CENTRALIZED ADJUSTMENT OF DATA RATES IN MESH NETWORKS

• US 20150350018A1
• Filed: 05/29/2014
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2014
• 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, Hong, Wei
• Granted Patent: US 9,491,051 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• 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 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0221 power availability or consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method is disclosed in which a device receives data regarding a topology of a network. Traffic data for one or more data links in the network and performance data for the one or more data links are also received. A data rate change is simulated for the one or more data links using the topology data, traffic data, and performance data. Based on the simulated data rate change, a data rate change command is provided to one or more nodes associated with the one or more data links.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a device, topology data regarding a topology of a network;

receiving, at the device, traffic data for one or more data links in the network;

receiving, at the device, performance data for the one or more data links;

simulating, by the device, a data rate change for the one or more data links using the topology data, traffic data, and performance data; and

providing, by the device, a data rate change command to one or more nodes associated with the one or more data links based on the simulated data rate change.

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

determining that the simulated data rate change may affect the topology of the network; and

sending a command to the one or more nodes to recompute the topology of the network.

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

receiving performance data regarding the data rate change from the one or more nodes;

determining that the data rate change has affected network performance; and

sending a second data rate change command to the one or more nodes to revert a particular data link to a previously used data rate.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the data regarding the topology of the network is received via a routing protocol message.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the data rate change command is a unicast message.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein the data rate change command is a broadcast message.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein the device is a root node of the network or a network management server.

8. 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 process executable by the processor, the process when executed operable to;

receive topology data regarding a topology of the LLN;

receive traffic data for one or more data links in the LLN;

receive performance data for the one or more data links;

simulate a data rate change for the one or more data links using the topology data, traffic data, and performance data; and

provide a data rate change command to one or more nodes associated with the one or more data links based on the simulated data rate change.

9. The apparatus as in claim 8, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

determine that the simulated data rate change may affect the topology of the LLN; and

send a command to the one or more nodes to recompute the topology of the LLN.

10. The apparatus as in claim 8, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

receive performance data regarding the data rate change from the one or more nodes;

determine that the data rate change has affected performance of the LLN; and

send a second data rate change command to the one or more nodes to revert a particular data link to a previously used data rate.

11. The apparatus as in claim 8, wherein the data regarding the topology of the network is received via a routing protocol message.

12. The apparatus as in claim 8, wherein the data rate change command is a unicast message.

13. The apparatus as in claim 8, wherein the data rate change command is a broadcast message.

14. The apparatus as in claim 8, wherein the apparatus is a root node of the LLN or a network management server.

15. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having software encoded thereon, the software when executed by a processor operable to:

receive topology data regarding a topology of a network;

receive traffic data for one or more data links in the network;

receive performance data for the one or more data links;

simulate a data rate change for the one or more data links using the topology data, traffic data, and performance data; and

provide a data rate change command to one or more nodes associated with the one or more data links based on the simulated data rate change.

16. The computer-readable media as in claim 15, wherein the software when executed is further operable to:

determine that the simulated data rate change may affect the topology of the network; and

sending a command to the one or more nodes to recompute the topology of the network.

17. The computer-readable media as in claim 15, wherein the software when executed is further operable to:

receive performance data regarding the data rate change from the one or more nodes;

determine that the data rate change has affected performance of the network; and

send a second data rate change command to the one or more nodes to revert a particular data link to a previously used data rate.

18. The computer-readable media as in claim 15, wherein the data regarding the topology of the network is received via a routing protocol message.

19. The computer-readable media as in claim 15, wherein the data rate change command is a unicast message.

20. The computer-readable media as in claim 15, wherein the data rate change command is a broadcast message.