Channel utilization method and system for ISDN

• US 5,479,407 A
• Filed: 01/24/1994
• Issued: 12/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Ko, Cheng-Hsu, Gagliardi, Ugo G., Hsu, Meichun, Cummings, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Application Number:
  US08/094,115
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 370/13, 370/17, 370/60, 370/60.1, 370/94.1, 370/94.2, 370/95.1, 370/95.3, 370/85.7, 370/110.1
• US Class Current: 370/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5615 Network termination, e.g. NT1, NT2, PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5616 Terminal equipment, e.g. codecs, synch.
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5632 Bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0428 Integrated services digital network, i.e. systems for transmission of different types of digitised signals, e.g. speech, data, telecentral, television signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13209 ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13332 Broadband, CATV, dynamic bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13384 Inter-PBX traffic, PBX networks, e.g. corporate networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13396 Signaling in general, in-band signalling

Abstract

An ISDN gateway (GW, 100) dynamically allocates bandwidth by monitoring traffic at each destination queue and in response allocating or deallocating virtual B-channels. A long term allocation (LTA) algorithm is executed during usual traffic conditions to determine when, and for how long, virtual B-channels are to be allocated. During transient conditions, the gateway (GW, 100) executes a short term allocation (STA) algorithm. Bandwidth utilization is optimized by packaging data packets into trains that are transmitted to the destination when the train is completed and upon satisfaction of other conditions. Each train undergoes data compression by execution of a suitable compression algorithm.

Claims

1. In a communication network characterized by a multiplicity of channels for carrying packets of data on a medium between data servers and destinations, channel allocation apparatus, comprising:

means for establishing input and output destination queues;

data flowmeter means for measuring quantity of data arriving at each said input and output destination queue during a particular time interval;

means for polling each said data flowmeter means at fixed intervals;

long term channel allocation means responsive to said polling means for allocating or deallocating transmission channels to a particular destination on said medium depending upon data flow traffic to said destination and particular channel parameters; and

short term channel allocation means, overriding said long term channel allocation means in response to predetermined conditions, for allocating or deallocating transmission channels on said medium.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, including means for assembling pluralities of packets into trains, each consisting of a predetermined number of packets, and means or transmitting said trains onto said medium.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said predetermined conditions include inactivity at a destination queue for a time period greater than a predetermined period.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said predetermined conditions include an empty destination queue.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said predetermined conditions include a condition wherein a quantity of data directed to a particular destination exceeds the capacity of available channels assigned to that destination.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said data is arranged in trains consisting of a predetermined number of packets and said quantity of data is an accumulation of data comprising each said train.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein each said train is provided with a header.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein a unique number is assigned to each packet in a train.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said long term channel allocation means comprises

means for transmitting sampled data, one packet at a time, in a most-empty-channel-first transmission sequence;

and

means for recovering said sampled data using sequence numbers and a trace-back time-out procedure.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, including means for receiving and rebuilding packets in accordance with said header.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said long term channel allocation means comprises

means for transmitting sampled data, one packet at a time, in a round-robin fashion over activated component channels of said multiplicity of channels, skipping deactivated channels of said multiplicity of channels;

and

means for receiving and recovering said data in the same round-robin sequence.