Method and apparatus for selectively allocating and enforcing bandwidth usage requirements on network users

• US 7,562,130 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2001
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Network Systems Incorporated (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Gupta, Vivek, Dillon, Douglas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran; Nghi V
• Application Number:
  US10/010,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20020046264A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,776 Days
• Field of Search: 709/250, 709/223, 709/228, 709/220, 709/235, 709/225
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18584 Arrangements for data networking, i.e. for data packet routing, for congestion control data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2212/00 Encapsulation of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• 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 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2425 for supporting services specification, e.g. SLA
• 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 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/748 Negotiation of resources, e.g. modification of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/825 Involving tunnels, e.g. MPLS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 : Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 : of different types
• 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 69/161 : Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 : In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/168 : specially adapted for link layer protocols, e.g. asynchronous transfer mode [ATM], synchronous optical network [SONET] or point-to-point protocol [PPP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/169 : Special adaptations of TCP, UDP or IP for interworking of IP based networks with other networks protocols for interworking, protocol conversion H04L69/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A hybrid gateway includes functionality that allows bandwidth on a network (such as a satellite link) to be dynamically allocated and enforced. The hybrid gateway compares the thresholds defined for a requesting terminal'"'"'s level of service and its measured running average data throughput to determine if the requesting terminal'"'"'s bandwidth should be reduced (throttled). The hybrid gateway intercepts requests made by the requesting terminals and, if necessary, reduces the advertized window size of requests made by the requesting terminal, thereby reducing the transmission speed of the link and therefore the bandwidth of the link.

Claims

1. A gateway for use in a system wherein a first apparatus, said gateway, and a second apparatus are in a TCP/IP network, wherein the first apparatus, said gateway, and the second apparatus have different IP addresses, said gateway comprising:

a memory;

a packet receiving unit that is configured to receive a packet addressed at the IP level from the first apparatus to the second apparatus; and

a service plan determining unit that is configured to determine a level of service subscribed to by a user of the first apparatus;

a throttling unit that is configured to throttle the user of the first apparatus by (a) modifying the value of the TCP window size field of the packet so as to change the value from a value present in that field in the packet received by said packet receiving unit in accordance with (1) the level of service subscribed to by the user of the first apparatus and (2) bandwidth usage associated with the user of the first apparatus, and (b) sending the so modified packet to the second apparatus so that the second apparatus receives the so modified packet that has, in its TCP window size field, a value different from the value present in that field in the packet received by said packet receiving unit,

wherein the packet received by said packet receiving unit has, as its source IP address, the IP address of the first apparatus, and has, as its destination IP address, the IP address of the second apparatus,

wherein the modified packet sent to the second apparatus by said throttling unit has, as its source IP address, the IP address of the first apparatus, and has, as its destination IP address, the IP address of the second apparatus, and

wherein a memory is included in said gateway.

2. A gateway according to claim 1, wherein the bandwidth usage is measured as an amount of data per unit of time.

3. A gateway according to claim 2, wherein the transport level window size is the TCP window size field of the packet.

4. A gateway according to claim 1, wherein the bandwidth usage is expressed as an average throughput.

5. A gateway according to claim 1, wherein the bandwidth usage is determined using a leaky bucket analysis.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said throttling unit compares bandwidth usage to a threshold.

7. A method for use in a system wherein a first apparatus, a gateway, and a second apparatus are in a TCP/IP network, each of the first apparatus, the gateway, and the second apparatus having different IP addresses, said method comprising:

intercepting by the gateway of a packet addressed at the IP level from the first apparatus to the second apparatus; and

determining a level of service subscribed to by a user of the first apparatus;

determining whether or not to throttle a user of the first apparatus in accordance with (a) the level of service and (b) bandwidth usage by the user;

throttling by the gateway of the user of the first apparatus in accordance with a determination in said determining step that the user of the first apparatus should be throttled, said throttling comprising (1) modifying, by the gateway, of the value of the TCP window size field of the packet received in said intercepting step so as to change the value from a value present in that field in the packet received in said intercepting step and (2) sending the so modified packet to the second apparatus so that the second apparatus receives the so modified packet that has, in its TCP window size field, a value different from the value present in that field in the packet received in said intercepting step,

wherein the packet received in said intercepting step has, as its source IP address, the IP address of the first apparatus, and has, as its destination IP address, the IP address of the second apparatus, and

wherein the modified packet sent to the second apparatus has, as its source IP address, the IP address of the first apparatus, and has, as its destination IP address, the IP address of the second apparatus.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the bandwidth usage is measured as an amount of data per unit of time.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein the bandwidth usage is expressed as an average throughput.

10. A method according to claim 7, wherein the bandwidth usage is determined using a leaky bucket analysis.

11. A gateway for use in a system wherein a first apparatus, said gateway, and a second apparatus are in a TCP/IP network, each of the first apparatus, said gateway, and the second apparatus having different IP addresses, said gateway comprising:

a memory;

packet receiving means for receiving a packet addressed at the IP level from the first apparatus to the second apparatus;

service plan determining means for determining a level of service subscribed to by a user of the first apparatus; and

throttling means for throttling a user of the first apparatus by modifying the value of the TCP window size field of the packet received by said packet receiving means so as to change the value from a value present in that field in the packet received by said packet receiving means in accordance with (1) the level of service subscribed to by the user of the first apparatus and (2) bandwidth usage associated with the user of the first apparatus,

wherein the second apparatus receives the modified packet that has, in its TCP window size field, a value different from the value present in that field in the packet received by said packet receiving means,

wherein the packet received by said packet receiving means of said gateway has, as its source IP address, the IP address of the first apparatus, and has, as its destination IP address, the IP address of the second apparatus,

wherein the modified packet sent to the second apparatus has, as its source IP address, the IP address of the first apparatus, and has, as its destination IP address, the IP address of the second apparatus, and

wherein a memory is included in said gateway.

12. A gateway according to claim 11, wherein the bandwidth usage is measured as an amount of data per unit of time.

13. A gateway according to claim 12, wherein said throttling means modifies the TCP window size field of the packet.

14. A gateway according to claim 11, wherein the bandwidth usage is expressed as an average throughput.

15. A gateway according to claim 11, wherein the bandwidth usage is determined using a leaky bucket analysis.