MGI Sub-flow QoS Control for VoIP Sessions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current DOCSIS systems do not provide Quality of Service (QoS) for individual sub-flows within a Multiple Grants per Interval (MGI) service flow, leading to inadequate QoS support for simultaneous VoIP call sessions, especially in high-density enterprise environments where the number of simultaneous VoIP calls exceeds the limited number of available service flows.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a mechanism that includes a sub-flow grouper, sub-flow traffic pre-shaper, DOCSIS service flow classifier, rate limiter, and MGI mapper to map packets to specific sub-flows based on their characteristics, ensuring each sub-flow receives appropriate QoS attributes such as bit rate, delay, jitter, and priority, and adjusting the egress rate to meet individual application session requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If MGI service flow is used to support multiple simultaneous VoIP sessions, then the number of supported sessions increases, but QoS control for individual sub-flows is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the MGI service flow into multiple sub-flows, each corresponding to a specific VoIP session. The sub-flow grouper divides incoming packets into different sub-flow queues based on packet characteristics (source/destination IP addresses, ports, protocol types), enabling individual QoS management for each sub-flow while maintaining the aggregated MGI service flow structure.
2Reliability
If traditional service flow classification is used, then QoS is provided for the entire service flow, but individual sub-flow QoS requirements cannot be met
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing QoS parameters (bit rate, delay, jitter, priority) at the sub-flow level rather than uniformly across the entire MGI service flow. Each sub-flow can be assigned different QoS attributes based on its specific requirements, allowing customized QoS treatment for different VoIP sessions within the same MGI service flow.
3Quantity of substance
If more service flows are created to support more VoIP sessions, then session capacity increases, but system complexity and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple sub-flows into a single MGI service flow for transmission. The cable modem termination system (CMTS) allocates multiple transmission grants within a grant interval for the MGI service flow, and the cable modem maps sub-flow packets to appropriate grants. This consolidation reduces the number of service flow entries required in both CM and CMTS while maintaining the ability to manage each sub-flow individually through the sub-flow grouper and traffic shaper.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system to provide Quality of Service (QoS) for packet transmission in a grant of a multiple grants per interval (MGI) service flow is provided herein. The method includes the steps of receiving a packet of an application session, determining characteristics associated with the packet and mapping the packet to a MGI sub-flow, wherein the MGI sub-flow is associated with the QoS attributes for the application session. The method further includes the steps of storing the packet in a pre-shaper sub-flow queue that is associated with the MGI sub-flow that the packet is mapped to, and enforcing the QoS for the packet transmission by adjusting the egress of the packet from the queue based on the QoS attributes associated with the MGI sub-flow.