Managing congestion and potential traffic growth in an information network

• US 6,724,722 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2000
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia of America Corporation (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, Zheng, Zhang, Leah, Wang, Yufei
• Primary Examiner(s): VANDERPUYE, KENNETH N
• Application Number:
  US09/520,247
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/230, 370/230.1, 370/232, 370/235, 370/386, 370/237, 370/238
• US Class Current: 370/229
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 33/003 Controlling the feeding of liquid fuel from storage containers to carburettors or fuel-injection apparatus control of electrical fuel pumps F02D41/3082, controlling fuel flow to a common rail F02D41/3845; Failure or leakage prevention; Diagnosis or detection of failure; Arrangement of sensors in the fuel system; Electric wiring; Electrostatic discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• 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 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation

Abstract

Traffic demands are routed across links of an information network so as to avoid congestion and allow for future traffic growth. Traffic demands from a source node to a destination node of the network are monitored, including bandwidths associated with each of the demands. For each demand, and for a given link of the network, that portion of the bandwidth associated with each traffic demand which is provided by the given link, is determined. A maximum value of link utilization among all links of the network is then determined, wherein link utilization is defined as the amount of bandwidth used by all traffic demands routed through a given link with respect to a total capacity of the link. Traffic demands are then routed across the links of the network in such a manner as to minimize the maximum value of link utilization.

Claims

1. A method of managing traffic flow across links of an information network, comprising:

monitoring traffic demands from a source node of an information network to a destination node of the network, including bandwidths associated with each of the traffic demands;

determining for each traffic demand and for a given link of the network, that portion of the bandwidth associated with each traffic demand which portion is provided by the given link;

determining a maximum value of link utilization among all links of the network, where link utilization is defined as the amount of bandwidth used by all traffic demands routed trough a given link with respect to a total capacity of the link;

calculating a cost metric for each link of the network based on information comprising the traffic demand and maximum value of link utilization;

selecting a path that minimizes the maximum value of link utilization based on each cost metric; and

routing the traffic demands across the path.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising routing traffic demands over more than one path in the network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising routing each traffic demand over a single path in the network.

4. A method of managing traffic flow across links of an information network comprising:

receiving a demand to route network traffic;

determining a demand size of the demand;

determining a routing procedure associated with the demand;

calculating a cost metric for each of a plurality of links of a network;

the cost metric for each link being associated with information comprising the routing procedure and a link utilization, the link utilization being a ratio of link capacities; and

selecting a path to route network traffic based on the calculated cost metric for each of the plurality of links.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein, the network traffic is routed over a multi-protocol label switching network.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein, the routing procedure is a shortest path routing procedure and the cost metric is determined by a ratio of the used link capacity and the demand size to the total link capacity.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein, the routing procedure is a shortest-widest path routing procedure and the cost metric is associated with a percentage of link idle capacity.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein, if there are multiple candidate paths, the path with minimum hops or the shortest distance is chosen.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein, the routing procedure is a Min-Max link utilization routing procedure and the cost metric is associated with a maximum link utilization of the link, the demand size, and link utilization of the plurality of links.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein, the cost metric is adjusted by a small scalar value and the demand size where a cost metric for a link is the same as a cost metric for another link.

11. The method of claim 4 wherein, the routing procedure is a hybrid routing procedure and the cost metric is associated with the link utilization, the demand size, a maximum link utilization for the link, a number of hops of a minimum hop path for the demand, and the link utilization of the plurality of links.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein, the selected path to route network traffic is the shortest path.

13. The method of claim 4 wherein, selecting the path to route network traffic is based on a weight associated with the calculated cost metric for each of the plurality of links;

each weight being manipulated in a open shortest path first network.

14. A computer readable medium including computing instructions for managing traffic flow across links of an information network, the instructions comprising:

monitoring traffic demands from a source node of an information network to a destination node of the network, including bandwidths associated with each of the traffic demands;

determining for each traffic demand and for a given link of the network, that portion of the bandwidth associated with each traffic demand which portion is provided by the given link;

determining a maximum value of link utilization among all links of the network, where link utilization is defined as the amount of bandwidth used by all traffic demands routed trough a given link with respect to a total capacity of the link;

calculating a cost metric for each link of the network based on information comprising the traffic demand and maximum value of link utilization;

selecting a path that minimizes the maximum value of link utilization based on each cost metric; and

routing the traffic demands across the path.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, including instructions further comprising routing traffic demands over more than one path in the network.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, including instructions further comprising routing each traffic demand over a single path in the network.

17. A computer readable medium including computing instructions for managing traffic flow across links of an information network, the instructions comprising:

receiving a demand to route network traffic;

determining a demand size of the demand;

determining a routing procedure associated with the demand;

calculating a cost metric for each of a plurality of links of a network;

the cost metric for each link being associated with information comprising the routing procedure and a link utilization, the link utilization being a ratio of link capacities; and

selecting a path to route network traffic based on the calculated cost metric for each of the plurality of links.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein, the network traffic is routed over a multi-protocol label switching network.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein, the routing procedure is a shortest path routing procedure and the cost metric is determined by a ratio of the used link capacity and the demand size to the total link capacity.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein, the routing procedure is a shortest-widest path routing procedure and the cost metric is associated with a percentage of link idle capacity.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein, if there are multiple candidate paths, the path with minimum hops or the shortest distance is chosen.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein, the routing procedure is a Min-Max link utilization routing procedure and the cost metric is associated with a maximum link utilization of the link, the demand size, and link utilization of the plurality of links.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22 wherein, the cost metric is adjusted by a small scalar value and the demand size where a cost metric for a link is the same as a cost metric for another link.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein, the routing procedure is a hybrid routing procedure and the cost metric is associated with the link utilization, the demand size, a maximum link utilization for the link, a number of hops of a minimum hop path for the demand, and the link utilization of the plurality of links.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 24 wherein, the selected path to route network traffic is the shortest path.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein, the selecting of the path to route network traffic is based on a weight associated with the calculated cost metric for each of the plurality of links;

each weight being manipulated in a open shortest path first network.