PROACTIVE AND SELECTIVE TIME-STAMPING OF PACKET HEADERS BASED ON QUALITY OF SERVICE EXPERIENCE AND NODE LOCATION

• US 20140219133A1
• Filed: 07/03/2013
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dasgupta, Sukrit, Vasseur, Jean-Philippe, Mermoud, Grgory
• Granted Patent: US 9,432,312 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/28 in relation to timing considerations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9057 Arrangements for supporting packet reassembly or resequencing

Abstract

In one embodiment, a message is received at a node in a network indicating that the node is classified as a critical node, and requesting the node to proactively time-stamp data packets. Data packets are received from one or more child nodes of the node, and the node selects a data packet of the received data packets to time-stamp. Then, the node proactively inserts a time-stamp in the selected data packet. The time-stamped data packet is sent toward a central management node.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a node in a network, a first message indicating that the node is classified as a critical node, and requesting the node to proactively time-stamp data packets;

receiving data packets from one or more child nodes of the node;

selecting a data packet of the received data packets to time-stamp;

proactively inserting a time-stamp in the selected data packet; and

sending the time-stamped data packet toward a central management node.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a probability value to a child node of the node that is based on a criticality metric, wherein the selecting of the data packet is based on the assigned probability value.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

sending a second message to the child node requesting the child node to proactively time-stamp data packets, wherein

the second message propagates downwardly through the sub-network of the child node, and

the time-stamp is inserted in the selected data packet only when the data packet has not already been time-stamped by another node.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

including in the second message an indication of the assigned probability value.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a third message indicating a cluster depth, wherein the second message propagates downwardly through the sub-network according to the cluster depth.

6. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a third message indicating a data packet selection ratio, wherein the selecting of the data packet is based on the data packet selection ratio.

7. A method, comprising:

classifying a node in a network as a critical node;

sending a message to the node indicating that the node is classified as the critical node, and requesting the node to proactively time-stamp data packets;

receiving at least one time-stamped data packet from the node; and

determining a Quality of Service (QoS) value in the network based on the at least one received time-stamped data packet.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

defining a cluster of nodes in the network, wherein the node is a parent node in the cluster of nodes.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

including in the message an indication of one or more of;

a period of time for which the node will be classified as the critical node, a degree of criticality of the node, a cluster depth, and a data packet selection ratio.

10. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

classifying a plurality of nodes in the network as critical nodes, wherein the node is one of the plurality of nodes; and

sending a message to each of the plurality of nodes requesting the plurality of nodes to proactively time-stamp data packets.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the classifying of the node is based on one or more of:

a topology of the network, a location of the node, a threshold number of critical nodes, and a threshold size of a cluster of nodes.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more network interfaces that communicate with a network;

a processor coupled to the one or more network interfaces and configured to execute a process; and

a memory configured to store program instructions which contain the process executable by the processor, the process comprising;

receiving, as a node in the network, a first message indicating that the node is classified as a critical node, and requesting the node to proactively time-stamp data packets;

receiving data packets from one or more child nodes of the node;

selecting a data packet of the received data packets to time-stamp;

proactively inserting a time-stamp in the selected data packet; and

sending the time-stamped data packet toward a central management node.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the process further comprises:

assigning a probability value to a child node of the node that is based on a criticality metric, wherein the selecting of the data packet is based on the assigned probability value.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the process further comprises:

sending a second message to the child node requesting the child node to proactively time-stamp data packets, wherein

the second message propagates downwardly through the sub-network of the child node, and

the time-stamp is inserted in the selected data packet only when the data packet has not already been time-stamped by another node.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the process further comprises:

including in the second message an indication of the assigned probability value.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the process further comprises:

receiving a third message indicating a cluster depth, wherein the second message propagates downwardly through the sub-network according to the cluster depth.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the process further comprises:

receiving a third message indicating a data packet selection ratio, wherein the selecting of the data packet is based on the data packet selection ratio.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more network interfaces that communicate with a network;

a processor coupled to the one or more network interfaces and configured to execute a process; and

a memory configured to store program instructions which contain the process executable by the processor, the process comprising;

classifying a node in the network as a critical node;

sending a message to the node indicating that the node is classified as the critical node, and requesting the node to proactively time-stamp data packets;

receiving at least one time-stamped data packet from the node; and

determining a QoS value in the network based on the at least one received time-stamped data packet.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the process further comprises:

defining a cluster of nodes in the network, wherein the node is a parent node in the cluster of nodes.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the process further comprises:

including in the message an indication of one or more of;

a period of time for which the node will be classified as the critical node, a degree of criticality of the node, a cluster depth, and a data packet selection ratio.

21. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the process further comprises:

classifying a plurality of nodes in the network as critical nodes, wherein the node is one of the plurality of nodes; and

sending a message to each of the plurality of nodes requesting the plurality of nodes to proactively time-stamp data packets.

22. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the classifying of the node is based on one or more of:

a topology of the network, a location of the node, a threshold number of critical nodes, and a threshold size of a cluster of nodes.