Hierarchical Bandwidth Management for Data Center Applications
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network performance isolation mechanisms in virtualized computing environments, such as rate-limiting techniques, are unable to increase bandwidth share effectively, leading to wasted network resources and inadequate performance guarantees for data center applications.
Innovation Solution
A hierarchical bandwidth management system that allocates and manages bandwidth across traffic classes using a hierarchical bandwidth tree, allowing for dynamic adjustment of bandwidth shares based on application priorities and real-time network utilization, ensuring efficient utilization of network resources and performance guarantees.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If rate-limiting techniques are used to restrict bandwidth of given flows, then overall bandwidth usage is limited, but network resources are wasted and bandwidth share cannot be increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic bandwidth allocation through a hierarchical bandwidth manager that continuously monitors network conditions and adjusts bandwidth shares in real-time. The system transitions from static rate-limiting to dynamic bandwidth management, where bandwidth allocations are adjusted based on current network utilization, application priorities, and flow requirements, enabling both efficient resource utilization and increased bandwidth share when available
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback mechanisms where the hierarchical bandwidth manager monitors network conditions, application performance, and bandwidth utilization continuously. This feedback loop enables the system to detect when network resources are underutilized and automatically increase bandwidth shares for eligible flows, resolving the contradiction between limiting usage and increasing share
2Reliability
If fixed amounts of resources are allocated to virtual machines, then predictable and guaranteed performance is provided, but network resources cannot be optimally utilized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments bandwidth management into hierarchical levels: data center-wide allocation, tenant-level allocation, and flow-level allocation. This segmentation allows guaranteed minimum bandwidth at each level while enabling dynamic redistribution of excess bandwidth upward through the hierarchy, simultaneously maintaining performance guarantees and optimizing overall resource utilization
Solution Approach 2:
The hierarchical bandwidth manager serves multiple functions: it guarantees minimum bandwidth to virtual machines, optimizes overall network utilization, enables dynamic reallocation, and provides performance isolation. This multi-functional system resolves the contradiction by combining the reliability of fixed allocation with the efficiency of dynamic management
3Loss of energy
If bandwidth is restricted to limit overall usage, then network resources are protected, but bandwidth share of individual flows cannot be increased
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic bandwidth share adjustment where the hierarchical bandwidth manager can increase or decrease bandwidth allocations based on real-time network conditions. When overall network utilization is below capacity, the system automatically increases bandwidth shares for eligible flows, providing both resource efficiency and adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the bandwidth allocation parameter from fixed to variable, allowing the system to adjust bandwidth shares dynamically. The hierarchical bandwidth manager modifies allocation parameters based on network conditions, application priorities, and available capacity, enabling both resource protection and flexible share adjustment
Data Source
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AI summary
In various example embodiments, a system and method are presented for a bandwidth (BW) management system. The BW management system accepts, on behalf of a receiving host, data packets for a first individual flow at a flow rate sent by a sending host. The bandwidth management system manages bandwidth by traffic classes representing collections of flows associated with nodes in a hierarchical bandwidth (HBT). The first individual flow is included within the collection of individual flows associated with one or more of the traffic classes. The BW management system controls the rate at which the sending host is transmitting the data packets for the first individual flow using a sliding window protocol by managing the bandwidth utilization of the nodes to conform to bandwidth limits assigned to the nodes. The BW management system receives the data packets for the first individual flow at an adjusted flow rate based on the sliding window protocol.