Apparatus and methods for providing event-based data communications device configuration

• US 6,771,661 B1
• Filed: 07/21/1999
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chawla, Hamesh, Waclawsky, John G.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, CHI HO A
• Application Number:
  US09/358,084
• Time in Patent Office: 1,840 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/235, 370/236, 370/389, 370/392, 370/465, 370/468, 370/474, 709/223, 709/224, 709/226, 709/228-229, 709/232, 709/233
• US Class Current: 370/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/826 Involving periods of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction

Abstract

A system and method are provided which enable a data communications device to be programmed to automatically and dynamically modify allocation of resources upon the occurrence of specific events or times without have to break active sessions of data communications. Resource allocations can be made by bandwidth reservations provided to a data communications device via a network policy or via individual bandwidth reservation messages. The bandwidth allocation information can specify a session of data communication and future bandwidth modification information, such as a time or event, that will cause the data communications device to modify an amount of bandwidth reserved for the specified session of data communications. In operation, a data communications device receives bandwidth allocation information indicating future bandwidth allocation modification information associated with a session of data communication. The data communications device then can determine a future event upon the occurrence of which the data communications device will modify an amount of bandwidth allocated to the session of data communication. The future event can be determined based upon the future bandwidth allocation modification information and event information such as a time signal from a clock or another event signal. The data communications device can detect the occurrence of the future event in the data communications device and in response to detecting its occurrence, can modify the amount of bandwidth allocated to the session of data communications in the data communications device. Extensions to a bandwidth reservation protocol such as the RSVP protocol are defined which allow RSVP bandwidth reservation messages to specify the future bandwidth modification information. The systems and methods of the invention may be implemented in hardware, software or a combination thereof within a data communications device such as a router, switch, hub or other network device that handles the transfer of data.

Claims

1. A method for controlling bandwidth allocation within a data communications device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, in the data communications device, bandwidth allocation information indicating future bandwidth allocation modification information associated with a session of data communication;

determining, in the data communications device, a future event upon the occurrence of which the data communications device will modify an amount of bandwidth allocated to the session of data communication, wherein the future event is determined based upon the future bandwidth allocation modification information;

detecting the occurrence of the future event in the data communications device; and

in response to said detecting, modifying the amount of bandwidth allocated to the session of data communications in the data communications device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the step of receiving receives the bandwidth allocation information in the form of a bandwidth reservation message identifying a session of data communication, an amount of bandwidth to reserve in the data communications device for the session of data communication, and the future bandwidth allocation modification information; and

wherein the future bandwidth allocation modification information specifies predetermined event information upon which the future event is to be determined by the step of determining, and also specifies a bandwidth modification amount indicating an amount by which the amount of bandwidth allocated to the session of data communications should be modified in the step of modifying.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the bandwidth reservation message is Reservation a Protocol message.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the predetermined event information specifies a measure of time and wherein the future event is a future time and is determined in the step of determining based on the measure of time specified in the predetermined event information.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the predetermined event information defines a detectable business cycle and wherein the future event is a future time and is determined in the step of determining based on detection of the detectable business cycle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving receives the bandwidth allocation information in the form of a network policy indicating when and by how much bandwidth the data communications device is to modify the amount of bandwidth allocated to the session of data communication.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the network policy specifies a plurality of sessions of data communications, and for each of the plurality of sessions of data communication, also specifies various amounts of bandwidths to be allocated for each session of data communication at various times of operation of the data communications device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the network policy specifies various amounts of bandwidth to be allocated at various times of a day according to a business cycle for a business operating the data communications device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the step of receiving receives the bandwidth allocation information in the form of a network policy template; and

wherein the bandwidth allocation modification information includes parameters to be used by the step of determining; and

wherein the step of determining uses a bandwidth prediction algorithm in conjunction with the network policy template and the parameters in the bandwidth allocation information to compute future events specifying when and by how much bandwidth the data communications device is to modify the amount of bandwidth allocated to the session of data communication.

