Feedback-based internet traffic regulation for multi-service gateways

• US 8,706,902 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2011
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yang, Xuechen, Wu, Jian
• Primary Examiner(s): Keehn, Richard G
• Application Number:
  US13/032,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20120215936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• Field of Search: 709/235
• US Class Current: 709/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/22 Traffic shaping

Abstract

A method for regulating network traffic may be provided. The method may comprise: measuring usage of a CPU; determining if the CPU usage is greater than an overload threshold value; halting the increase of a data traffic shaping rate associated with traffic regulated by the CPU if the CPU usage is greater than the overload threshold value; determining if the CPU usage is greater than an overflow threshold value; and decreasing the data traffic shaping rate associated with traffic regulated by the CPU if the CPU usage is greater than the overflow threshold value for improving session setup speed.

Claims

1. A method for regulating network traffic, the method comprising:

establishing a plurality of peer to peer streams;

measuring usage of a CPU as a number of busy cycles in the percentage of all available cycles for the CPU;

determining whether one or more IPTV streams are present in addition to the plurality of peer to peer streams;

determining if the CPU usage is greater than an overload threshold value;

halting the increase of a data traffic shaping rate associated with traffic regulated by the CPU if the CPU usage is greater than the overload threshold value and if it is determined that one or more IPTV streams are present;

determining if the CPU usage is greater than an overflow threshold value;

decreasing the data traffic shaping rate associated with traffic regulated by the CPU if the CPU usage is greater than the overflow threshold value and if it is determined that one or more IPTV streams are present; and

wherein data traffic shaping comprises the use of a token-bucket based shaper, wherein queuing is turned off to avoid dropping packets when a token bucket is full.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring the usage of the CPU comprises determining whether any VoIP streams are running.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

discontinuing data traffic shaping if it is determined that no VoIP or IPTV streams are running.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

restarting data traffic shaping if it is determined that the CPU usage is greater than the overload threshold value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein decreasing the data traffic shaping rate comprises decreasing the data traffic shaping rate to a predetermined value.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined value is user configurable.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the CPU has reached a safe mode; and

increasing the data traffic shaping rate.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

increasing the data traffic shaping rate incrementally after each of a plurality of CPU cycle sampling periods.

9. A system for regulating network traffic, the system comprising:

a routing device comprising a CPU;

a plurality of peer to peer streams; and

a processor coupled to the routing device, wherein the processor is operative to;

measure usage of the CPU as a number of busy cycles in the percentage of all available cycles for the CPU;

determine whether any IPTV streams are running in addition to the plurality of peer to peer streams;

determine if the CPU usage is greater than an overload threshold value if any IPTV streams are running;

halt the increase of a data traffic shaping rate associated with traffic regulated by the CPU if the CPU usage is greater than the overload threshold value and if it is determined that one or more IPTV streams are present;

increase of the data traffic shaping rate associated with traffic regulated by the CPU if the CPU usage is not greater than the overload threshold value; and

wherein data traffic shaping comprises the use of a token-bucket based shaper, wherein queuing is turned off to avoid dropping packets when a token bucket is full.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the routing device comprises a residential gateway.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the residential gateway handles at least one of IPTV streams or VoIP streams.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further operative to:

determine if the CPU usage is greater than an overflow threshold value; and

decrease the data traffic shaping rate associated with traffic regulated by the CPU if the CPU usage is greater than the overflow threshold value.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further operative to:

decrease the data traffic shaping rate to a predetermined value.

14. A method for regulating network traffic on a routing device, the method comprising:

establishing a plurality of network sessions;

establishing a plurality of peer to peer streams;

activating a plurality of network sessions comprising VoIP traffic or IPTV traffic;

determining whether one or more IPTV streams are present in addition to the plurality of peer to peer streams;

monitoring CPU usage as a number of busy cycles in the percentage of all available cycles for the CPU;

shaping data traffic at a preset data traffic shaping rate;

increasing the data traffic shaping rate for the routing device until an overload traffic threshold value is reached;

holding the data traffic shaping rate for the routing device steady while data traffic is between the overload traffic threshold value and an overflow traffic threshold value;

decreasing the data traffic shaping rate for the routing device upon surpassing the overflow threshold value and upon determination that one or more IPTV streams are active; and

wherein data traffic shaping comprises the use a token-bucket based shaper, wherein queuing is turned off to avoid dropping packets when a token bucket is full.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of new session requests are related to a P2P application.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the routing device is a residential gateway.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein decreasing the data traffic shaping rate for the routing device upon surpassing the overflow threshold value comprises decreasing the data traffic shaping rate to a pre-determined value.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

setting the data traffic shaping rate to the pre-determined value upon bootup of the routing device.