Latency-reducing bandwidth-prioritization for network servers and clients

• US 6,968,379 B2
• Filed: 05/30/1997
• Issued: 11/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Jakob
• Primary Examiner(s): EDELMAN, BRADLEY E
• Application Number:
  US08/865,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20010003830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,098 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/203, 709/223, 709/224, 709/229, 718101-105, 725/95, 725/96, 395/200.56, 395/864, 395/200.63, 370/468, 370/477, 370/351
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/765 triggered by the end-points
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 User-type aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/826 Involving periods of time

Abstract

Communications bandwidth available to network servers and computers running client processes is allocated among connections available to those devices based on sets of priorities. Those priorities include type of information being retrieved, how fast user connections can receive information, which part of a document is being transmitted, user identity, stored indicia indicating importance of the document and the state of application processes running on said computer. Bandwidth is reallocated on an event driven basis upon arrival of a new request for retrieval, finishing sending information in response to a retrieval request, cancellation of a retrieval request, detection of the inability of a user connection to use all of the bandwidth allocated to it, a change of priority and timeout of a timer.

Claims

1. Computer apparatus for allocating communications bandwidth, comprising:

a. a computer having a communications interface for sending information over a communications link; and

b. a program on said computer, to permit said computer to act as a server, said program when running, enabling said computer to reallocate bandwidth assigned to users connected to said server over said communications interface;

the computer reallocating bandwidth in response to a request for data from one of the users over the communications interface wherein the reallocating is based on a file attribute associated with data requested in the request for data wherein the file attribute comprises one of a text data attribute, a style data attribute and, a graphic attribute, wherein if the file attribute comprises the text data attribute, the data requested is given a highest priority index, if the file attribute comprises the style data attribute, the data requested is given a next highest priority index, and if the file attribute comprises the graphic data attribute, the data requested is given a lowest priority index, and wherein the reallocating is based on the priority index.

2. Apparatus of claim 1 in which bandwidth is allocated to users based on the number of users and on the types of data each is requesting from the server.

3. Apparatus of claim 2 in which said program, when running, detects when a user is unable to receive information at a rate allocated to that user.

4. Apparatus of claim 3 in which, when a user is unable to receive information at a rate allocated to that user, the user is excluded from a reallocation of available bandwidth.

5. Apparatus of claim 2 in which bandwidth is reallocated dynamically.

6. Apparatus of claim 1 in which the reallocation occurs in response to reception of a GET request over the communication interface.

7. A method for allocating communications bandwidth across a communications interface of a computer, comprising the steps of:

a. providing information to a plurality of users connected to said computer across said communications interface;

b. receiving a request for data from one of the plurality of users over the communications interface; and

c. reallocating bandwidth assigned to the plurality of users based on a file attribute associated with data requested in the request for data wherein the file attribute comprises one of a text data attribute, a style data attribute and, a graphic attribute, wherein if the file attribute comprises the text data attribute, the data requested is given a highest priority index, if the file attribute comprises the style data attribute, the data requested is given a next highest priority index, and if the file attribute comprises the graphic data attribute, the data requested is given a lowest priority index, and wherein the reallocating is based on the priority index.

8. The method of claim 7 in which bandwidth is allocated to users based on the number of users and on the types of data each is requesting.

9. The method of claim 8 in which reallocation of bandwidth occurs in response to occurrence of an event.

10. The method of claim 8 in which, when a process is unable to receive information at a rate allocated to that process, the process is excluded from a reallocation of available bandwidth.

11. The method of claim 7 in which bandwidth is reallocated dynamically.