Dual Rate Three Color Marker Algorithm for Traffic Metering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rate color marker algorithms fail to provide preferential treatment to higher priority traffic while allowing lower priority traffic to utilize unused bandwidth efficiently, especially when data is divided into multiple streams with different priorities.
Innovation Solution
A dual rate three color marker algorithm that uses an array of token buckets with committed and excess buckets for each priority, ensuring higher priority traffic is marked green within committed rates and allowing lower priority traffic to use excess bandwidth, with options for coupled or decoupled operation and separate rate sources for each bucket.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single rate color marker is used to meter traffic, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to provide preferential treatment to higher priority traffic while allowing lower priority traffic to utilize unused bandwidth is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single marker into multiple priority-based markers, where each priority level has its own token buckets (committed and excess). This segmentation allows independent control of different priority traffic streams, enabling preferential treatment for high-priority traffic while allowing low-priority traffic to utilize unused bandwidth, thus resolving the contradiction between device complexity and adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate markers are used for each priority level, then the ability to provide preferential treatment to higher priority traffic is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple priority-based markers into a single integrated marker device that contains token buckets for multiple priority levels. Each priority level has its own committed and excess buckets, but they are managed within a unified structure. This merging approach provides preferential treatment to high-priority traffic while avoiding the complexity of completely separate marker devices, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability and device complexity.
3Productivity
If lower priority traffic is always marked as excess, then network utilization is optimized, but the service level assurance for lower priority traffic deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different marking qualities to different priority levels and traffic conditions. Low-priority traffic is marked green when committed buckets have available tokens (ensuring service level assurance), and marked as excess only when committed buckets are full (optimizing network utilization). This local differentiation of marking quality based on bucket availability resolves the contradiction between network utilization and service level assurance.
Data Source
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AI summary
A metering device has a first token bucket with a profile, a rate, and a maximum number of tokens. The device has another token bucket with its own profile, two associated rates, and a maximum number of tokens. In operation, the device adds tokens in the first token bucket at its rate if the bucket has less than the maximum number of tokens for that bucket, and adds a number of tokens in the other token bucket at the same rate if the first token bucket is full and the other token bucket is not. Additionally, the device adds tokens in the second token bucket according to the second rate associated with the token bucket if it is not full. When receiving a packet, if the packet has a first marking, and the first token bucket has a sufficient number of tokens, the packet's marking is maintained and the number of tokens in the first bucket is decremented, else, if the packet has one of two markings, and the second token bucket has a sufficient number of tokens, the packet's second marking is selected and the second token bucket is decremented, else, if the packet has a marking other than one of the two markings, the packet's marking is maintained as other than one of the two markings.