Adaptive bandwidth throttling for network services

• US 20050108422A1
• Filed: 12/07/2004
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Krishnan, Murali R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,417,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/233
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1682 Allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users, e.g. concentrated multiplexers, statistical multiplexers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/19 at layers above the network layer network arrangements for networked applications for scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2425 for supporting services specification, e.g. SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/26 using explicit feedback to the source, e.g. choke packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/29 using a combination of thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/745 Reaction in network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/825 Involving tunnels, e.g. MPLS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures

Abstract

The adaptive bandwidth throttling system implements a graceful diminution of services to the clients by delaying a first class of services provided by a network server in response to the effective bandwidth utilized by this network server exceeding a first threshold. If the demand for the bandwidth by this network server exceeds a second threshold, the bandwidth throttling system escalates the throttling response and blocks the first class of services from execution and can also concurrently delay execution of a second class of services. The implementation of the throttling process can be varied, to include additional levels of response or finer gradations of the response, to include subsets of a class of services. In addition, the threshold levels of bandwidth used to trigger the throttling response can be selected as desired by the system administrator.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a plurality of network servers;

an asynchronous thread queue means for receiving a request, from a client process, to be performed by one of the plurality of network servers; and

means for throttling, coupled to the asynchronous thread queue means, for determining whether performance of the request by the one of the plurality of network servers is to be restricted based at least in part on an average bandwidth used by the one of the plurality of network servers in performing previous operations;

wherein the means for throttling is further for determining whether performance of the request by the one of the plurality of network servers is to be restricted based on the average bandwidth used by the one of the plurality of network servers in performing previous operations and independent of the average bandwidth used by other network servers of the plurality of network servers in performing previous operations.

2. A computer system as recited in claim 1, further comprising an ancillary function driver means, coupled to the asynchronous thread queue means, for coupling the computer system to a network.

3. A computer system comprising:

a plurality of network servers;

an asynchronous thread queue means for receiving a request, from a client process, to be performed by one of the plurality of network servers; and

means for throttling, coupled to the asynchronous thread queue means, for comparing a value indicating a bandwidth used by the one of the plurality of network servers to perform previous server operations to at least one of a first threshold and a second threshold, for restricting the request in a first manner if the value exceeds the first threshold but does not exceed the second threshold, and for restricting the request in a second manner if the value exceeds the second threshold;

wherein the means for throttling is further for determining whether to restrict the request for the one of the plurality of network servers based on the value indicating bandwidth used by the one of the plurality of network servers in performing the previous server operations and independent of bandwidth used by other network servers of the plurality of network servers in performing the previous server operations.

4. A computer system as recited in claim 3, further comprising an ancillary function driver means, coupled to the asynchronous thread queue means, for coupling the computer system to a network.

5. A computer system comprising:

a plurality of network servers;

an asynchronous thread queue to receive a request, from a client process, to be performed by one of the plurality of network servers; and

a memory to store instructions to be executed by a processor of the computer system to implement a bandwidth throttling system coupled to the asynchronous thread queue, the instructions causing the processor to determine whether performance of the request by the one of the plurality of network servers is to be restricted based at least in part on an average bandwidth used by the one of the plurality of network servers in performing previous operations, wherein the instructions cause the processor to determine whether performance of the request by the one of the plurality of network servers is to be restricted based on the average bandwidth used by the one of the plurality of network servers in performing previous operations and independent of the average bandwidth used by other network servers of the plurality of network servers in performing previous operations.

6. A computer system as recited in claim 5, further comprising an ancillary function driver, coupled to the asynchronous thread queue, to couple the computer system to a network.

7. A computer system comprising:

a plurality of network servers;

an asynchronous thread queue to receive a request, from a client process, to be performed by one of the plurality of network servers; and

a memory to store instructions to be executed by a processor of the computer system to implement a bandwidth throttling system coupled to the asynchronous thread queue, the instructions causing the processor to;

compare a value indicating a bandwidth used by the one of the plurality of network servers to perform previous server operations to at least one of a first threshold and a second threshold;

restrict the request in a first manner if the value exceeds the first threshold but does not exceed the second threshold, and to restrict the request in a second manner if the value exceeds the second threshold; and

determine whether to restrict the request for the one of the plurality of network servers based on the value indicating bandwidth used by the one of the plurality of network servers in performing the previous server operations and independent of bandwidth used by other network servers of the plurality of network servers in performing the previous server operations.

8. A computer system as recited in claim 7, further comprising an ancillary function driver, coupled to the asynchronous thread queue, to couple the computer system to a network.