Dynamic Link Quality Index for Low Latency Network Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current communications networks face challenges in maintaining consistent latency and packet loss across varying traffic loads, leading to suboptimal path selection and reduced network throughput, especially for time-sensitive applications, due to conventional routing strategies that rely on static performance measurements rather than real-time network conditions.
Innovation Solution
A method and control system that dynamically measure and calculate an index indicative of link quality for each path in a communications network, selecting paths based on real-time packet loss and latency measurements to ensure low packet loss and low delay paths for high-value, time-sensitive traffic, using 1-hop label switched paths and p-percentile calculations to optimize routing decisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional routing strategies use static pre-calculated performance measurements, then path selection is simple and fast, but the paths selected are suboptimal under dynamic traffic loads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by transitioning from static pre-calculated performance measurements to dynamic real-time measurements of network performance parameters. The system continuously monitors latency, packet loss, and buffer status, and updates path selection based on current network conditions, enabling adaptive routing that responds to changing traffic loads and network states.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms by collecting real-time performance measurements from network nodes and using this information to adjust routing decisions. The system gathers data on actual network performance, compares it against thresholds, and modifies path selection accordingly, creating a closed-loop control system that continuously optimizes routing based on observed network behavior.
2Productivity
If routers use excessively large buffers to handle traffic load, then network throughput is maintained, but latency and packet delay variation increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of using large physical buffers to handle traffic variability with an intelligent control system that uses real-time measurements and dynamic path selection. Instead of relying on buffer capacity to absorb traffic fluctuations, the system actively monitors network conditions and reroutes traffic to maintain performance, substituting physical buffering with computational intelligence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of buffer size from a static, excessively large value to a dynamically adjusted value based on real-time network conditions. The system monitors buffer status and adjusts routing decisions to prevent buffer overflow and excessive latency, transforming buffer management from a fixed mechanical parameter to a dynamic controlled parameter.
3Ease of operation
If path selection is based on administrative cost or number of hops, then routing is simple to implement, but time-sensitive applications experience unacceptable latency and packet loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing multiple possible paths through the network and pre-configuring measurement capabilities at network nodes. Before actual traffic needs to be routed, the system has already prepared alternative routes and measurement mechanisms in place, enabling rapid response to changing conditions without requiring complex real-time calculations when traffic arrives.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary control system that sits between the simple hop-based routing and the complex quality-of-service requirements. This intermediary layer collects real-time performance measurements and uses them to select appropriate paths, acting as a mediator that translates simple routing information into quality-aware path selection without requiring direct complex QoS mechanisms at each router.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method (10) of routing communications traffic packets across a communications network comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of links interconnecting respective pairs of the nodes, the method comprising steps: a) for links of the network, obtaining a respective plurality of measurements of a parameter indicative of a quality of forwarding communications traffic packets across the link (12); b) for each said link, calculating from the respective plurality of measurements of the parameter an index indicative of a percentage of the respective plurality of measurements of the parameter for which the parameter satisfies a preselected threshold value of the parameter (14); and c) selecting a path for communications traffic packets across the communications network by selecting links for the path based on the respective index of each said link (16).