Enhanced Dynamic Multicast Optimization

• US 20150117235A1
• Filed: 10/31/2013
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Aruba Networks Incorporated (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Bhanage, Gautam, Bhorkar, Abhijeet, Damodaran, Sathish
• Granted Patent: US 9,338,073 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a system and method for enhanced dynamic multicast optimization based on network condition measurement. The system includes a processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the system to: measure a network condition for a multicast group using one or more metrics; determine whether to convert all stations in the multicast group to unicast based on the network condition; and responsive to determining not to convert the all stations in the multicast group to unicast, determine, based on the network condition, a sub set of the multicast group for converting the subset of the multicast group to unicast, wherein the subset includes less than all stations in the multicast group.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a set of instructions which, when executed by one or more hardware processors, causes performance of a set of operations comprising:

measuring, by a network device, a network condition;

determining, by the network device, whether to convert all stations in a multicast group to unicast based on the network condition; and

responsive to determining not to convert the all stations in the multicast group to unicast, determining, by the network device, based on the network condition, a subset of the multicast group for converting the subset of the multicast group to unicast, the subset including less than all stations in the multicast group.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the measuring includes measuring a network condition for the multicast group using one or more metrics.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more metrics include an airtime.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein measuring the network condition comprises:

measuring a first airtime cost for multicast transmission of the multicast group; and

estimating a second airtime cost for the multicast group if the all stations are converted to unicast.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein determining whether to convert the all stations to unicast comprises:

comparing the first and second airtime costs;

determining if the second airtime cost is lower than the first airtime cost; and

responsive to determining that the second airtime cost is lower than the first airtime cost, converting the all stations in the multicast group to unicast.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein determining whether to convert the all stations to unicast further comprises:

responsive to determining that the second airtime cost is not lower than the first airtime cost, determining whether converting the all stations to unicast will cause a saturation; and

responsive to determining that converting the all stations to unicast will cause the saturation, determining not to convert the all stations to unicast.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein determining the subset of the multicast group comprises:

sorting the stations in the multicast group based on their data rates;

generating the subset including less than all the stations in the multicast group based on the sorting;

estimating a third airtime cost for multicast transmission of one or more stations not in the subset and unicast transmission of one or more stations in the subset;

determining whether the third airtime cost will cause a saturation; and

responsive to determining that the third airtime cost will cause the saturation, removing one or more stations with the fastest data rate from the subset.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprises:

sorting a set of multicast groups based on one or more criteria, the one or more criteria including priority of access categories of the multicast groups.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein determining the subset of the multicast group comprises:

sorting the stations in the multicast group based on their data rates;

generating the subset including less than all the stations in the multicast group based on the sorting;

estimating a third airtime cost for multicast transmission of one or more stations not in the subset and unicast transmission of one or more stations in the subset;

determining whether the third airtime cost will cause a saturation; and

responsive to determining that the third airtime cost will cause the saturation, removing one or more stations with the fastest data rate from the subset.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions cause the system further to:

sort a set of multicast groups based on one or more criteria, the one or more criteria including priority of access categories of the multicast groups.

9. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the system to;

measure, by a network device, a network condition;

determine, by the network device, whether to convert all stations in a multicast group to unicast based on the network condition; and

responsive to determining not to convert the all stations in the multicast group to unicast, determine, by the network device, based on the network condition, a subset of the multicast group for converting the subset of the multicast group to unicast, the subset including less than all stations in the multicast group.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the measuring includes measuring a network condition for the multicast group using one or more metrics.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more metrics include an airtime.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein measuring the network condition comprises:

measuring a first airtime cost for multicast transmission of the multicast group; and

estimating a second airtime cost for the multicast group if the all stations are converted to unicast.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein determining whether to convert the all stations to unicast comprises:

comparing the first and second airtime costs;

determining if the second airtime cost is lower than the first airtime cost; and

responsive to determining that the second airtime cost is lower than the first airtime cost, converting the all stations in the multicast group to unicast.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein determining whether to convert the all stations to unicast further comprises:

responsive to determining that the second airtime cost is not lower than the first airtime cost, determining whether converting the all stations to unicast will cause a saturation; and

responsive to determining that converting the all stations to unicast will cause the saturation, determining not to convert the all stations to unicast.