Congestion Notification Reporting for Responsive Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network congestion management schemes lack the ability to provide real-time, granular insights into network congestion, leading to delayed responses and reduced precision in identifying problematic areas, especially in large and complex networks, and are not suitable for environments where data packets are not dropped.
Innovation Solution
A system that replicates link-level frames containing flow control signaling from network switches to a network controller, allowing for real-time detection and tracking of congestion indicators, per-flow analytics, and historical data-driven path selection to mitigate congestion by routing data through less active nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If link-level flow control signaling is used for congestion management, then immediate response to congestion is achieved, but long-term congestion identification and network-level response are not supported
Solution Approach 1:
The patent copies link-level flow control frames and replicates them to network controllers for centralized analysis. This allows the system to maintain immediate response capabilities while adding network-wide visibility and long-term congestion identification through the replicated data structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces network controllers as intermediary components that receive and process flow control signaling. These controllers act as mediators between link-level congestion events and network-level response, enabling both immediate detection and long-term analysis by centralizing the processing function.
2Productivity
If distributed congestion signaling is implemented at network elements, then immediate local response is enabled, but network-wide coordination and long-term congestion patterns are not visible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges distributed flow control signaling with centralized network controller processing. By combining local congestion signals with network-wide context at the controller, the system achieves both immediate local response and network-wide coordination without losing contextual information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a new dimension to congestion management by introducing centralized analysis capability. This dimensional change allows the system to view congestion patterns from multiple perspectives simultaneously - local immediate response and network-wide long-term patterns - without sacrificing either aspect.
3Device complexity
If current congestion management schemes are used, then simple implementation is maintained, but granular real-time insights into network congestion are not provided
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the network controller universal by having it perform multiple functions: receiving flow control frames, replicating them for analysis, storing historical data, and providing both immediate and long-term congestion insights. This multi-functionality enables granular detection without requiring separate specialized systems.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for identifying network congestion and adapting network performance to relieve the network congestion are described. As described, a network element such as a switch reports network congestion indicators such as link level control frames to a network controller. The network controller uses the network congestion indicators reported from the network elements to identify congestion points, data traffic, and data flows experiencing congestion at a network level. The network controller then determines optimized control parameters for the network in order to reduce or alleviate the congestion at the congestion points.