SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING CONNECTIONS FOR DATA COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20180034917A1
• Filed: 07/27/2016
• Published: 02/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: BROOKS, MICHAEL D., HOLLINGSHEAD, ALAN, HORN, JULIAN C., WAKELIN, PHILIP I.
• Granted Patent: US 10,827,001 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• 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 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/147 Signalling methods or messages providing extensions to protocols defined by standardisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements

Abstract

A system, computer-implemented method and computer program manages connections for data communication. In one example method, a first system sends an enhanced capability exchange (CAPEX) request message to a second system. The CAPEX request message includes a request to change the number of connection pipes on an established socket-based connection between the first system and the second system. The first system receives an enhanced CAPEX response message from the second system. The CAPEX response message accepts the request to change the number of connection pipes on the established connection. The first system changes the number of connection pipes on the established connection in accordance with the accepted request.

Claims

1. (canceled)

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12. (canceled)

13. An apparatus comprising:

a first device for communicating data over at least one socket-based connection, the first device comprising a connection manager configured to;

send an enhanced capability exchange (CAPEX) request message to a second device, wherein the enhanced CAPEX request message includes a request to change a number of connection pipes on an established socket-based connection between the first device and the second device;

receive an enhanced CAPEX response message from the second device, wherein the enhanced CAPEX response message accepts the request to change the number of connection pipes on the established connection, and

change the number of connection pipes on the established connection in accordance with the accepted request.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the connection manager is further configured to:

determine a demand for use of the established connection for a transfer of data from the first device to the second device;

compare the demand with a predetermined threshold, and

identify a requirement to change a capacity of the established connection, based on a determination that the demand exceeds the predetermined threshold.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the connection manager is configured to:

compare the demand with at least one of an upper threshold and a lower threshold, and

identify a requirement to increase the number of connection pipes on the established connection, based on a determination that the demand is greater than the upper threshold, or

identify a requirement to reduce the number of connection pipes on the established connection, based on a determination that the demand is less than the lower threshold.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the connection manager is further configured to:

send the enhanced CAPEX request message in response to identifying a requirement to increase the number of connection pipes on the established connection, or

send a command message in response to identifying a requirement to reduce the number of connection pipes on the established connection.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the connection manager is configured to determine the demand by at least one of:

determining a volume of data in a queue of data for transfer from a first system to a second system over the established connection;

determining a time delay between an identification of a requirement for the transfer of data from the first system to the second system over the established connection and the transfer of the data;

determining a time period that data is waiting in a queue for transfer over the established connection, and

determining a rate of increase in volume of data in a queue for transfer over the established connection.