Configuration of energy savings

• US 9,958,924 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2013
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Overcash, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): BEHESHTI SHIRAZI, SAYED ARESH
• Application Number:
  US14/012,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20150067815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,707 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3278 Power saving in modem or I/O interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

According to one example embodiment, a modem or other network device include an energy module configured to enter a low-power, low-bandwidth state when not in active use by a user. The low-power state may be maintained under certain conditions where network activity is not present, and or when only non-bandwidth-critical traffic is present. The network device may include a user interface for configuring firewall rules, and the user may be able to concurrently designate particular types of traffic as important or unimportant. The energy module may also be integrated with a firewall, and power saving rules may be inferred from firewall rules.

Claims

1. A network device comprising:

a communication interface and a hardware processor, wherein the communication interface configured to;

receive first data;

the hardware processor configured to determine that the received first data comprises at least one of;

a first species of network traffic and a second species of network traffic, wherein the hardware processor being configured to determine that the received first data comprises at least one of;

the first species of network traffic and the second species of network traffic comprises the hardware processor being further configured to;

determine that the first data matches an entry in an access control list (ACL), and

determine that the first data comprises to be the first species of network traffic when the first data matches the entry in the ACL;

buffer, in response to determining that the first data comprises the first species of network traffic, the first data at the network device;

send, using the communication interface, a first message to another network device, the first message causing the another network device to switch from a low-power mode to a high-power mode;

designate outgoing connections as the first species of network traffic by default;

increase a number of channels allocated to the another network device; and

send, using the communication interface the first data buffered in response to determining that the first data comprises the first species of network traffic to the another network device.

2. The network device of claim 1, wherein the ACL comprises a factor selected from a group of factors, the group of factors consisting of:

a) source internet protocol (IP) address;

b) destination IP address;

c) source port;

d) destination port;

e) protocol;

f) ingress interface;

g) egress interface;

h) source medium access control (MAC) address;

i) destination MAC address;

j) EtherType field;

k) 802.1P tag;

l) 802.1Q tag;

m) Differentiated Services Field;

n) Explicit Congestion Notification;

o) originating device;

p) originating application;

q) time of day; and

r) direction of traffic.

3. The network device of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is further configured to:

receive second data;

the hardware processor is further configured to determine that the received second data comprises the second species of network traffic; and

send, using the communication interface, a second message to the another network device, the second message causing the another network device to switch from the high-power mode to the low-power mode.

4. A method comprising:

receiving, at a first network element comprising a hardware processor, first data;

determining, by the hardware processor, at the first network element, that the received first data comprises at least one of;

a first species of network traffic and a second species of network traffic, wherein determining, by the hardware processor, that the received first data comprises at least one of;

the first species of network traffic and the second species of network traffic comprises;

determining that the first data matches an entry in an access control list (ACL), and

determining the first data to be the first species of network traffic when the first data matches the entry in the ACL;

buffering, in response to determining that the first data comprises the first species of network traffic, the first data at the first network element; and

sending a first message to a second network element, the first message causing the second network element to switch from a low-power mode to high-power mode;

designating outgoing connections as the first species of network traffic by default;

increasing a number of channels allocated to the second network element; and

sending the first data, buffered in response to determining that the first data comprises the first species of network traffic, to the second network element.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first species of network traffic comprises traffic that a user designates as bandwidth-critical.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the second species of network traffic comprises traffic that a user designates as unimportant data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second species of network traffic comprises traffic that the user designates as non-bandwidth-critical.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the second species of network traffic includes traffic that is non-bandwidth-critical, and wherein the method further comprising inferring that packets to be dropped are of the second species.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, at the first network element, second data;

determining, at the first network element, that the received second data comprises the second species of network traffic; and

sending a second message to the second network element, the second message causing the second network element to switch from the high-power mode to the low-power mode.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising designating incoming connections as the second species of network traffic by default.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a memory storage; and

a hardware processor coupled to the memory storage, wherein the hardware processor is operative to;

receive first data;

determine that the received first data comprises at least one of;

a first species of network traffic and a second species of network traffic, wherein the hardware processor being operative to determine that the received first data comprises at least one of;

the first species of network traffic and the second species of network traffic comprises the hardware processor being further operative to;

determine that the first data matches an entry in an access control list (ACL), and

determine the first data to be the first species of network traffic when the first data matches the entry in the ACL;

buffer the first data in response to determining that the first data comprises the first species of network traffic; and

send a first message to a network element, the first message causing the network element to switch from a low-power mode to a high-power mode;

designate outgoing connections as the first species of network traffic by default;

increase a number of channels allocated to the network element; and

send the first data, buffered in response to determining that the first data comprises the first species of network traffic, to the network element.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the hardware processor is further operative to:

receive second data;

determine that the received second data comprises the second species of network traffic; and

send a second message to the network element, the second message causing the network element to switch from the high-power mode to the low-power mode.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first species of network traffic comprises traffic that a user identifies as important traffic requiring the high-power mode for the network element.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second species of network traffic comprises traffic that a user identifies as unimportant traffic requiring the low-power mode of the network element.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the hardware processor is operative to designate incoming connections as the second species of network traffic by default.