Apparatus and methods for providing event-based data communications device configuration
First Claim
1. In a data communications device, a method to allocate bandwidth for transferring data, the method comprising:
- based on bandwidth allocation information, programming the data communications device with a first configuration to provide a first throughput rate for an active session transferring data through the data communications device;
after instantiation of the active session and providing the first throughput rate, determining a bandwidth allocation modification to be made for the active session; and
in response to said determining, altering the first configuration to produce a second configuration in the data communications device to provide a second throughput rate for the active session transferring data through the data communications device;
wherein determining the bandwidth allocation modification to be made for the active session includes;
during the active session;
i) detecting an occurrence of an event identified in the bandwidth allocation information, the bandwidth allocation information being received prior to instantiation of the active session; and
ii) based on the occurrence of the event, identifying a bandwidth modification amount to change the first throughput rate in order to configure the data communications device to support the second throughput rate.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method are provided which enable a data communications device to be programmed to automatically and dynamically modify allocation of resources upon the occurrence of specific events or times without having to break active sessions of data communications. Resource allocations can be made by bandwidth reservations provided to a data communications device via a network policy or via individual bandwidth reservation messages. The bandwidth allocation information can specify a session of data communication and future bandwidth modification information, such as a time or event, that will cause the data communications device to modify an amount of bandwidth reserved for the specified session of data communications.
32 Citations
32 Claims
-
1. In a data communications device, a method to allocate bandwidth for transferring data, the method comprising:
-
based on bandwidth allocation information, programming the data communications device with a first configuration to provide a first throughput rate for an active session transferring data through the data communications device; after instantiation of the active session and providing the first throughput rate, determining a bandwidth allocation modification to be made for the active session; and in response to said determining, altering the first configuration to produce a second configuration in the data communications device to provide a second throughput rate for the active session transferring data through the data communications device; wherein determining the bandwidth allocation modification to be made for the active session includes; during the active session; i) detecting an occurrence of an event identified in the bandwidth allocation information, the bandwidth allocation information being received prior to instantiation of the active session; and ii) based on the occurrence of the event, identifying a bandwidth modification amount to change the first throughput rate in order to configure the data communications device to support the second throughput rate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A method to allocate bandwidth for transferring data in a data communications device, the method comprising:
-
based on bandwidth allocation information, programming the data communications device with a first configuration to provide a first throughput rate for an active session transferring data through the data communications device; after instantiation of the active session and providing the first throughput rate, determining a bandwidth allocation modification to be made for the active session; in response to said determining, altering the first configuration to produce a second configuration in the data communications device to provide a second throughput rate for the active session transferring data through the data communications device; and prior to instantiation of the active session and providing the first throughput rate, receiving the bandwidth allocation information in a form of a bandwidth reservation message identifying i) a particular data communication session to occur in the future, the particular data communication session eventually becoming the active session, ii) an amount of bandwidth to reserve in the data communications device for the particular data communication session, and iii) bandwidth allocation modification information which specifies predetermined event information upon which a future event causes modification to an amount of bandwidth associated with the particular data communication session. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
-
-
15. In a data communications device, a method of allocating bandwidth for transferring data, the method comprising:
-
based on bandwidth allocation information, programming the data communications device with a first configuration to provide a first throughput rate for an active session transferring the data through the data communications device; during the active session and after providing the first throughput rate, detecting an occurrence of an event; based on detecting the occurrence of the event, altering the first configuration to produce a second configuration in the data communications device in order to provide a second throughput rate for the active session transferring the data through the data communications device; and utilizing results from a bandwidth prediction algorithm to identify future events specifying when and how much to modify a bandwidth allocated for use by the active session, the bandwidth prediction algorithm providing a statistical analysis of a network in which the data communications device resides, the bandwidth prediction algorithm determining variations in bandwidth requirements for data types transferred over the network.
-
-
16. A method to reserve bandwidth for use in a network, the method comprising:
generating a message including; i) a reservation request message indicating an amount of bandwidth to be reserved for a session of data communication, ii) a future time at which to modify the amount of bandwidth reserved for the session of data communication, iii) an amount by which to modify the amount of bandwidth reserved for the session of data communication upon occurrence of the future time; and transmitting the message to a data communications device in the network to reserve bandwidth to reserve bandwidth for transferring data through the data communications device.
-
17. A method comprising:
-
generating a message to configure a data communications device to transfer data through a network, the message including;
i) an identification of a data communication session; and
ii) future bandwidth allocation modification information associated with the identification of the data communication session, the future bandwidth allocation modification information allowing the data communications device to determine a future event, the occurrence of which causes the data communications device to modify an amount of bandwidth allocated to the data communication session, the future bandwidth allocation modification information including an indication of how much to modify the amount of bandwidth reserved for the data communication session; andtransmitting the message to the data communications device through the network. - View Dependent Claims (18)
-
-
19. A data communications device comprising:
-
a data transporter to support transferring data through the data communications device; a bandwidth reservation processor coupled to the data transporter, a combination of the data transporter and bandwidth reservation processor supporting operations of; based on bandwidth allocation information, programming the data transporter according to a first configuration to provide a first throughput rate for an active session transferring data through the data communications device; after instantiation of the active session and providing the first throughput rate, determining a bandwidth allocation modification to be made for the active session; in response to said determining, altering the first configuration to produce a second configuration in the data communications device to provide a second throughput rate for the active session transferring data through the data communications device; receiving the bandwidth allocation information at the data communications device in the form of a network policy indicating when and by how much bandwidth the data communications device is to modify the amount of bandwidth allocated to the active session; and wherein the network policy specifies a plurality of sessions of data communications, and for each of the plurality of sessions of data communication, also specifies various amounts of bandwidths to be allocated for each session of data communication at various times of operation of the data communications device. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
-
-
32. A computer program product having a computer-readable medium including computer program logic encoded thereon for allocating bandwidth in a data communications device, such that the computer program logic, when executed on at least one processing unit with the data communications device, causes the at least one processing unit to perform the steps of:
-
based on bandwidth allocation information, programming the data communications device with a first configuration to provide a first throughput rate for an active session transferring data through the data communications device; after instantiation of the active session and providing the first throughput rate, determining a bandwidth allocation modification to be made for the active session; and in response to said determining, altering the first configuration to produce a second configuration in the data communications device to provide a second throughput rate for the active session transferring data through the data communications device; wherein determining the bandwidth allocation modification includes; during the active session; i) detecting an occurrence of an event; and ii) processing the bandwidth allocation information to identify the second throughput rate to be used for transferring data through the data communications device.
-
Specification