NETWORK PER-FLOW RATE LIMITING

• US 20140269319A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Zitiao Network Technology Company Limited (ByteDance Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DeCusatis, Casimer, Krishnamurthy, Rajaram B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,769,074 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion

Abstract

A method of monitoring data flow in a network is provided. The method includes: configuring a data flow including a plurality of data packets by a switch controller, the switch controller configured to control routing through the switch and switch configuration, wherein configuring includes storing an indication of a flow control policy in one or more of the data packets; monitoring a network switch receiving the data flow, wherein monitoring includes determining flow statistics in the switch; determining whether a congestion condition exists for the data flow based on the flow statistics and the flow control policy; and based on determining that the congestion condition exists for the data flow, performing a remedial action specific to the data flow to address the congestion condition.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring data flow in a network, comprising:

configuring a data flow including a plurality of data packets by a switch controller, the switch controller configured to control routing through the switch and switch configuration, wherein configuring includes storing an indication of a flow control policy in one or more of the data packets;

monitoring a network switch receiving the data flow, wherein monitoring includes determining flow statistics in the switch;

determining whether a congestion condition exists for the data flow based on the flow statistics and the flow control policy; and

based on determining that the congestion condition exists for the data flow, performing a remedial action specific to the data flow to address the congestion condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network switch is an OpenFlow switch and the switch controller is an OpenFlow switch controller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring includes determining flow statistics for a plurality of data flows in the network switch, the network switch including a flow control queue, the flow control queue including an indication of a flow control policy specific to each of the plurality of data flows.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining includes comparing the flow statistics for each data flow to a threshold based on the flow control policy, and the remedial action is performed for one or more data flows whose flow statistics exceed the threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the flow statistics include at least one of a queue depth statistic, an ingress queue flow rate and an egress queue flow rate.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the remedial action includes at least one of rate-limiting the data flow, turning off the data flow in the switch, and re-routing the data flow.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the flow control policy is stored as data in a header of the one or more data packets.

8. A method of processing data flows in a network switch, comprising:

receiving a data flow at the network switch, the data flow including a plurality of data packets, wherein one or more of the data packets includes an indication of a flow control policy specific to the data flow;

storing the indication of the flow control policy in a flow control queue in the network switch, the flow control policy associated with a threshold for comparison to flow statistics for the data flow; and

processing the data flow at the network switch according to instructions associated with the data flow and configured by a switch controller.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising, based on the switch controller determining that the flow statistics for the data flow exceed the threshold, receiving an instruction to perform a remedial action on the data flow.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the remedial action includes at least one of adjusting a flow rate of the data flow, re-routing the data flow, and turning off the data flow.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein storing includes extracting the indication of the flow control policy from a header of the one or more data packets and storing the indication with an identification of the data flow.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the flow control queue is configured to store a plurality of flow control policy indications, each flow control policy indication associated with an identification of a different data flow being processed in the network switch.

13. A computer program product for monitoring data flow in a network, the computer program product comprising:

a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

configuring a data flow including a plurality of data packets by a switch controller, the switch controller configured to control routing through the switch and switch configuration, wherein configuring includes storing an indication of a flow control policy in one or more of the data packets;

monitoring a network switch receiving the data flow, wherein monitoring includes determining flow statistics in the switch;

determining whether a congestion condition exists for the data flow based on the flow statistics and the flow control policy; and

based on determining that the congestion condition exists for the data flow, performing a remedial action specific to the data flow to address the congestion condition.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the network switch is an OpenFlow switch and the switch controller is an OpenFlow switch controller.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein monitoring includes determining flow statistics for a plurality of data flows in the network switch, the network switch including a flow control queue, the flow control queue including an indication of a flow control policy specific to each data flow, the indication retrieved from data in a header of the one or more data packets.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein determining includes comparing the flow statistics for each data flow to a threshold based on the flow control policy, and the remedial action is performed for one or more data flows whose flow statistics exceed the threshold.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein performing the remedial action includes at least one of rate-limiting the data flow, turning off the data flow in the switch, and re-routing the data flow.

18. A computer program product for processing data flows in a network switch, the computer program product comprising:

a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

receiving a data flow at the network switch, the data flow including a plurality of data packets, wherein one or more of the data packets includes an indication of a flow control policy specific to the data flow;

storing the indication of the flow control policy in a flow control queue in the network switch, the flow control policy associated with a threshold for comparison to flow statistics for the data flow; and

processing the data flow at the network switch according to instructions associated with the data flow and configured by a switch controller.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising, based on the switch controller determining that the flow statistics for the data flow exceed the threshold, receiving an instruction to perform a remedial action on the data flow.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the remedial action includes at least one of adjusting a flow rate of the data flow, re-routing the data flow, and turning off the data flow.

21. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the flow control queue is configured to store a plurality of flow control policy indications, each flow control policy indication associated with an identification of a different data flow being processed in the network switch.

22. An apparatus for controlling a network switch, comprising:

a memory having computer readable computer instructions; and

a processor for executing the computer readable instructions, the instructions including;

configuring a data flow including a plurality of data packets by a switch controller, the switch controller configured to control routing through the switch and switch configuration, wherein configuring includes storing an indication of a flow control policy in one or more of the data packets;

monitoring a network switch receiving the data flow, wherein monitoring includes determining flow statistics in the switch;

determining whether a congestion condition exists for the data flow based on the flow statistics and the flow control policy; and

based on determining that the congestion condition exists for the data flow, performing a remedial action specific to the data flow to address the congestion condition.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein monitoring includes determining flow statistics for a plurality of data flows in the network switch, the network switch including a flow control queue, the flow control queue including an indication of a flow control policy specific to each of the plurality of data flows.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein determining includes comparing the flow statistics for each data flow to a threshold based on the flow control policy, and the remedial action is performed for one or more data flows whose flow statistics exceed the threshold.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein performing the remedial action includes at least one of rate-limiting the data flow, turning off the data flow in the switch, and re-routing the data flow.