Method and system for access point congestion detection and reduction

• US 9,515,942 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2013
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Lipman, Justin, Chen, Xiaodong
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, DUYEN MY
• Application Number:
  US14/100,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20140101332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• Field of Search: 709/235, 709/203
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/283 in response to processing delays, e.g. caused by jitter or round trip time [RTT]

Abstract

A method and system for detecting and reducing data transfer congestion in a wireless access point includes determining a round-trip-time value for an internet control message protocol (ICMP) packet transmitted from a source computing device to a first computing device of a plurality of computing devices via the wireless access point. A data rate for data transmissions from the source computing device is increased to a value no greater than a peak data rate value if the round-trip-time is less than a first threshold value. The data rate is decreased if the round-trip-time value is greater than a second threshold value. Additionally, the peak data rate value may also be decreased if the round-trip-time value is greater than the second threshold value.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory device having stored therein a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

establish a peak data rate for data transmissions to at least one computing device of a plurality of computing devices via a wireless access point;

determine a round-trip-time value for a data packet transmitted to a first computing device of the plurality of computing devices;

determine whether the round-trip-time value is greater than a first threshold value;

determine, in response to a determination that the round-trip-time value is greater than the first threshold value, whether a predetermined peak avoidance period has expired; and

decrease the peak data rate in response to a determination that the predetermined peak avoidance period has not expired.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

establish a current data rate for data transmissions to the at least one computing device of the plurality of computing devices; and

decrease the current data rate to a value determined based on the decreased peak data rate in response to a determination that the round-trip-time value is greater than the first threshold value.

3. The computing system of claim 2, wherein to decrease the current data rate comprises to:

determine a new midpoint data rate value equal to half of the sum of the decreased peak data rate and a previously determined midpoint data rate value; and

set the current data rate to the new midpoint data rate value.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

establish a current data rate for data transmissions to the at least one computing device of the plurality of computing devices;

increase the current data rate in response to a determination that the round-trip-time value is less than a second threshold value; and

set the peak data rate to the increased current data rate.

5. The computing system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

maintain the current data rate and the peak data rate in response to a determination that the round-trip-time value is less than the first threshold and greater than the second threshold.

22. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

determine whether the peak data rate has not changed for a predefined duration; and

restart the peak avoidance period in response to a determination that the peak data rate has not changed for the predefined duration.

6. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions that, in response to execution, cause the source computing device to:

establish a peak data rate for data transmissions from the source computing device to at least one computing device of a plurality of computing devices via a wireless access point;

determine a round-trip-time value for a data packet transmitted from the source computing device to a first computing device of the plurality of computing devices;

determine whether the round-trip-time value is greater than a first threshold value;

determine, in response to a determination that the round-trip-time value is greater than the first threshold value, whether a predetermined peak avoidance period has expired; and

decrease the peak data rate in response to a determination that the predetermined peak avoidance period has not expired.

7. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein to determine the round-trip-time value for the data packet comprises to:

transmit the data packet from the source computing device to the first computing device;

receive a response from the first computing device in response to the transmitted data packet; and

measure the time period between the transmitting and receiving steps.

8. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein to determine the round-trip-time value for the data packet comprises to periodically determine the round-trip-time value for the data packet.

9. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein to determine the round-trip-time value for the data packet comprises to determine the round-trip-time value for the data packet contemporaneously with transmitting data to the plurality of computing devices.

10. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein to decrease the peak data rate comprises to decrease the peak data rate by a predetermined percentage.

11. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein to decrease the peak data rate comprises to decrease the peak data rate by ten percent.

12. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the plurality of instructions, in response to execution, further cause the source computing device to:

establish a current data rate for data transmissions from the source computing device to at least one computing device of the plurality of computing devices via the wireless access point;

increase the current data rate in response to a determination that the round-trip-time value is less than a second threshold value; and

set the peak data rate to the increased current data rate.

13. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein to increase the current data rate comprises to linearly increase the current data rate by a predetermined amount.

14. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein to increase the current data rate comprises to exponentially increase the current data rate.

15. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the plurality of instructions, in response to execution, further cause the source computing device to:

decrease the current data to a value determined based on the decreased peak data rate in response to a determination that the round-trip-time value is greater than the first threshold value.

16. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein to decrease the current data rate comprises to:

determine a new midpoint data rate value equal to half of the sum of the decreased peak data rate and a previously determined midpoint data rate value; and

set the current data rate to the new midpoint data rate value.

17. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the first threshold value is substantially equal to the second threshold value.

18. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the plurality of instructions, in response to execution, further cause the source computing device to:

maintain the current data rate and the peak data rate in response to a determination that the round-trip-time value is less than the first threshold and greater than the second threshold.

23. The machine readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the plurality of instructions, in response to execution, further cause the source computing device to:

determine whether the peak data rate has not changed for a predefined duration; and

restart the peak avoidance period in response to a determination that the peak data rate has not changed for the predefined duration.

19. A method comprising:

establishing a peak data rate for data transmissions from a source computing device to at least one computing device of a plurality of computing devices via a wireless access point;

determining a round-trip-time value for a data packet transmitted from the source computing device to a first computing device of the plurality of computing devices;

determine whether the round-trip-time value is greater than a first threshold value;

determine, in response to a determination that the round-trip-time value is greater than the first threshold value, whether a predetermined peak avoidance period has expired; and

in response to a determination that the predetermined peak avoidance period has not expired, decreasing the peak data rate.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

establishing a current data rate for data transmissions to the at least one computing device of the plurality of computing devices; and

decreasing the current data rate to a value determined based on the decreased peak data rate in response to determining that the round-trip-time value is greater than the first threshold value.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

establishing a current data rate for data transmissions to the at least one computing device of the plurality of computing devices;

increasing the current data rate in response to determining that the round-trip-time value is less than a second threshold value; and

setting the peak data rate to the increased current data rate.