Automatic network switch configuration to support quality of service

• US 7,957,394 B1
• Filed: 07/07/2004
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Anker, Tal, Cohen, Yuval
• Primary Examiner(s): Moe; Aung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Louis; Vinncelas
• Application Number:
  US10/886,860
• Time in Patent Office: 2,526 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/357, 370/395.21, 370/395.41, 370/395.43, 370412-418, 370/428, 370/468, 370230-231, 370/400, 370/235, 370/466, 709/223, 709/225, 713/150, 715/205, 715/234
• US Class Current: 370/395.21
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer-readable media for a network device comprises a plurality of ports to exchange packets of data with one or more networks according to Quality of Service parameters configured for each of the ports; a forwarding engine to forward the packets of data between the ports; and a control plane processor to identify one or more planned data flows through the network device between the ports; wherein the control plane processor identifies associations between each of the planned data flows and one of a plurality of services for the planned data flows; and wherein the network device automatically configures the Quality of Service parameters of the ports according to the services and the associations between the planned data flows and the services.

Claims

1. A network device comprising:

a plurality of ports to exchange packets of data with one or more networks according to Quality of Service parameters configured for each of the ports;

a forwarding engine to forward the packets of data between the ports; and

a control plane processor to identify one or more planned data flows through the network device between the ports by identifying at least one value in the packets;

wherein the control plane processor identifies association data to identify associations between each of the planned data flows and a profile including one of a plurality of services for the planned data flows,

wherein the association data included in the associations is selected during a first selection process for each of the planned data flows following selection of the value in the packets during a second selection process,

wherein the profile is configured during a third selection process and the third selection process occurs after the packets enter the network device, and

wherein the network device automatically configures the Quality of Service parameters of the ports according to the services and the associations between the planned data flows and the services.

2. The network device of claim 1,

wherein the control plane processor identifies the planned data flows between the ports based on user input of the first selection process describing the planned data flows, and the user input specifies the at least one value in the packets, and

wherein the first selection process and the second selection process occur after the packets enter the network device.

3. The network device of claim 2, wherein a designator value in each of the packets in particular ones of the planned data flows is rewritten based on the profile in order to designate an output queue.

4. The network device of claim 1,

wherein the associations are identified after the planned data flows are identified, and

wherein to identify the associations between each of the planned data flows and one of the plurality of services, the control plane processor:

identifies a plurality of profiles including the profile each describing one of the services and service parameters for the one of the services, and

identifies the association data to identify the associations between each of the planned data flows and one of the profiles.

5. The network device of claim 1, wherein:

the control plane processor identifies the association data to identify the associations between each of the planned data flows and one of the plurality of services based on user input of the second selection process describing the associations between each of the planned data flows and one of the plurality of services, and the user input specifies the association data that describes the associations.

6. The network device of claim 1, wherein:

the control plane processor identifies the services.

7. The network device of claim 6, wherein:

the control plane processor identifies the services based on user input describing the services, and the user input specifies the association data that describes the associations.

8. The network device of claim 1:

wherein each of the ports comprises a plurality of output queues to transmit the packets of data to the one or more networks according to a priority scheme, and wherein;

to automatically configure the Quality of Service parameters of the ports according to the services and the associations between the planned data flows and the services, the network device associates one or more of the queues with one or more of the services,

wherein the network device associates one or more of the queues with one or more of the services so that a first of the one or more queues is associated with a first of the one or more of the services and a second of the one or more queues is associated with a second of the one or more of the services that is different than the first of the one or more of the services, and

wherein the first of the one or more queues is not associated with the second of the one or more of the services.

9. The network device of claim 8, wherein each data flow comprises a plurality of packets, and wherein the services are selected from the group consisting of:

ensuring that each packet in an associated data flow will experience the least possible latency in the network device;

ensuring that no packet in the associated data flow will experience more than a predetermined latency in the network device;

guaranteeing a minimum bandwidth for the packets in the associated data flow;

ensuring a predetermined bandwidth range for the packets in the associated data flow;

dropping or marking drop precedence for packets exceeding a predetermined bandwidth in the associated data flow;

prioritizing the packets in the associated data flow; and

dropping all packets in the associated data flow.

10. The network device of claim 1:

wherein each of the ports comprises a plurality of input queues to receive the packets of data from the one or more networks according to a priority scheme, and wherein;

to automatically configure the Quality of Service parameters of the ports according to the services and the associations between the planned data flows and the services, the network device associates one or more of the queues with one or more of the services.

11. The network device of claim 1, wherein:

to automatically configure the Quality of Service parameters of the ports according to the services and the associations between the planned data flows and the services, the network device applies an input filter at an input port for the planned data flow.

12. A network switch comprising the network device of claim 1.

13. The network switch of claim 12, wherein the network switch provides a warning message to a user during configuration of the Quality of Service parameters when a problem is encountered.

14. A method for configuring a network device comprising a plurality of ports for exchanging packets of data with one or more networks according to Quality of Service parameters configured for each of the ports, the method comprising:

identifying one or more planned data flows through the network device between the ports by identifying at least one value in the packets;

identifying association data to identify associations between each of the planned data flows and a profile including one of a plurality of services for the planned data flows,

selecting the association data included in the associations during a first selection process for each of the planned data flows following selection of the value in the packets during a second selection process,

wherein the profile is configured during a third selection process, and

wherein the third selection process occurs after the packets enter the network device; and

automatically configuring the Quality of Service parameters of the ports according to the services and the associations between the planned data flows and the services.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein identifying the planned data flows between the ports comprises:

receiving user input of the first selection process describing the planned data flows, wherein the user input specifies the at least one value in the packets.

