System and method for scheduling and executing data transfers over a network

• US 7,065,586 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2001
• Issued: 06/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications Management LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Radiance Technologies, Inc. (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Lichtenstein, Walter D., Tobagi, Fouad A., Ruttenberg, John C., Lemke, David, Agraz, David, Munshi, Ashfaq A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Application Number:
  US09/935,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20020083185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,764 Days
• Field of Search: 709/244, 370/230, 370/412, 379/242
• US Class Current: 709/244
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/19 at layers above the network layer network arrangements for networked applications for scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/263 Rate modification at the source after receiving feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/27 Evaluation or update of window size, e.g. using information derived from acknowledged [ACK] packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for scheduling transfers of data through a network, the system comprising a transfer module at each node in the network, the transfer module being configured to schedule data transfers according to available resources at each node. In one embodiment, the transfer module includes a scheduling module, a routing module, and an execution module. The scheduling module at each node evaluates a single hop request in view of objectives, such as a deadline, and the available resources at that node, for example transmit bandwidth, receive bandwidth, and storage space, all of which may change as a function of time.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling a data transfer over a network, comprising the steps of:

identifying a data file and a deadline window for delivery of the data file to a receiver;

sending the identity of the data file and the deadline window to an admission control module at the receiver, the admission control module being configured to prepare a scheduling request that includes the identity of the data file and a deadline within the deadline window;

sending the scheduling request to a scheduling module of the receiver;

querying a routing module at the receiver to identify a possible source node for the data file;

sending a single hop request from the scheduling module of the receiver to a scheduling module of the possible source node, the single hop request including the identity of the data file and the deadline;

evaluating the single hop request by the scheduling module at the possible source node, where the single hop request is evaluated in view of the size of the data file, the deadline, and available transmit bandwidth at the possible source node;

sending a reply to the single hop request to the scheduling module of the receiver indicating whether the single hop request is accepted or denied by the possible source node; and

if the single hop request is accepted, reserving resources at the receiver, reserving resources at the possible source node, scheduling a time to begin transferring the data file from the possible source node to the receiver, and sending a reply to the scheduling request to the admission control module.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if the single hop request is denied, the scheduling module of the receiver sends another single hop request to another possible source node identified by the routing module.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein if the single hop request is denied, the reply to the single hop request includes a suggestion for an alternate deadline for delivery of the data file to the receiver.