Traffic management in packet-based networks
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of handling packet traffic on a packet-based network, the method comprising:
- receiving, at a network node, a flow of packets from the packet-based network;
determining, for each of the received packets, a metric at least partly based on the duration of transmission for the received packet;
calculating one or more statistical measures associated with values of said metric for the received packets, wherein the statistical measures include an average value;
assigning, to each of the packets, a relative service priority on the basis of the metric; and
queuing one or more of the packets in a queue and transmitting the queued packets from the network node dynamically allocating a packet drop probability for one or more of the packets, based on the assigned relative service priority for the respective packets.
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Abstract
Providing packet-based service differentiation on packet-based networks involves first determining information associated with packets as a basis for inferring connection characteristics associated with the respective packet, as the packets pass though a particular network node. Statistical measures based on numerical values of, for example, Round Trip Time (RTT), is used to characterize connections as being, in this case “long” or “short”. “Long” connections are given a higher priority than “short” connections. Accordingly, the assigned priority associated with particular packets can be used to adjust drop probabilities for those packets.
150 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method of handling packet traffic on a packet-based network, the method comprising:
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receiving, at a network node, a flow of packets from the packet-based network; determining, for each of the received packets, a metric at least partly based on the duration of transmission for the received packet; calculating one or more statistical measures associated with values of said metric for the received packets, wherein the statistical measures include an average value; assigning, to each of the packets, a relative service priority on the basis of the metric; and queuing one or more of the packets in a queue and transmitting the queued packets from the network node dynamically allocating a packet drop probability for one or more of the packets, based on the assigned relative service priority for the respective packets. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of handling packet traffic on a packet-based network, the method comprising steps of:
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receiving, at a network node, a flow of packets from the packet-based network; inferring, for each of the received packets, a connection characteristic at least partly representative of the duration of transmission for the received packet; assigning, to each of the packets, a relative service priority on the basis of the inferred connection characteristic; dynamically allocating a packet drop probability for one or more of the packets, based on the results of the assigned relative service priority; and queuing one or more of the packets in a queue and transmitting the queued packets from the network node. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A network node apparatus for handling packet traffic on a packet-based network, said apparatus including:
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means for receiving, at a network node, a flow of packets from the packet-based network; means for determining, for each of the received packets, a metric at least partly based the duration of transmission for the received packet; means for comparing, for each of the received packets, said metric with a corresponding reference value; means for assigning, to each of the packets, a relative service priority on the basis of the comparison; means for dynamically allocating a packet drop probability for one or more of the packets, based on the results of the assigned relative service priority; and means for queuing one or more of the packets in a queue and transmitting the queued packets from the network node.
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26. A network node apparatus for handling packet traffic on a packet-based network, said apparatus including:
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means for receiving, at a network node, a flow of packets from the packet-based network; means for inferring, for each of the received packets, a connection characteristic at least partly representative of the duration of transmission for the received packet; means for assigning, to each of the packets, a relative service priority on the basis of the inferred connection characteristic; means for dynamically allocating a packet drop probability for one or more of the packets, based on the results of the assigned relative service priority; and means for queuing one or more of the packets in a queue and transmitting the queued packets from the network node.
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27. A computer software program, recorded on a medium and capable of execution by computing means able to interpret the computer software program, for handling packet traffic on a packet-based network, said computer software program comprising:
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code means for receiving, at a network node, a flow of packets from the packet-based network; code means for determining, for each of the received packets, a metric at least partly based the duration of transmission for the received packet; code means for comparing, for each of the received packets, said metric with a corresponding reference value; code means for assigning, to each of the packets, a relative service priority on the basis of the comparison; code means for dynamically allocating a packet drop probability for one or more of the packets, based on the results of the assigned relative service priority; and code means for queuing one or more of the packets in a queue and transmitting the queued packets from the network node.
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28. A computer software program, recorded on a medium and capable of execution by computing means able to interpret the computer software program, for handling packet traffic on a packet-based network, said computer software program comprising:
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code means for receiving, at a network node, a flow of packets from the packet-based network; code means for inferring, for each of the received packets, a connection characteristic at least partly representative of the duration of transmission for the received packet; code means for assigning, to each of the packets, a relative service priority on the basis of the inferred connection characteristic; code means for dynamically allocating a packet drop probability for one or more of the packets, based on the results of the assigned relative service priority; and code means for queuing one or more of the packets in a queue and transmitting the queued packets from the network node.
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Specification