System and Method for Transmission Management in Software Defined Networks

• US 20160112335A1
• Filed: 10/16/2014
• Published: 04/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Canada Co., Ltd (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Canada Co., Ltd (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Stephenne, Alex, Dung Dao, Ngoc, Bouanen, Marwen, Delgado Collao, Oscar Humberto, Labeau, Fabrice
• Granted Patent: US 9,722,935 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/566 Routing instructions carried by the data packet, e.g. active networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/122 by diverting traffic away from congested entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2458 Modification of priorities while in transit
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/26 using explicit feedback to the source, e.g. choke packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/263 Rate modification at the source after receiving feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/522 Dynamic queue service slot or variable bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6215 Individual queue per QOS, rate or priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/628 based on packet size, e.g. shortest packet first
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/629 Ensuring fair share of resources, e.g. weighted fair queuing [WFQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0247 based on conditions of the access network or the infrastructure network central resource management H04W28/16

Abstract

A communications controller is provided. The communications controller includes a flow manager that classifies a packet flow serviced by more than one transmission points (TPs) as one of a plurality of slices in accordance with at least one of a nature of the packet flow, a load status of each of the plurality of slices, and feedback information provided by the more than one TPs, and alters a classification of the packet flow in accordance with the load status of each of the plurality of slices, and feedback information provided by the TPs served by the communications controller. The communications controller also includes a memory coupled to the flow manager, the memory stores a packet of the packet flow in one of a plurality of packet queues in accordance with the classification of the packet flow.

Claims

1. A communications controller comprising:

a flow manager configured to classify a packet flow serviced by more than one transmission points (TPs) as one of a plurality of slices in accordance with at least one of a nature of the packet flow, a load status of each of the plurality of slices, and feedback information provided by the more than one TPs, and to alter a classification of the packet flow in accordance with the load status of each of the plurality of slices, and feedback information provided by the more than one TPs; and

a memory operatively coupled to the flow manager, the memory configured to store a packet of the packet flow in one of a plurality of packet queues in accordance with the classification of the packet flow.

2. The communications controller of claim 1, further comprising a scheduler operatively coupled to the flow manager and to the memory, the scheduler configured to schedule a transfer of the packet from the one of the plurality of packet queues to at least one TP in accordance with the classification of the packet flow and a destination of the packet.

3. The communications controller of claim 2, wherein the scheduler is configured to schedule the transfer of the packet in accordance with decision metric values associated with the more than one TPs.

4. The communications controller of claim 2, wherein the scheduler is configured to adjust capacities of the plurality of packet queues in accordance with an optimization of rates of the plurality of slices.

5. The communications controller of claim 4, wherein the scheduler is configured to maximize a utility function of the rates of the plurality of slices.

6. The communications controller of claim 5, wherein the utility function is a concave function with respect to the rates of the plurality of slices.

7. The communications controller of claim 1, wherein the flow manager is configured to initially classify the packet flow as a first slice of the plurality of slices, and wherein the flow manager is configured to subsequently reclassify the packet flow as the one of the plurality of slices in accordance with at least one of the nature of the packet flow, the load status of each of the plurality of slices, and feedback information provided by the more than one TPs.

8. The communications controller of claim 7, wherein the packet flow comprises a video flow, wherein the plurality of slices comprises a transit slice, a limbo slice, and a steady slice, and wherein the first slice is the transit slice.

9. The communications controller of claim 7, wherein the flow manager is configured to subsequently reclassify the packet flow in accordance with a penalty metric associated with the packet flow.

10. The communications controller of claim 7, wherein the flow manager is configured to subsequently reclassify the packet flow in accordance with a delay associated with the packet of the packet flow.

11. A method for operating a communications controller, the method comprising:

receiving, by the communications controller, a packet of a packet flow serviced by more than one transmission points (TPs) controlled by the communications controller;

classifying, by the communications controller, the packet flow as one of a plurality of slices in accordance with at least one of a nature of the packet flow, a load status of each of the plurality of slices, and feedback information provided by the more than one TPs; and

storing, by the communications controller, the packet in one of a plurality of packet queues in accordance with the classification of the packet flow.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising altering a classification of the packet flow in accordance with the load status of each of the plurality of slices, and feedback information provided by the more than one TPs.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising scheduling a transfer of the packet from the one of the plurality of packet queues to at least one of the more than one TPs in accordance with the classification of the packet flow and a destination of the packet.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the packet is scheduled in accordance with decision metric values associated with the more than one TPs.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising adjusting capacities of the plurality of packet queues in accordance with an optimization of rates of the plurality of slices.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein adjusting the capacities comprises maximize a utility function of the rates of the plurality of slices.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein classifying the packet flow comprises:

initially classifying the packet flow as a first slice of the plurality of slices; and

subsequently reclassifying the packet flow as the one of the plurality of slices in accordance with at least one of the nature of the packet flow, the load status of each of the plurality of slices, and feedback information provided by the more than one TPs.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the packet flow comprises a video flow, wherein the plurality of slices comprises a transit slice, a limbo slice, and a steady slice, and wherein the first slice is the transit slice.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the packet is reclassified in accordance with one of a penalty metric associated with the packet flow and a delay associated with the packet of the packet flow.

20. A communications system comprising:

a plurality of transmission points (TPs) configured to serve user equipments; and

a communications controller operatively coupled to the plurality of TPs, the communications controller configured to classify a packet flow serviced by more than one TPs of the plurality of TPs as one of a plurality of slices in accordance with at least one of a nature of the packet flow, a load status of each of the plurality of slices, and feedback information provided by the plurality of TPs controlled by the communications controller, to alter a classification of the packet flow in accordance with the load status of each of the plurality of slices, and feedback information provided by the plurality of TPs, and to store a packet of the packet flow in one of a plurality of packet queues in accordance with the classification of the packet flow.

21. The communications controller of claim 20, wherein the communications controller comprises:

a control plane configured to classify the packet flow as the one of the plurality of slices in accordance with at least one of the nature of the packet flow, the load status of each of the plurality of slices, and feedback information provided by the plurality of TPs, and to alter the classification of the packet flow in accordance with the load status of each of the plurality of slices, and the feedback information provided by the plurality of TPs; and

a data plane operatively coupled to the control plane, the data plane configured to store the packet of the packet flow in the one of the plurality of packet queues in accordance with the classification of the packet flow.