Dynamic Network Connection Priority Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current network protection techniques only support full protection with almost no downtime, failing to guarantee protection levels below full protection and do not allow reduction in protection bandwidth while ensuring meaningful protection assurance for all connections based on their Service Level Agreements (SLA).
Innovation Solution
Dynamic prioritization of network connections based on their actual, allowed, and expected downtime, allowing preemptive rerouting to ensure SLA compliance by adjusting priorities in response to link failures, using methods such as calculating priorities using formulas like Priority(i,T) and Slack(i,T) to determine which connections to preempt and reroute.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fixed priority levels are used for network connections, then higher priority connections can preempt lower priority connections to maintain connectivity, but the downtime of lower priority connections cannot be controlled according to their SLA requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by transitioning from fixed priority levels to dynamic priority assignment. Priorities are recalculated based on actual downtime accumulated by each connection and their SLA requirements. Connections that have experienced more downtime or have stricter SLA constraints receive higher priorities, enabling the system to adapt to changing operational conditions while ensuring SLA compliance for all connections regardless of their initial priority level.
2Reliability
If full protection with almost no downtime is provided to all connections, then connection reliability is maximized, but the protection bandwidth required increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing differentiated protection levels to different connections based on their individual SLA requirements and actual downtime history. Instead of uniform full protection for all connections, the system calculates individual priorities that reflect each connection's specific needs. Connections with stricter SLAs or higher actual downtime accumulate higher priorities, receiving more protection resources, while connections with more tolerant SLAs receive less protection bandwidth, optimizing the overall protection capacity utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of priority from fixed to variable values based on actual downtime and SLA compliance. By dynamically adjusting priority levels according to real-time performance data and contractual requirements, the system can allocate protection bandwidth more efficiently. The priority calculation incorporates SLA parameters and actual downtime measurements, transforming the static protection allocation into a dynamic parameter that responds to actual network conditions and contractual obligations.
3Loss of time
If priority-based preemption is used to protect higher priority connections, then their downtime is minimized, but lower priority connections may violate their SLA downtime limits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the actual downtime experienced by each connection is continuously monitored and fed back into the priority calculation system. This feedback loop ensures that priority assignments are based on real performance data rather than static assumptions. Connections that are approaching or exceeding their SLA downtime limits receive automatic priority adjustments, creating a self-regulating system that prevents SLA violations while minimizing downtime for all connections through continuous monitoring and adaptive priority assignment.
Data Source
AI summary
Even though network connections have priorities for reconnection and preemption of other connections upon a failure, these priorities are fixed based on the Service Level Agreement (SLA) between the Service Provider and the customer, and do not depend on the actual outage time, or downtime, during the operation of the network. Only a fixed pecking order for reconnection is guaranteed. Therefore they cannot ensure the outage a connection which experiences downtimes limited to the SLA. With the present invention, the priorities of the network connections are determined responsive to the failures of the network connections. The priorities of the network connections can also be determined responsive to the permitted downtime of the connections to better meet the SLA of the connection. Another factor in varying a network connection priority can be the expected downtime of a connection.