Bandwidth prediction using a past available bandwidth value and a slope calculated from past available bandwidth values

• US 9,350,616 B1
• Filed: 05/11/2010
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trend Micro Inc.
• Original Assignee: Trend Micro Inc.
• Inventors: Lou, Ju-Chun, Chang, Wen-Cheng, Ku, Yen-Chiu, Chou, Ren-Chien, Lin, Jui-Hao
• Primary Examiner(s): Murray, Daniel C
• Application Number:
  US12/777,688
• Time in Patent Office: 2,205 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3442 for planning or managing the needed capacity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• 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 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0805 by checking availability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/29 using a combination of thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/765 triggered by the end-points
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/18 based on predicted events

Abstract

A software module on a client computer sends a query to a remote computer server operating a cloud service and receives a response, in order to determine latency. The latency is used with the total size of the packets sent and the packet size to determine the bandwidth available over the network connection at that time. Bandwidth available is calculated periodically and stored in a database of the client computer. Comparing a calculated bandwidth with predefined threshold values indicates whether the network status is good for initiating a cloud service with the computer server or poor. Any number of bandwidth available values are used to determine a slope and the slope is used to predict a bandwidth available value at a future time. A bandwidth available moving average is calculated by summing the bandwidth values for the previous days and dividing by the number of days; the moving average is calculated periodically.

Claims

1. A method of predicting available bandwidth between a client computer and a remote computer server, said method comprising:

receiving, at said client computer, a bandwidth request associated with a cloud service of said remote computer server to which said client computer subscribes, and a request to predict available bandwidth on a network between said client computer and said remote computer server at a future time;

calculating a plurality of available bandwidth values between said client computer and said computer server over said network using a latency value that is determined by sending a query from said client computer to said computer server and noting when an acknowledgement to said query arrives at said client computer, said plurality of available bandwidth values beginning at an initial time and extending to a past time;

calculating a slope of said plurality of available bandwidth values, said slope being positive and indicating that said predicted available bandwidth is increasing;

determining a predicted available bandwidth at said future time using one of said plurality of available bandwidth values and said calculated slope;

returning said predicted available bandwidth to a software application of said client computer;

comparing said predicted available bandwidth to a predefined bandwidth threshold to determine whether said client computer may engage in said cloud service to which said client computer subscribes;

allowing said client computer to proceed with said cloud service of said remote computer server when it is determined that said predicted available bandwidth is greater than said predefined bandwidth threshold; and

blocking said client computer from proceeding with said cloud service when it is determined that said predicted available bandwidth is less than said predefined bandwidth threshold.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said plurality of available bandwidth values, when plotted against time, form a straight line.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

providing said predicted bandwidth to a software application on said client computer for use in decision making.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said plurality of available bandwidth values are retrieved from a computer memory.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

calculating each of said available bandwidth values using the total size of all packets sent in a request between said client computer and said remote computer server, the size of one of said packets, and the round-trip time.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

computing an average of said plurality of available bandwidth values;

calculating said slope using said average; and

determining said predicted available bandwidth at said future time using said average and said calculated slope.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 further comprising:

calculating a moving average using said plurality of available bandwidth values;

determining said predicted available bandwidth at said future time using said moving average.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

calculating a moving average available bandwidth using said plurality of available bandwidth values;

determining said predicted available bandwidth at said future time is within 10 MB of said moving average available bandwidth; and

taking an action based upon said determining.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said determining indicates decreasing available bandwidth and said taking an action includes waiting a specific length of time before sending a next query from said client computer to said remote computer server.