Profile-based bandwidth scheduler

• US 8,958,363 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2009
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ViaSat Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ViaSat Incorporated
• Inventors: Wu, Xiao, Hallstrom, Bill
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Waqas, Saad A
• Application Number:
  US12/580,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20100091699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,951 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328
• US Class Current: 370/328
• 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: H04W 28/20 Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A profile-based scheduler is disclosed. In other embodiments, the profile-based scheduler may profile previously accessed websites and/or FTP sites. In doing so, the profile may compile bandwidth requirements for all such profiled websites and/or FTP sites within a lookup table. When a website and/or FTP site is accessed, the profiler may grant the bandwidth associated with the website or FTP site within the lookup table. In some embodiments, the profiler may create entries not only based on websites and/or FTP sites but may also profile users, TCP connections, web browser configurations and/or web browser types.

Claims

1. A method of implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a scheduler, a bandwidth request from a user terminal, wherein the bandwidth request includes an associated uniform resource locator (URL);

looking up, by a profiler system in a grant profile table, a grant profile for the associated URL, wherein the grant profile table comprises a plurality of URLs as well as an amount of bandwidth required and a time interval for which the amount of bandwidth is required for each URL of the plurality of URLs;

determining that a grant profile for the associated URL is stored in the grant profile table by identifying the associated URL in the grant profile table;

selecting, by the profiler system, the grant profile for the associated URL, wherein the grant profile includes bandwidth allocation requirements for the associated URL, the bandwidth allocation requirements comprising the amount of bandwidth required and the time interval for which the amount of bandwidth is required for the associated URL; and

granting, at the scheduler, bandwidth to the user terminal for the time interval according to the bandwidth allocation requirements included in the grant profile for the associated URL;

wherein the grant profile table further comprises;

for each grant profile associated with each URL of the plurality of URLs, a unique time-to-live amount based on a refresh/change rate of content at each website respectively linked to by each URL of the plurality of URLs and a user activity to access the content, wherein each time-to-live amount triggers the associated grant profile to be refreshed or removed from the grant profile table.

2. A method of implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network, as in claim 1, further comprising determining congestion on the satellite network has exceeded a congestion threshold.

3. A method of implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network, as in claim 2, further comprising in response to the congestion on the satellite network exceeding the congestion threshold, adjusting down according to a predetermined amount, the bandwidth allocation requirements of the grant profile for the associated URL.

4. A method of implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network, as in claim 3, wherein the grant profile table includes a plurality of grant profiles for each of the plurality of URLs.

5. A method of implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network, as in claim 4, further comprising adjusting down bandwidth requirements of each of the plurality of grant profiles based on the congestion on the satellite network exceeding the congestion threshold.

6. A method of implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network as in claim 5, wherein the user terminal includes an account bandwidth allocation restriction.

7. A method of implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network, as in claim 6, further comprising based on the bandwidth allocation requirements of the grant profile for the associated URL exceeding the account bandwidth allocation restriction, adjusting down the bandwidth allocation requirements of the grant profile for the associated URL to at least an amount of the account bandwidth allocation restriction.

8. A method of implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network, as in claim 1, further comprising recording actual bandwidth requirements for the associated URL as accessed by the user terminal.

9. A method of implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network, as in claim 8, further comprising updating the bandwidth requirements of the grant profile for the associated URL with the recorded actual bandwidth requirements.

10. A method of implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network, as in claim 1, further comprising:

granting, at the scheduler, the bandwidth to the user terminal for the time interval according to the bandwidth allocation requirements included in the grant profile for the associated URL after checking an account constraint associated with a client of the user terminal and a congestion constraint that is associated with a communication link, wherein the account constraint is separate from the congestion constraint;

receiving, at the scheduler, a second bandwidth request from the user terminal, wherein the second bandwidth request includes a second associated URL;

determining that the grant profile table does not include a second grant profile for the second associated URL; and

in response to determining that the grant profile table does not include the second grant profile for the second associated URL;

selecting a default grant profile;

granting, at the scheduler, a second bandwidth to the user terminal for a second time interval according to the default grant profile;

recording actual bandwidth requirements for the second associated URL as accessed by the user terminal;

based on the actual bandwidth requirements, creating the second grant profile for the associated URL; and

storing the second grant profile in the grant profile table.

11. A method of implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network, as in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the scheduler, a second bandwidth request from the user terminal, wherein the second bandwidth request includes a second associated URL; and

determining that the grant profile table does not include a second grant profile for the second associated URL.

12. A method of implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network, as in claim 11, further comprising in response to determining that the grant profile table does not include the second grant profile for the second associated URL, selecting a default grant profile.

13. A method of implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network, as in claim 12, wherein the default grant profile comprises demand assigned multiple access (DAMA) or enhanced mobile satellite services (EMSS) scheduling models.

14. A method of implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network, as in claim 12, further comprising:

recording actual bandwidth requirements for the associated URL as accessed by the user terminal;

based on the actual bandwidth requirements, creating a grant profile for the associated URL; and

storing the grant profile in the grant profile table.

15. A system for implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network, the system comprising:

a user terminal configured to send a bandwidth request via a satellite network; and

a gateway in communication with the user terminal via the satellite network, the gateway including a scheduler and a profiler, wherein the scheduler is configured to receive the bandwidth request from a user terminal, wherein the bandwidth request includes an associated uniform resource locator (URL),

wherein the profiler is configured to look up in a grant profile table a grant profile for the associated URL, determine that a grant profile for the associated URL is stored in the grant profile table, and select the grant profile for the associated URL, wherein the grant profile includes bandwidth allocation requirements, and wherein the bandwidth allocation requirements comprising an amount of bandwidth required and a time interval for which the amount of bandwidth is required for the associated URL, and

wherein the scheduler is further configured to grant bandwidth to the user terminal for the time interval according to the bandwidth allocation requirements included in the grant profile for the associated URL; and

wherein the grant profile table further comprises;

for each grant profile associated with each URL of the plurality of URLs, a unique time-to-live amount based on a refresh/change rate of content at each website respectively linked to by each URL of the plurality of URLs and a user activity to access the content, wherein each time-to-live amount triggers the associated grant profile to be refreshed or removed from the grant profile table.

16. A system for implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network as in claim 15, further comprising an SMTS which includes the scheduler.

17. Anon-transitory machine-readable medium for implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network, having sets of instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

monitor processor and/or network resources and determining that the resources are idle;

access a grant profile table to select a grant profile of a uniform resource locator (URL), wherein the grant profile comprises bandwidth requirements for accessing the URL, and wherein the bandwidth requirements comprising an amount of bandwidth required and a time interval for which the amount of bandwidth is required for the associated URL;

access the URL;

monitor bandwidth requirements of accessing the URL; and

update the bandwidth requirements and the time interval for accessing the URL with the monitored bandwidth requirements of accessing the URL;

wherein the grant profile table further comprises;

for each grant profile associated with each URL of the plurality of URLs, a unique time-to-live amount based on a refresh/change rate of content at each website respectively linked to by each URL of the plurality of URLs and a user activity to access the content, wherein each time-to-live amount triggers the associated grant profile to be refreshed or removed from the grant profile table.

18. A machine-readable medium for implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network, as in claim 17, having sets of instructions which, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to determine that a grant profile for the URL is not in the grant profile table.

19. A machine-readable medium for implementing profile-based bandwidth scheduling in a satellite network, as in claim 18, having sets of instructions which, when executed by the machine, further cause the machine to create a new grant profile for the URL and store the grant profile in the grant profile table.