16. The method of claim 14,

wherein the associations are identified after the planned data flows are identified, and

wherein identifying the associations between each of the planned data flows and one of the plurality of services comprises:

identifying a plurality of profiles including the profile each describing one of the services and service parameters for the one of the services; and

identifying the association data to identify associations between each of the planned data flows and one of the profiles.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein identifying the associations between each of the planned data flows and one of the plurality of services comprises:

receiving user input that specifies the association data to describe the associations between each of the planned data flows and one of the plurality of services.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

identifying the services.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein identifying the services comprises:

receiving user input describing the services, wherein the user input specifies the association data that describes the associations.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein each port comprises a plurality of output queues that transmit the packets of data to the one or more networks according to a priority scheme, and wherein automatically configuring the Quality of Service parameters of the ports according to the services and the associations between the planned data flows and the services comprises:

associating one or more of the queues with one or more of the services.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein each port comprises a plurality of input queues that receive the packets of data from the one or more networks according to a priority scheme, and wherein automatically configuring the Quality of Service parameters of the ports according to the services and the associations between the planned data flows and the services comprises:

associating one or more of the queues with one or more of the services.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein automatically configuring the ports according to the services and the associations between the planned data flows and the services comprises:

applying an input filter at an input port for the planned data flow.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein each data flow comprises a plurality of packets, and wherein the services are selected from the group consisting of:

ensuring that each packet in the associated data flow will experience the least possible latency in the network device;

ensuring that no packet in the associated data flow will experience more than a predetermined latency in the network device;

guaranteeing a minimum bandwidth for the packets in the associated data flow;

ensuring a predetermined bandwidth range for the packets in the associated data flow;

dropping or marking drop precedence for packets exceeding a predetermined bandwidth in the associated data flow;

prioritizing the packets in the associated data flow; and

dropping all packets in the associated data flow.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein a network switch comprises the network device.

25. A computer program stored on a non-transitory machine readable storage device, the computer program embodying instructions executable by a computer for configuring a network device comprising a plurality of ports for exchanging packets of data with one or more networks according to Quality of Service parameters for each of the ports, the computer program comprising:

identifying one or more planned data flows through the network device between the ports by identifying at least one value in the packets;

identifying association data to identify associations between each of the planned data flows and a profile including one of a plurality of services for the planned data flow, selecting the association data included in the associations during a first selection process for each of the planned data flows following selection of the value in the packets during a second selection process, wherein the profile is configured during a third selection process, and wherein the third selection process occurs after the packets enter the network device; and

automatically configuring the Quality of Service parameters of the ports according to the services and the associations between the planned data flows and the services.

26. The computer program of claim 25, wherein identifying the planned data flows between the ports comprises:

receiving user input of the first selection process describing the planned data flows, wherein the user input specifies the at least one value in the packets.

27. The computer program of claim 25,

wherein the associations are identified after the planned data flows are identified, and

wherein identifying the associations between each of the planned data flows and one of the plurality of services comprises:

identifying a plurality of profiles including the profile each describing one of the services and service parameters for the one of the services; and

identifying the association data to identify the associations between each of the planned data flows and one of the profiles.

28. The computer program of claim 25, wherein identifying the associations between each of the planned data flows and one of the plurality of services comprises:

receiving user input that specifies the association data that describes the associations between each of the planned data flows and one of the plurality of services.

29. The computer program of claim 25, further comprising:

identifying the services.

30. The computer program of claim 29, wherein identifying the services comprises:

receiving user input describing the services, wherein the user input specifics the association data that describes the associations.

31. The computer program of claim 25, wherein each port comprises a plurality of output queues that transmit the packets of data to the one or more networks according to a priority scheme, and wherein automatically configuring the Quality of Service parameters of the ports according to the services and the associations between the planned data flows and the services comprises:

associating one or more of the queues with one or more of the services.

32. The computer program of claim 25, wherein each port comprises a plurality of input queues that receive the packets of data from the one or more networks according to a priority scheme, and wherein automatically configuring the Quality of Service parameters of the ports according to the services and the associations between the planned data flows and the services comprises:

associating one or more of the queues with one or more of the services.

33. The computer program of claim 25, wherein automatically configuring the ports according to the services and the associations between the planned data flows and the services comprises:

applying an input filter at an input port for the planned data flow.

34. The computer program of claim 25, wherein each data flow comprises a plurality of packets, and wherein the services are selected from the group consisting of:

ensuring that each packet in the associated data flow will experience the least possible latency in the network device;

ensuring that no packet in the associated data flow will experience more than a predetermined latency in the network device;

guaranteeing a minimum bandwidth for the packets in the associated data flow;

ensuring a predetermined bandwidth range for the packets in the associated data flow;

dropping or marking drop precedence for packets exceeding a predetermined bandwidth in the associated data flow;

prioritizing the packets in the associated data flow; and

dropping all packets in the associated data flow.

35. The computer program of claim 25, wherein a network switch comprises the network device.