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EP0587522A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Rate-based congestion control in packet communications networks

Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1993-08-24
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2013-08-24
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Abstract

Abstract A congestion control system for packet communications networks in which access to the network is controlled to prevent such congestion. Packets within the pre-specified statistical description of each packet source are marked as high priority ("green" packets) while packets exceeding the pre-specified characteristics are marked with a lower priority ("red" packets). The overall red packet rate is limited to prevent red packet saturation of the network. The introduction of red packets into the network is subjected to a degree of hysteresis to provide better interaction with higher layer error recovery protocols. The amount of hysteresis introduced into the red packet marking can be fixed or varied, depending on the statistics of the incoming data packets at the entry point to the network.

Inventors

  • 👤 Hamid Ahmadi
  • 👤 Roch A. Guerin
  • 👤 Jeffrey Haskell Derby
  • 👤 Levent Gun
  • 👤 Gerald Arnold Marin
  • 👤 Mamoud Naghshineh
  • 👤 Khosrow Sohraby

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-31 09:04
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L12/00; H04L12/54; H04L12/56; H04L12/5601; H04L12/5602; H04L2012/5629; H04L2012/5631; H04L2012/5636; H04L2012/5637; H04L2012/5638; H04L2012/5646; H04L2012/5651; H04L2012/5678; H04L2012/568

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim 104 words
A system for a source of user data packets to control access to a packet communications network comprising means for marking each packet launched on said network with a high priority marking when the data packets from said source stay within a predefined range of statistical parameters, means for marking each packet launched on said network with a lower priority marking when the data packets from said source fall outside of said predefined range of statistical parameters, and means for prolonging the operation of said means for marking with a lower priority to produce a serial train of packets with said lower priority marking.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 35 words
The system to control access to a packet communications network according to claim 1 further comprising means for limiting the total number of packets with said lower priority marking for each successive fixed time interval.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 36 words
The system to control access to a packet communications network according to claim 1 further comprising means for maintaining at least a minimum space between successive packets launched on said network regardless of their priority markings.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 52 words
The system to control access to a packet communications network according to claim 1 further comprising a network admission buffer having a low priority marking threshold therein for queuing said user data packets, and means for enabling said low priority marking means when the contents of said admission buffer exceeds said threshold.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 105 words
The system to control access to a packet communications network according to claim 1 further comprising means for generating high and low priority tokens for enabling the marking of any one of said packets when sufficient numbers of one or the other of said priority tokens are available to accommodate the number of data units in said one packet, means for storing said tokens for said high priority marking in a high priority token pool, said high priority token storage means having a high priority resume threshold, and means for terminating low priority marking of said packets when said high priority resume threshold is exceeded.
Claim 6
Independent Claim 111 words
A method controlling the access to a packet communications network at each access point to said network, said method comprising the steps of marking each packet launched on said network at each of said access points to said network with a high priority marking when the data packets at said each access point stay within a predefined range of statistical parameters, marking each packet launched on said network with a lower priority marking when the data packets at said each access point fall outside of said predefined range of statistical parameters, and prolonging the marking with a lower priority to produce a serial train of packets with said lower priority marking.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 28 words
The method according to claim 6 further comprising the step of limiting the total number of packets with said lower priority marking for each successive fixed time interval.
Claim 8
Independent Claim 31 words
The method according to claims 6 and 7 further comprising the step of maintaining at least a minimum space between successive packets launched on said network regardless of their priority markings.
Claim 9
Independent Claim 47 words
The method according to claims 6 to 8 further comprising the steps of queuing said user data packets in a network admission buffer having a low priority marking threshold therein, and enabling said low priority marking means when the contents of said admission buffer exceeds said threshold.
Claim 10
Independent Claim 96 words
The method according to claims 6 to 9 further comprising the steps of generating high and low priority tokens for enabling the marking of any one of said packets when sufficient numbers of one or the other of said priority tokens are available to accommodate the number of data units in said any one packet, storing said tokens for said high priority marking in a high priority token pool, said high priority token pool having a high priority resume threshold, and terminating low priority marking of said packets when said high priority resume threshold is exceeded.

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