Dynamic packet traffic performance adjustment systems and methods

• US 8,958,332 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Inventors: Holness, Marc, Martin, David Wright
• Primary Examiner(s): Elliott, IV, Benjamin H
• Application Number:
  US13/724,204
• Publication Number:
  US 20140177439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 370/395.21, 370/395.41, 370/468, 370/252
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/365 Dynamic adaptation of the packet size
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0064 Rate requirement of the data, e.g. scalable bandwidth, data priority

Abstract

A method, a network, and a network element use dynamic packet traffic performance adjustment techniques. In an exemplary embodiment, the dynamic resizing techniques utilize different packet connections providing connectivity to same sites between which bandwidth resizing is needed. Each of the packet connections has a separate and independent bandwidth profile that governs an amount of traffic that is dispatched over each packet connection. A network element sourcing traffic into the packet connections uses bridge functionality that dispatches client traffic onto all of the packet connections or an individual packet connection. This effectively means that the transport network bandwidth utilization is only consumed by a single packet connection, i.e., the packet connection-A (even through there are multiple configured). The network element sinking the traffic selects from a single active packet connection.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

operating a first packet connection having a first bandwidth profile and a second packet connection having a second bandwidth profile, wherein the second bandwidth profile is set to consume zero bandwidth;

bridging ingress traffic at a source network element onto both the first packet connection and the second packet connection;

selecting egress traffic at a sink network element from the first packet connection;

responsive to a requirement for a bandwidth change in the first packet connection, modifying the second bandwidth profile at a first network element;

selecting egress traffic at the sink network element from the second packet connection; and

changing the first bandwidth profile to consume zero bandwidth.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first packet connection and the second packet connection are each a packet connection with the first bandwidth profile and the second bandwidth profile separate and different from one another.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first bandwidth profile comprises a first Committed Information Rate and a first Excess Information Rate;

and

wherein the second bandwidth profile comprises a second Committed Information Rate and a second Excess Information Rate.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, prior to the requirement for the bandwidth change, the second Committed Information Rate and a second Excess Information Rate are zero;

and

wherein, subsequent to the modifying the second bandwidth profile, the second Committed Information Rate and a second Excess Information Rate are set at values based on the requirement for the bandwidth change.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

switching a selector at the sink network element at a time, t, subsequent to the modifying the second bandwidth profile;

wherein impact to client traffic from the source network element is limited to the time t.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

operating N packet connections each having an associated bandwidth profile, wherein the first packet connection comprises one of the N packet connections;

responsive to a requirement for a bandwidth change in any of the N packet connections, modifying the second bandwidth profile at the first network element;

selecting egress traffic at the sink network element from the second packet connection for the any of the N packet connections; and

changing a bandwidth profile to zero for the any of the N packet connections.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second packet connection is set to a zero bandwidth profile until one of the N packet connections requires a resizing of bandwidth.

8. A method, comprising:

operating a first packet connection having a first bandwidth profile and a second packet connection having a second bandwidth profile;

bridging ingress traffic at a source network element onto one of the packet connections;

selecting egress traffic at a sink network element from the set of packet connections; and

responsive to a requirement for a bandwidth change in the first packet connection, modifying the bridge function at a first network element.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first packet connection and the second packet connection are each a packet connection with the first bandwidth profile and the second bandwidth profile separate and different from one another.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first bandwidth profile comprises a first Committed Information Rate and a first Excess Information Rate;

and

wherein the second bandwidth profile comprises a second Committed Information Rate and a second Excess Information Rate.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

switching the bridge at the source network element at a time, t, to a new active connection performance;

wherein impact to client traffic from the source network element is limited to the time t.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

operating N packet connections each having an associated bandwidth profile, wherein the first packet connection comprises one of the N packet connections;

responsive to a requirement for a bandwidth change in any of the N packet connections, modifying a bridge selector to the second packet connection accordingly at the first network element; and

selecting egress traffic at the sink network element from the set of N packet connections.

13. A network, comprising:

a first packet network element;

a second packet network element communicatively coupled to the first packet network element;

a first packet connection between the first packet network element and the second packet network element having a first bandwidth profile with a bandwidth of a first value;

a second packet connection between the first packet network element and the second packet network element having a second bandwidth profile with a bandwidth set to zero;

a bridge at the first packet network element configured to bridge ingress traffic onto both the first packet connection and the second packet connection; and

a selector at the second packet network element configured to select traffic from one of the first packet connection and the second packet connection;

wherein, responsive to a requirement to resize bandwidth of the first packet connection, the second bandwidth profile is set, the selector is switched to the second packet connection, and the first bandwidth profile is set to zero.

