Method and apparatus for selectively allocating and enforcing bandwidth usage requirements on network users

• US 6,473,793 B1
• Filed: 01/19/1999
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gupta, Vivek, Dillon, Douglas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Benson, Walter
• Application Number:
  US09/233,343
• Time in Patent Office: 1,379 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/235, 370/412, 370/468, 370/352, 370/401, 379/243, 709/223, 709/231, 709/232, 709/242, 725/95, 725/96, 725/109, 725/110
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18584 Arrangements for data networking, i.e. for data packet routing, for congestion control data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2212/00 Encapsulation of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2425 for supporting services specification, e.g. SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/27 Evaluation or update of window size, e.g. using information derived from acknowledged [ACK] packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/748 Negotiation of resources, e.g. modification of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/825 Involving tunnels, e.g. MPLS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 : Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 : of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 : Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 : Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 : In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/168 : specially adapted for link layer protocols, e.g. asynchronous transfer mode [ATM], synchronous optical network [SONET] or point-to-point protocol [PPP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/169 : Special adaptations of TCP, UDP or IP for interworking of IP based networks with other networks protocols for interworking, protocol conversion H04L69/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A hybrid gateway includes functionality that allows bandwidth on a network (such as a satellite link) to be dynamically allocated and enforced. The hybrid gateway compares the thresholds defined for a requesting terminal'"'"'s level of service and its measured running average data throughput to determine if the requesting terminal'"'"'s bandwidth should be reduced (throttled). The hybrid gateway intercepts requests made by the requesting terminals and, if necessary, reduces the advertized window size of requests made by the requesting terminal, thereby reducing the transmission speed of the link and therefore the bandwidth of the link.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first apparatus configured for coupling to a TCP/IP network;

a second apparatus configured for coupling to the TCP/IP network via a satellite receiver connected to said second apparatus for receiving data from said first apparatus over the TCP/IP network; and

a third apparatus configured for coupling to the TCP/IP network for controlling throughput of the data from said first apparatus to said second apparatus,

wherein said third apparatus automatically controls the throughput in accordance with bandwidth utilization by a user of the second apparatus calculated on a per user basis.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said third apparatus automatically controls the throughput in accordance with (a) bandwidth utilization by a user of the second apparatus calculated on a per user basis and (b) a level of service subscribed to by the user.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said third apparatus automatically controls the throughput in accordance with (a) bandwidth utilization by a user of the second apparatus calculated on a per user basis and (b) a number of TCP connections opened by the user.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said third apparatus automatically controls the throughput in accordance with (a) bandwidth utilization by a user of the second apparatus calculated on a per user basis and (b) load on the satellite link used to send data from said first apparatus to the satellite receiver connected to said second apparatus.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the load is measured by measuring latency of data packets awaiting transmission over the satellite link.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the bandwidth utilization is measured in units of amount of data per unit time, and said third apparatus automatically controls the throughput in accordance with comparison of the bandwidth utilization to a throughput threshold.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said third apparatus effects the throughput control by controlling a window size of a TCP packet.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein said third apparatus effects the throughput control by discarding packets so as to reduce throughput.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the packets are UDP packets.

10. A throughput controlling apparatus for use with a system comprising a first apparatus configured for coupling to a TCP/IP network, a second apparatus configured for coupling to the TCP/IP network via a satellite receiver connected to said second apparatus for receiving data from said first apparatus over the TCP/IP network, and said throughput controlling apparatus,

wherein said throughput controlling apparatus is configured for coupling to the TCP/IP network for controlling throughput of the data from said first apparatus to said second apparatus, and

wherein said third apparatus automatically controls the throughput in accordance with bandwidth utilization by a user of the second apparatus calculated on a per user basis.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said apparatus effects the throughput control by controlling a window size of a TCP packet.

12. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said apparatus effects the throughput control by discarding packets so as to reduce throughput, and

wherein the packets are UDP packets.

13. A method comprising:

sending a request to a first device on a TCP/IP network from a second device on a TCP/IP network, wherein the second device on the TCP/IP network is coupled to the TCP/IP network via a satellite receiver connected to the second device;

sending data from the first device on the TCP/IP network to the second device on the TCP/IP network via the satellite receiver in response to the request;

automatically controlling, via a third device on the TCP/IP network, bandwidth of the data sent from the first device on the TCP/IP network to the second device on the TCP/IP network via the satellite receiver,

wherein said controlling is effected in accordance with bandwidth utilization by a user of the second device calculated on a per user basis.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein said controlling is effected in accordance with the bandwidth utilization and a level of service subscribed to by the user.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein said controlling is effected in accordance with the bandwidth utilization and a number of TCP connections opened by the user.