Method, device and system for scheduling data flow

• US 9,107,230 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2013
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jin, Weisheng, Liu, Hai
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUONG, DUC T
• Application Number:
  US13/761,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20130148605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/566 of the information or information source or recipient
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, device, and system for scheduling a data flow, which are used to improve the processing efficiency. A network side device marks a priority of a subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow of a UE corresponding to a downlink data packet in the downlink data packet, and enables a downstream node to schedule an access network resource or air interface resource according to the priority. Therefore, a bearer does not need to be modified during the process of distinguishing different service flows and performing differentiation scheduling on different service flows, thereby reducing the workload and improving the processing efficiency.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling a data flow, comprising:

marking, by a network side device, in a priority marking field in a downlink data packet sent to a user equipment (UE), a priority of a subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow of the UE corresponding to the downlink data packet; and

sending the downlink data packet, so that a downstream node schedules an access network resource or air interface resource for the subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow according to the priority;

wherein the method further comprising;

receiving at least one data packet, or a data packet of a period of time, obtaining a service type or service content of the data packet when receiving the data packet, and predicting the priority of the subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow according to the service type or the service content of the data packet;

or setting the priority of the subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow according to a network or operator policy;

wherein the predicting the priority of the subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow according to the service type or the service content of the data packet comprises at least one of the following;

when receiving one data packet, searching for a priority of the data packet according to correspondence between a service type or service content and a priority and taking the priority of the data packet as the priority of the subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow;

when receiving at least two data packets, searching for a priority of the at least two data packets according to correspondence between a service type or service content and a priority, and taking a statistical value of the priority of the at least two data packets as the priority of the subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow;

when receiving a data packet of a period of time, searching for a priority of the data packet of a period of time according to correspondence between a service type or service content and a priority, and taking a statistical value of the priority of the data packet of a period of time as the priority of the subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the obtaining a service type of the data packet comprises:

detecting the service type of the data packet by deep packet inspection;

or

obtaining an IP address and/or a port of a receiving end of an uplink data packet or a sending end of a downlink data packet by shallow packet inspection, and obtaining a service type corresponding to the IP address and/or the port of the receiving end of the uplink data packet or the sending end of the downlink data packet according to set correspondence between an IP address and/or port and a service type;

or

the obtaining service content of the data packet comprises;

detecting the service content of the data packet by deep packet inspection.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the priority marking field comprises:

a differentiated services code point (DSCP), type of service (TOS), a traffic class Traffic Class, a flow label Flow Label or a field of a GPRS tunneling protocol for bearing the data packet;

and/or

one part of the priority marking field is used to mark a priority of a subsequent downlink data flow, and the other part is used to mark a priority of a subsequent uplink data flow, or

one part of the priority marking field is used to mark the priority of the subsequent downlink data flow or the priority of the subsequent uplink data flow, and the other part is used to mark an uplink or a downlink.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting the priority of the subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow according to a subscription type of the UE.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the downstream node comprises:

a base station, a radio network controller (RNC), a radio access network device, or a fixed network device.

6. A device for scheduling a data flow, comprising:

a processor and a non-transitory processor-readable medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon, the processor-executable instructions including a marking module, configured to mark, in a priority marking field in a downlink data packet sent to a user equipment (UE), a priority of a subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow of the UE corresponding to the downlink data packet;

a sending module, configured to send the downlink data packet, so that a downstream node schedules an access network resource or air interface resource for the subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow according to the priority; and

a receiving module, configured to receive at least one data packet, or a data packet of a period of time, obtain a service type or service content of the data packet when receiving the data packet, and predict a priority of a subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow according to the service type or the service content of the data packet;

or a setting module, configured to set the priority of the subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow according to a network or operator policy;

wherein the device is configured to;

when receiving one data packet, search for a priority of the data packet according to correspondence between a service type or service content and a priority and taking the priority of the data packet as the priority of the subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow;

when receiving at least two data packets, search for a priority of the at least two data packets according to correspondence between a service type or service content and a priority, and take a statistical value of the priority of the at least two data packets as the priority of the subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow;

when receiving a data packet of a period of time, search for a priority of the data packet of a period of time according to correspondence between a service type or service content and a priority, and take a statistical value of the priority of the data packet of a period of time as the priority of the subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein

the device is configured to:

detect the service type of the data packet by deep packet inspection;

or

obtain an IP address and/or a port of a receiving end of an uplink data packet or a sending end of a downlink data packet by shallow packet inspection, and obtain a service type corresponding to the IP address and/or the port of the receiving end of the uplink data packet or the sending end of the downlink data packet according to a set correspondence between an IP address and/or port and a service type;

or

the device is configured to;

detect the service content of the data packet by deep packet inspection.

8. The device according to claim 6, wherein the priority marking field comprises:

a differentiated services code point (DSCP), type of service (TOS), a traffic class Traffic Class, a flow label Flow Label or a field of a GPRS tunneling protocol for bearing the data packet;

and/or

one part of the priority marking field is used to mark a priority of a subsequent downlink data flow, and the other part is used to mark a priority of a subsequent uplink data flow, or

one part of the priority marking field is used to mark the priority of the subsequent downlink data flow or the priority of the subsequent uplink data flow, and the other part is used to mark an uplink or a downlink.

9. The device according to claim 6, further comprising:

an adjusting module, configured to adjust the priority of the subsequent uplink and/or downlink data flow according to a subscription type of the UE.

10. The device according to claim 6, wherein the downstream node comprises:

a base station, a radio network controller (RNC), a radio access network device, or a fixed network device.