Adaptive bandwidth throttling for network services

• US 7,417,992 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2004
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Krishnan, Murali R.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, BRENDA H
• Application Number:
  US11/007,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20050108422A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,358 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/230, 370/235, 370/252, 370/412, 370/395.41, 370/389, 370/234, 370/232, 370/401, 370/395.21, 709/105, 709/104, 709/219, 709/203, 709/226, 709/229
• US Class Current: 370/395.41
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1682 Allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users, e.g. concentrated multiplexers, statistical multiplexers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• 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 47/2425 for supporting services specification, e.g. SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/26 using explicit feedback to the source, e.g. choke packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/29 using a combination of thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/745 Reaction in network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/825 Involving tunnels, e.g. MPLS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• 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

Abstract

The adaptive bandwidth throttling system implements a graceful diminution of services to the clients by delaying a first class of services provided by a network server in response to the effective bandwidth utilized by this network server exceeding a first threshold. If the demand for the bandwidth by this network server exceeds a second threshold, the bandwidth throttling system escalates the throttling response and blocks the first class of services from execution and can also concurrently delay execution of a second class of services. The implementation of the throttling process can be varied, to include additional levels of response or finer gradations of the response, to include subsets of a class of services. In addition, the threshold levels of bandwidth used to trigger the throttling response can be selected as desired by the system administrator.

Claims

1. A method of adaptive bandwidth throttling to limit bandwidth usage of each of a plurality of services provided by a plurality of network servers, the method comprising:

receiving a request, from a client process, to be performed by one of the plurality of network servers via an asynchronous thread queue;

determining whether performance of the request by the one of the plurality of network servers is to be restricted based on an average bandwidth used by one of the plurality of network servers in performing previous operations and independent of an average bandwidth used by other network servers of the plurality of network servers in performing previous operations, wherein the determining is performed at least in part by a bandwidth throttling system; and

transmitting, from the bandwidth throttling system to the asynchronous thread queue, an indication of a determination of an action to be taken.

2. A computer readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions, which when executed by a computer perform the method as recited in claim 1.

3. A method for adaptive bandwidth throttling for network services, the method comprising:

limiting bandwidth usage of each of a plurality of services provided by a plurality of network servers, the method further comprising;

receiving a request, from a client process, to be performed by one of the plurality of network servers via an asynchronous thread queue;

comparing a value indicating a bandwidth used by the one of the plurality of network servers to perform previous server operations to at least one of a first threshold and a second threshold, for restricting the request in a first manner if the value exceeds the first threshold but does not exceed the second threshold, and for restricting the request in a second manner if the value exceeds the second threshold; and

determining whether to restrict the request for the one of the plurality of network servers is based at least in part on the value indicating bandwidth used by the one of the plurality of network servers in performing the previous server operations and independent of bandwidth used by other network servers of the plurality of network servers in performing the previous server operations.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the bandwidth throttling system transmits an indication of a determination of an action to be taken to the asynchronous thread queue.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, further comprising coupling a computer system to a network via an ancillary function driver, coupled to the asynchronous thread queue.

6. A computer readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions, which when executed by a computer perform the method as recited in claim 3.