14. The network of claim 13, wherein the first packet connection and the second packet connection are each a packet connection with the first bandwidth profile and the second bandwidth profile separate and different from one another.

15. The network of claim 14, wherein the first bandwidth profile comprises a first Committed Information Rate and a first Excess Information Rate;

and

wherein the second bandwidth profile comprises a second Committed Information Rate and a second Excess Information Rate.

16. The network of claim 15, wherein, prior to the requirement to resize bandwidth, the second Committed Information Rate and a second Excess Information Rate are zero;

and

wherein, subsequent to the setting of the second bandwidth profile, the second Committed Information Rate and a second Excess Information Rate are set at values based on the requirement to resize bandwidth.

17. The network of claim 13, wherein, responsive to a requirement to resize bandwidth of the first packet connection, the selector is configured to switch at a time, t, subsequent to the setting of the second bandwidth profile;

and

wherein impact to client traffic from the source network element is limited to the time t.

18. The network of claim 13, further comprising:

N packet connections each having an associated bandwidth profile, wherein the first packet connection comprises one of the N packet connections;

wherein, responsive to a requirement to resize bandwidth in any of the N packet connections, the second bandwidth profile is set at the first network element;

wherein the second network element selects from the second packet connection for the any of the N packet connections; and

wherein the associated bandwidth profile is set to zero for the first packet connection.

19. A network, comprising:

a first packet network element;

a second packet network element communicatively coupled to the first packet network element;

a first packet connection between the first packet network element and the second packet network element having a first bandwidth profile being a first value;

a second packet connection between the first packet network element and the second packet network element having a second bandwidth profile being a second value;

a bridge at the first packet network element configured to bridge ingress traffic onto the first packet connection; and

a merge at the second packet network element configured to merge traffic from the first packet connection and the second packet connection;

wherein, responsive to a requirement to resize bandwidth of the first packet connection, the bridge at the first packet network element is set to select the second packet connection.

20. The network of claim 19, wherein the first packet connection and the second packet connection are each a packet connection with the first bandwidth profile and the second bandwidth profile separate and different from one another.

21. The network of claim 20, wherein the first bandwidth profile comprises a first Committed Information Rate and a first Excess Information Rate;

and

wherein the second bandwidth profile comprises a second Committed Information Rate and a second Excess Information Rate.

22. The network of claim 21, wherein, responsive to a requirement to resize bandwidth of the first packet connection, the bridge is configured to switch at a time, t;

and

wherein impact to client traffic from the source network element is limited to the time t.

23. The network of claim 19, further comprising:

N packet connections each having an associated bandwidth profile, wherein the first packet connection comprises one of the N packet connections;

wherein, responsive to a requirement to resize bandwidth in any of the N packet connections, the bridge function at the first network element is set to select the second packet connection; and

wherein the second network element merges from the set of packet connections from all N packet connections.

24. A network element, comprising:

at least one port;

a packet switching fabric coupled to the at least one port; and

a controller comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the controller, the at least one port, and the packet switching fabric to;

operate a first packet connection having a first bandwidth profile and a second packet connection having a second bandwidth profile, wherein the second bandwidth profile is set to zero;

bridge ingress traffic at the at least one port onto both the first packet connection and the second packet connection;

responsive to a requirement for a bandwidth change in the first packet connection, modify the second bandwidth profile; and

change the first bandwidth profile to zero subsequent to modifying the second bandwidth profile.

25. The network element of claim 24, wherein the first packet connection and the second packet connection each comprise a packet connection with the first bandwidth profile and the second bandwidth profile being separate and different.

26. The network element of claim 25, wherein the first bandwidth profile comprises a first Committed Information Rate and a first Excess Information Rate;

wherein the second bandwidth profile comprises a second Committed Information Rate and a second Excess Information Rate;

wherein, prior to the requirement for the bandwidth change, the second Committed Information Rate and a second Excess Information Rate are zero; and

wherein, subsequent to the modifying the second bandwidth profile, the second Committed Information Rate and a second Excess Information Rate are set at values based on the requirement for the bandwidth change.

27. The network element of claim 24, wherein the network element is a source network element;

wherein a second network element comprises a sink network element for the first packet connection and the second packet connection;

wherein the sink network element is configured to switch a selector from a first network element to the second network element at a time, t, subsequent to the modifying the second bandwidth profile; and

wherein impact to client traffic from the source network element is limited to the time, t.

28. The network element of claim 24, wherein the instructions that, when executed, further cause the controller, the at least one port, and the packet switching fabric to:

operate N packet connections each having an associated bandwidth profile, wherein the first packet connection comprises one of the N packet connections.