Network access traffic sorter

• US 6,940,864 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2001
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jeffries, Clark Debs, Ye, Hua, Ware, Malcolm Scott, Davis, Gordon Taylor, Hwang, Dongming, Abdelilah, Youssef, Derby, Jeffrey Haskell
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jones, Prenell
• Application Number:
  US09/906,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20030012209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,513 Days
• Field of Search: 370/412, 370389-396, 370/418, 345/419, 345/506, 345/522, 700/83, 700/95, 700/117, 718/102, 712/203
• US Class Current: 370/412
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2458 Modification of priorities while in transit
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/365 Dynamic adaptation of the packet size
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

Packetized voice, video, and data traffic (data frames) are received in a communication traffic sorter. The data frames have a dispatch priority corresponding to their transmission characteristics (flow) and a quality of service parameters. The communication traffic sorter analyzes information in data packets within each data frame and determines an optimum flow for the data frames. A data frame is assigned to a selected queue based on an analysis of the information in its data packets. A data frame may also be assigned to a queue based on a prior analysis of a data frame with like transmission characteristics. Results of analysis are stored and indexed to facilitate processing of subsequent data frames. The network access sorter has circuits to un-pack and re-pack the data frame, when called for, to allow user transmitted data to be processed to create a modified data frame. The data frame may then be dispatched with a second dispatch priority on a bus for distribution to end users where previously assigned quality of service is maintained or exceeded.

Claims

1. A method for managing communication network access comprising the steps of:

receiving a data frame in a communication traffic sorter, said data frame comprising a plurality of data packets and said data frame having first transmission characteristics;

analyzing contents of said data packets to generate analysis results;

modifying selected data of said data frame in response to said analysis results to generate a modified data frame;

storing said modified data frame in a first dispatch queue in response to said analysis results; and

dispatching said modified data frame from said first dispatch queue according to a queue transmission priority of said first dispatch queue.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

storing selected analysis results of said analyzing step, wherein said selected analysis results are assigned an index, said index generated by processing selected data of said data frame.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

receiving said modified data frame by an end user, wherein a prior negotiated connection service performance for user transmitted data in said data frame is maintained or improved.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said first transmission characteristics comprise source and destination addresses, a data type, a data transmission rate, encoding latency, acceptable error rates, compressibility status, encryption status and a first transmission priority.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said modifying step further comprises the step of data encrypting selected data packets in said data frame.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said modifying step further comprises the step of compressing data in selected data packets in said data frame.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said modifying step further comprises the step of interleaving by reordering data packets in said data frame to improve a burst data error rate.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said data frame is stored in said first dispatch queue and said data frame is modified in said first dispatch queue in response to said analysis results.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said data frame is modified in a digital signal processing unit and then stored in said first dispatch queue in response to said analysis results.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein said modifying step for a present data frame is in response to said analysis results of a previously received data frame.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein said processing of selected data of said data frame to generate said index further comprises the step of hashing selected transmission characteristic data of said data frame.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein said modifying step for a present data frame uses said analysis results of a previous data frame, said analysis results of said previous data frame accessed by an index generated by processing selected data of said present data frame.

13. An apparatus for managing network data traffic comprising:

a plurality of dispatch queues having a hierarchy of transmission priorities;

a receiving circuit to receive and store a data frame from a communication network, said data frame comprising a plurality of data packets and said data frame having first transmission characteristics;

analysis circuit to analyze contents of said data packet to generate analysis results;

a modify circuit to modify selected data of said data frame in response to said analysis results to generate a modified data frame;

a first storage circuit to store said modified data frame in a first dispatch queue in response to said analysis results; and

a dispatch circuit to dispatch, according to a queue transmission priority of said dispatch queue, said modified data frame from said first dispatch queue to said communication network.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

an index circuit to generate an index of said analysis results by processing selected data of said data frame; and

a second storage circuit to store said analysis results referenced by said index.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said first transmission characteristics comprise source and destination addresses, a data type, a data transmission rate, encoding latency, acceptable error rates, compressibility status, encryption status and a first transmission priority.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said modify circuit data encrypts selected data packets in said data frame.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said modify circuit compresses data in selected data packets in said data frame.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said modify circuit modifies, by reordering, data packets in said data frame to improve burst error rates of data transmission.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said modify circuit is part of said first dispatch queue and modifies said selected data of said data frame after said data frame is stored in said first dispatch queue.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said processing of selected data of said data frame to generate said index comprises hashing selected transmission characteristic data of said data frame.

21. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said modification of a present data frame uses said analysis results of a previous data frame, said analysis results of said previous data frame accessed by an index generated by processing selected data of said present data frame.

22. A data processing system comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU);

random access memory (RAM);

read only memory (ROM); and

a bus system coupling said CPU to said ROM and said RAM, wherein said CPU comprises;

circuitry to form a plurality of dispatch queues, said dispatch queues having a hierarchy of transmission priorities;

circuitry to receive and store a data frame from a communication network, said data frame comprising a plurality of data packets and said data frame having first transmission characteristics;

circuitry to analyze contents of said data packets and generate analysis results;

circuitry to modify selected transmission characteristics of said data frame in response to said analysis results to generate a modified data frame;

circuitry to store said modified data frame in a first dispatch queue in response to said analysis results; and

a dispatch circuit to dispatch, according to a queue transmission priority of said dispatch queue, said modified data frame from said first dispatch queue to said communication network.

23. The data processing system of claim 22, further comprising:

circuitry to generate an index of said analysis results by processing selected data of said data frame; and

circuitry to store said analysis results referenced by said index.

24. The data processing system of claim 23, wherein said first transmission characteristic data comprises, source and destination addresses, a data type, a data transmission rate, encoding latency, acceptable error rates, compressibility status, encryption status and a first transmission priority.

25. The data processing system of claim 23, wherein said modify circuit assigns said queue transmission priority to said data frame.

26. The data processing system of claim 23, wherein said modify circuit data encrypts selected data packets in said data frame requiring secure transmission.

27. The data processing system of claim 23, wherein said modify circuit compresses data in selected data packets in said data frame.

28. The data processing system of claim 23, wherein said modify circuit modifies said data frame by reordering data packets to improve burst error rates of data transmission.

29. The data processing system of claim 23, wherein said modify circuit modifies said transmission characteristic data of a present data frame in response to said analysis results of a previously received data frame having said first selected transmission characteristic data.

30. The data processing system of claim 24,wherein said processing of selected data in said data frame to generate said index comprises hashing selected transmission characteristic data of said data frame.

31. The data processing system of claim 24, wherein said modification of a present data frame uses said analysis results of a previous data frame, said analysis results of said previous data frame accessed by an index generated by processing selected data of said present data frame.