Transport-Layer Recovery With Congestion-Aware Path Switching
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packet-switched computer networks face inefficiencies and unreliability due to network congestion, which can lead to slower response times and dropped packets, and existing congestion control methods can cause transient congestion and underutilization of resources, necessitating a cost-effective and efficient recovery mechanism.
Innovation Solution
A computing system with a network traffic communication module, load balancing module, and congestion control module that dynamically assigns packets to source ports using a port scheduling algorithm, avoiding congested paths by recording known good paths in a cyclic buffer, thereby ensuring uniform distribution and efficient network utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If congestion control techniques are implemented to address network congestion, then packet loss is reduced, but transient congestion and resource underutilization occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic path selection by maintaining multiple source ports and dynamically switching between them based on real-time congestion detection. The system transitions from static path assignment to dynamic adaptation, where the load balancing module continuously monitors packet transmission status and reallocates traffic to alternative paths when congestion is detected, thereby maintaining high resource utilization while preventing packet loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of path selection by varying the source port assignment for different packets. Instead of using a fixed path, the load balancing module modifies the source port parameter based on congestion conditions, enabling flexible traffic distribution across multiple network paths and avoiding both congestion and resource underutilization.
2Reliability
If multiple network paths are used to distribute packets, then network reliability improves, but path selection complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network path selection function into distinct modules: the network traffic communication module establishes multiple source ports, the load balancing module distributes packets across these ports, and the congestion control module monitors and detects congestion conditions. This segmentation simplifies path management by assigning specific responsibilities to each module, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliability through path redundancy.
3Productivity
If congestion detection is implemented for sent packets, then network efficiency improves, but processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary congestion detection by monitoring acknowledgment packets and round-trip times before significant congestion occurs. The congestion control module proactively detects early signs of congestion through ACK analysis and RTT measurement, allowing the load balancing module to switch paths in advance, thereby maintaining high transmission efficiency without excessive processing overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing system for transport layer network recovery on a packet-switched computer network includes a source computing device with a processor that executes a network traffic communication module, a load balancing module, and a congestion control module. The network traffic communication module provisions a plurality of source ports to transmit outbound packets to a destination computing device, each source port being associated with a respective network path. The load balancing module assigns each outbound packet to one of the source ports using a port scheduling algorithm to uniformly distribute the packets among the source ports and associated network paths. The congestion control module detects a congestion control condition for a packet transmitted via a source port associated with a congested network path. The load balancing module assigns a next source port for a next outbound packet from a remainder of the source ports not associated with the congested network path.