Diameter Relay Agent Rate Limiting Policer
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Solution Overview
Problem
In Diameter networks, upstream peers can become overwhelmed with service requests from multiple DRA entities that are unaware of the processing capacity of other entities, leading to potential overloading.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a rate limiting policer at the Diameter relay agent to manage and regulate service requests by requesting and allocating tokens based on the available capacity of upstream peers, ensuring that combined egress traffic does not exceed the rate limits of the peers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple DRA entities independently route service requests to upstream Diameter peers without coordination, then each DRA entity can operate autonomously and simply, but the upstream Diameter peers become overwhelmed and overloaded
Solution Approach 1:
A rate limiting policer is introduced as an intermediary component that sits between multiple DRA entities and upstream Diameter peers. The policer receives service requests from DRA entities, enforces rate limits based on upstream peer capacity, and forwards requests within allowed rates. This mediator prevents overload while allowing DRA entities to operate autonomously without direct knowledge of upstream capacity constraints.
2Device complexity
If DRA entities are unaware of upstream Diameter peer processing capacity, then the DRA architecture remains simple and decentralized, but service requests exceed the rate capacities of upstream peers
Solution Approach 1:
The rate limiting and capacity management functionality is extracted from the DRA entities and placed in a separate rate limiting policer. This extraction allows DRA entities to remain simple and unaware of upstream capacity constraints, while the policer independently handles rate limiting decisions. The separation maintains architectural simplicity at the DRA level while ensuring productive use of upstream peer capacity.
3Speed
If DRA entities send service requests without awareness of other entities' requests, then each entity can process requests independently and quickly, but combined egress traffic exceeds upstream peer rate limits
Solution Approach 1:
The rate limiting policer performs preliminary rate limiting checks on service requests before they are forwarded to upstream Diameter peers. By enforcing rate limits in advance, the system prevents overloading from occurring, while individual DRA entities can continue to process and forward requests at high speed without waiting for coordination or feedback from upstream peers.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and computer readable media for Diameter-peer-wide egress rate limiting include a process performed at a Diameter relay agent (DRA) and at a rate limiting policer. The process includes receiving service requests from Diameter-based consumers and forwarding the service requests to DRA worker instances. The process further includes, at the DRA worker instances, requesting, from the rate limiting policer, which is separate from the DRA worker instances, Diameter peer capacity for handling the service requests. The process includes, at the rate limiting policer, performing Diameter-peer-wide egress rate limiting between the DRA worker instances and Diameter peer instances by granting or denying requests for Diameter peer capacity from the DRA worker instances such that combined egress traffic from the DRA worker instances does not exceed rate capacities of the Diameter peers.