10. A data communications device comprising:

an input port receiving bandwidth allocation information indicating future bandwidth allocation modification information associated with a session of data communication;

a data transporter coupled to the input port;

a bandwidth reservation processor coupled to the input port and the data transporter, the bandwidth reservation processor receiving the bandwidth allocation information from the input port and determining a future event, upon the occurrence of which the bandwidth reservation processor will modify an amount of bandwidth allocated to the session of data communication in the data transporter, wherein the future event is determined based upon the future bandwidth allocation modification information;

the bandwidth reservation processor detecting the occurrence of the future event in the data communications device; and

in response to said detecting, the bandwidth reservation processor modifying the amount of bandwidth allocated to the session of data communications in the data transporter.

11. The data communications device of claim 10, wherein the data communications device further comprises:

a computer readable storage area coupled to the bandwidth reservation processor; and

wherein the bandwidth reservation processor includes;

a bandwidth request handler coupled to the input port, the bandwidth request handler receiving and storing the bandwidth allocation information in a resource allocation table maintained in the computer readable storage area;

a bandwidth labeler coupled to the computer readable storage area;

a signal provider coupled to the bandwidth labeler; and

wherein the bandwidth labeler receives a signal provided form the signal provider and monitors the bandwidth allocation information in the resource allocation table for an occurrence of the signal, and upon such occurrence, the bandwidth labeler modifying the amount of bandwidth allocated to the session of data communications in the data transporter.

12. The data communications device of claim 11, wherein the signal provider is at least one of a clock providing a time signal and an event signal provider providing a event signal of the occurrence of an event and wherein the time signal and the event signal match the future event determined by the bandwidth reservation processor.

13. The data communications device of claim 10, wherein the bandwidth reservation processor receives the bandwidth allocation information and controls, over a period of time, an amount of bandwidth reserved within the data transporter for transferring data associated with the session of data communications through the data communications device, wherein the bandwidth reservation processor controls the amount of bandwidth reserved based on a time schedule determined from the future bandwidth allocation modification information.

14. A data communications device comprising:

a bandwidth reservation processor processing a single bandwidth reservation message to reserve bandwidth for a session of data communications, the single bandwidth reservation message specifying an amount of bandwidth to reserve for a session of data communications as well as a time at which to modify the amount of bandwidth reserved; and

a data transporter transporting the session of data communications through the data communications device initially using the amount of bandwidth reserved for the session of data communications;

wherein the bandwidth reservation processor detects future times and events specified in the single bandwidth reservation message upon the occurrence of which cause the bandwidth reservation processor to modify the amount of bandwidth reserved for a session of data communications without additional bandwidth reservation messages.

15. A computer program product having a computer-readable medium including computer program logic encoded thereon for allocating bandwidth in a data communications device, such that the computer program logic, when executed on at least one processing unit with the data communications device, causes the at least one processing unit to perform the steps of:

receiving, in the data communications device, bandwidth allocation information indicating future bandwidth allocation modification information associated with a session of data communication;

determining, in the data communications device, a future event upon the occurrence of which the data communications device will modify an amount of bandwidth allocated to the session of data communication, wherein the future event is determined based upon the future bandwidth allocation modification information;

detecting the occurrence of the future event in the data communications device; and

in response to said detecting, modifying the amount of bandwidth allocated to the session of data communications in the data communications device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein:

the computer program logic that executes the step of receiving receives the bandwidth allocation information in the form of a bandwidth reservation message identifying a session of data communication, an amount of bandwidth to reserve in the data communications device for the session of data communication, and the future bandwidth allocation modification information; and

wherein the future bandwidth allocation modification information specifies predetermined event information upon which the future event is to be determined by the step of determining, and also specifies a bandwidth modification amount indicating an amount by which the amount of bandwidth allocated to the session of data communications should be modified in the step of modifying.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the predetermined event information specifies a measure of time and wherein the future event is a future time and is determined by the logic that performs the step of determining based on the measure of time specified in the predetermined event information.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the computer program logic that executes the step of receiving receives the bandwidth allocation information in the form of a network policy indicating when and by how much bandwidth the data communications device is to modify the amount of bandwidth allocated to the session of data communication.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein:

the program logic that executes the step of receiving receives the bandwidth allocation information in the form of a network policy template; and

wherein the bandwidth allocation modification information includes parameters to be used by the program logic that executes the step of determining; and

wherein the program logic that executes the step of determining uses a bandwidth prediction algorithm in conjunction with the network policy template and the parameters in the bandwidth allocation information to compute future events specifying when and by how much bandwidth the data communications device is to modify the amount of bandwidth allocated to the session of data communication.