Contextual Bandwidth Management for Audio Video Conferencing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In information handling systems, audio/video conferencing applications face challenges in managing network bandwidth efficiently, as existing systems prioritize data packets without distinguishing between active and inactive conferencing sessions, leading to reduced bandwidth for other components during background operations.
Innovation Solution
The system includes a processor and network hardware device that inspect UDP packets to determine if they contain real-time audio/video traffic, and only prioritize these packets during active conferencing sessions, adjusting network traffic policies dynamically based on the presence of an A/V session.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the system prioritizes all data packets from conferencing applications, then real-time audio/video transmission reliability is improved, but network bandwidth for other components is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating packet prioritization based on the specific state of the conferencing application. Instead of uniformly prioritizing all packets from conferencing apps, the system selectively prioritizes only those packets that belong to active real-time audio/video sessions, while allowing background operation packets to use standard prioritization. This resolves the contradiction by applying quality of service enhancements locally only where needed (active sessions) rather than globally (all conferencing traffic), thereby maintaining transmission reliability for active sessions while preserving bandwidth for other network components.
2Measurement precision
If the system inspects each packet to determine session status, then bandwidth management precision is improved, but processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by establishing session state tracking before individual packet inspection is needed. The system proactively monitors and determines whether a conferencing application is in an active real-time audio/video session or in background operation, and maintains this session state information readily available. When packets arrive, the system can immediately check the pre-determined session state rather than performing complex analysis on each packet. This resolves the contradiction by performing the heavy measurement work in advance (tracking session state) rather than at the moment of packet processing, thereby achieving precise bandwidth management with reduced per-packet processing overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
An information handling system includes a network hardware device and a processor. The network hardware device transmits Internet Protocol (IP) datagram packets. Each of the IP datagram packets includes a respective user datagram protocol (UDP) packet. The processor detects a UDP packet. The UDP packet includes a real-time protocol (RTP) packet. The processor inspects one or more fields of the RTP packet, and determines whether a conferencing application generated the RTP packet. In response to a conferencing application generating the RTP packet, the processor determines whether the RTP packet is a real-time audio/video packet, and determines whether an audio/video session is in-progress. In response to the audio/video session being in-progress, the processor determines a network traffic policy for the RTP packet, and the network hardware device to transmit the UDP packet encapsulating the RTP packet based on the determined network traffic policy.