource utilization due to traffic in the LLN;

determining an admission state by the centralized NMS based on the network state;

determining admission control based on the admission state, the admission control being at least one of either network-wide control and localized control; and

administering the admission control for all nodes in the LLN from the centralized NMS;

wherein network-wide control comprises a single control command to all nodes in the LLN, and the nodes direct admission based on the control command; and

wherein localized control comprises a request-response exchange between the nodes and the centralized NMS, and the NMS directs admission on a per-request basis.

2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a report from each of the nodes in the LLN regarding localized network state; and

aggregating the received reports to determine the network state of the LLN.

3. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

determining network state based on resource utilization for a link between the LLN and a global computer network.

4. The method as in claim 3, further comprising:

determining resource utilization for a plurality of links between the LLN and the global computer network; and

aggregating the resource utilization for the plurality of links to determine the network state.

5. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

classifying the admission state into one of three or more hierarchal levels; and

determining the admission control based on the admission state level.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein network-wide control comprises directing admission based on a factor selected from a group consisting of:

traffic type;

traffic destination;

traffic source;

traffic priority;

node type;

node location; and

node priority.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein admission control comprises directing whether a node is advised to join a different LLN.

8. The method as in claim 7, wherein admission state is a metric used by nodes when determining which LLN to join.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein localized control is per flow.

10. The method as in claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, by the centralized NMS, a request from a particular node in the LLN to admit a new flow into the LLN; and

responding to the particular node with a particular directed admission decision.

11. The method as in claim 10, further comprising:

basing the particular directed admission decision on an expected path of the new flow through the LLN and the admission state of the LLN as it relates to the expected path.

12. The method as in claim 9, wherein localized control comprises directing admission from a group consisting of:

dropping the flow;

queueing the flow; and

rerouting the flow.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more network interfaces to communicate with a low power and lossy network (LLN);

a processor coupled to the network interfaces and adapted to execute one or more processes; and

a memory configured to store a centralized network management server (NMS) process executable by the processor, the process when executed operable to;

determine a network state of the LLN based on resource utilization due to traffic in the LLN;

determine an admission state based on the network state;

determine admission control based on the admission state, the admission control being at least one of either network-wide control and localized control; and

administer the admission control for all nodes in the LLN;

is wherein network-wide control comprises a single control command to all nodes in the LLN, and the nodes direct admission based on the control command; and

wherein localized control comprises a request-response exchange between the nodes and the centralized NMS process, and the NMS process directs admission on a per-request basis.

14. The apparatus as in claim 13, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

receive a report from each of the nodes in the LLN regarding localized network state; and

aggregate the received reports to determine the network state of the LLN.

15. The apparatus as in claim 13, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

determine network state based on resource utilization for a link between the LLN and a global computer network.

16. The apparatus as in claim 13, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

classify the admission state into one of three or more hierarchal levels; and

determine the admission control based on the admission state level.

17. The apparatus as in claim 13, wherein network-wide control comprises directing admission based on a factor selected from a group consisting of:

traffic type;

traffic destination;

traffic source;

traffic priority;

node type;

node location; and

node priority.

18. The apparatus as in claim 13, wherein admission control comprises directing whether a node is advised to join a different LLN.

19. The apparatus as in claim 13, wherein localized control is per flow.

20. The apparatus as in claim 19, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

receive a request from a particular node in the LLN to admit a new flow into the LLN; and

respond to the particular node with a particular directed admission decision.

21. The apparatus as in claim 20, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

base the particular directed admission decision on an expected path of the new flow through the LLN and the admission state of the LLN as it relates to the expected path.

22. The apparatus as in claim 19, wherein localized control comprises directing admission from a group consisting of:

dropping the flow;

queueing the flow; and

rerouting the flow.

23. A method, comprising:

sending a report from a particular node in a low power and lossy network (LLN) to a centralized network management server (NMS) regarding localized network state;

receiving administered admission control from the centralized NMS at the particular node, the admission control selected from a group consisting of;

i) network-wide control, comprising a single control command sent to all nodes in the LLN, the method further comprising directing admission by the particular node based on the control command; and

ii) localized control, comprising a request-response exchange between the particular node and the centralized NMS, and the NMS directs admission on a per-request basis, the method further comprising sending a request to the centralized NMS to admit a new flow into the LLN, and receiving a response from the centralized NMS with a particular directed admission decision for the flow.