Buffer-based traffic measurement system and method for nominal bit rate (NBR) service
First Claim
1. A method of adjusting a transmission rate of information cells transmitted over a network connection, comprising:
- transmitting a measurement cell to a measurement buffer substantially contemporaneously with respect to each transmission of an information cell to the network connection;
regulating an occupancy level of the measurement buffer;
generating a cell priority value in response to the occupancy level of the measurement buffer, the cell priority value indicating a probability of information cell acceptance at a node of the network connection; and
assigning the cell priority value to information cells being transmitted to the network connection.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for controlling the cell priority of cells transmitted from a cell source to network destinations across a network connection is provided. Each of the cells transmitted is registered in a measurement buffer upon being output from the cell source. The registered cells in the measurement buffer are discharged at a discharge rate corresponding to the current occupancy level of the measurement buffer. Cell priority values are generated by correlating the current buffer occupancy level to one of a plurality of predetermined buffer occupancy ranges to determine which occupancy range coincides with the current occupancy level. The generated cell priority values are loaded into cells transmitted from the cell source for use by the network connection.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A method of adjusting a transmission rate of information cells transmitted over a network connection, comprising:
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transmitting a measurement cell to a measurement buffer substantially contemporaneously with respect to each transmission of an information cell to the network connection; regulating an occupancy level of the measurement buffer; generating a cell priority value in response to the occupancy level of the measurement buffer, the cell priority value indicating a probability of information cell acceptance at a node of the network connection; and assigning the cell priority value to information cells being transmitted to the network connection. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 8)
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- 5. The method of claim 5, wherein the measurement buffer is arranged to include a plurality of buffer occupancy ranges, and generating the cell priority value further comprises generating the cell priority value that varies relative to the occupancy level falling within a particular one of the plurality of buffer occupancy ranges.
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9. A method of adjusting a transmission rate of information cells transmitted over a network connection, comprising:
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transmitting a measurement cell to a measurement buffer substantially contemporaneously with respect to transmission of an information cell to the network connection, the measurement buffer configured to include a plurality of buffer occupancy ranges; discharging measurement cells from the measurement buffer at a discharge rate that varies relative to a current occupancy level of the measurement buffer falling within a particular range of the plurality of buffer occupancy ranges; generating a cell priority value having a magnitude that varies relative to the current occupancy level of the measurement buffer falling within the particular buffer occupancy range, the cell priority value indicating a probability of information cell acceptance at a node of the network connection; and assigning the cell priority value to information cells being transmitted to the network connection. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 15)
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13. A method of adjusting a transmission rate of information cells transmitted over a network connection, comprising:
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transmitting a measurement cell to a measurement buffer substantially contemporaneously with respect to transmission of an information cell to the network connection, the measurement buffer configured to include a plurality of buffer occupancy ranges; discharging measurement cells from the measurement buffer at a discharge rate that varies relative to a current occupancy level of the measurement buffer falling within a particular range of the plurality of buffer occupancy ranges; generating a cell priority value having a magnitude that varies relative to the current occupancy level of the measurement buffer falling within the particular buffer occupancy range, the cell priority value indicating a probability of information cell acceptance at a node of the network connection; assigning the cell priority value to information cells being transmitted to the network connection; and wherein each of the buffer occupancy ranges includes substantially the same number of cell storage locations, and a duration of time required to fill each of the buffer occupancy ranges increases exponentially as the current buffer occupancy level increases from the particular buffer occupancy range to a higher buffer occupancy range.
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14. A method of adjusting a transmission rate of information cells transmitted over a network connection, comprising:
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transmitting a measurement cell to a measurement buffer substantially contemporaneously with respect to transmission of an information cell to the network connection, the measurement buffer configured to include a plurality of buffer occupancy ranges; discharging measurement cells from the measurement buffer at a discharge rate that varies relative to a current occupancy level of the measurement buffer falling within a particular range of the plurality of buffer occupancy ranges; generating a cell priority value having a magnitude that varies relative to the current occupancy level of the measurement buffer falling within the particular buffer occupancy range, the cell priority value indicating a probability of information cell acceptance at a node of the network connection; and wherein each of the buffer occupancy ranges includes an exponentially larger number of cell storage locations than a preceding buffer occupancy range, and a duration of time required to fill each of the buffer occupancy ranges is substantially the same as the time required to fill other ones of the buffer occupancy ranges.
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16. A system for adjusting a transmission rate of information cells transmitted over a network connection, comprising:
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a source unit that transmits the information cells to the network connection; a measurement buffer that receives measurement cells from the source unit, the source unit transmitting a measurement cell to the measurement buffer substantially contemporaneously with each information cell transmission; a detector that detects an occupancy level of the measurement buffer, the detector producing an occupancy level signal indicative of a current occupancy level of the measurement buffer; an output enable circuit, coupled to the detector, that controls a discharge rate of measurement cells from the measurement buffer in response to the occupancy level signal; and an encoder that encodes a priority value in each of the information cells, being transmitted over the network connection, the priority value indicating a probability of information cell acceptance at a node of the network connection and having a magnitude that, varies in response to the current occupancy level of the measurement buffer. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for controlling a cell priority for cells transmitted from a network source unit to one or more network destination units across a network connection, comprising:
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registering each of the cells transmitted from the network source unit in a measurement buffer; discharging the registered cells in the measurement buffer at a discharge rate corresponding to a current buffer occupancy level of the measurement buffer; generating a cell priority value correlating to one of a plurality of predetermined buffer occupancy ranges which coincides with the current buffer occupancy level wherein the priority value indicates a probability of information cell acceptance at a node of the network connection; and loading the cell priority value into the cells being transmitted from the network source unit to the one or more network destination units across the network connection. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 40)
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35. A system for adjusting a transmission rate of information cells transmitted over a network connection, comprising:
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a source unit that transmits the information cells to the network connection; a cell transmission measurement device coupled to the source unit to register an occurrence of each information cell transmission to provide a quantitative cell transmission level; a detector that detects the cell transmission level of the cell transmission measurement device, the detector producing a cell level signal indicative of a current quantitative cell transmission level of the cell transmission measurement device; an output enable circuit, coupled to the detector to control a decrementing rate of the quantitative cell transmission level from the cell transmission measurement device in response to the cell level signal; and an encoder that encodes a priority value in each of the information cells, being transmitted over the network connection, the priority value indicating a probability of information cell acceptance at a node of the network connection and having a magnitude that varies in response to the current quantitative cell transmission level of the cell transmission measurement device. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification