Multilevel Coupled Policer Bandwidth Sharing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In communications networks, existing policer configurations fail to effectively utilize aggregate bandwidth when individual policers operate at full capacity, leading to inadequate policing of traffic across output links.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a multilevel coupled policer system with a first-level plurality of class policers and a second-level aggregate policer, allowing for reclassification of non-conforming packets and sharing bandwidth to ensure conforming traffic is processed appropriately, using token buckets to determine policing actions based on minimum and absolute bandwidth guarantees.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If individual policers are configured to operate at full capacity, then each policer can enforce its bandwidth limit effectively, but aggregate bandwidth utilization becomes inefficient when some policers have unused capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple independent policers into a hierarchical structure where class policers operate at the first level and an aggregate policer operates at the second level. The aggregate policer combines unused bandwidth capacity from multiple class policers, allowing efficient utilization of total aggregate bandwidth while maintaining individual policing accuracy through the two-level architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a second hierarchical level (aggregate policer) above the traditional single-level class policers. This dimensional addition allows the system to simultaneously maintain individual class policing accuracy while optimizing overall bandwidth utilization through cross-class bandwidth sharing at the aggregate level.
2Productivity
If aggregate bandwidth is shared among class policers, then unused bandwidth can be utilized by other classes, but individual class policers cannot independently enforce their bandwidth guarantees
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments bandwidth policing into two distinct levels: class-level policing that guarantees minimum bandwidth to individual classes, and aggregate-level policing that optimizes total bandwidth utilization. This segmentation allows both individual guarantees and collective optimization to coexist without interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The aggregate policer is configured with pre-allocated bandwidth guarantees for each class before traffic arrives. When class policers have unused capacity, the aggregate policer can allocate this excess bandwidth to other classes that need it, while ensuring that minimum guarantees are always met first through the preliminary configuration of bandwidth allocations.
3Device complexity
If a single-level policer configuration is used, then the system is simpler to implement, but it cannot efficiently handle both individual class guarantees and aggregate bandwidth optimization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested hierarchical structure where aggregate policers contain multiple class policers within them. This nesting allows the system to manage complexity through hierarchical organization, where each level handles specific functions (class-level guarantees at the inner level, aggregate optimization at the outer level) rather than requiring a single complex policer to handle all functions.
Data Source
AI summary
A multilevel coupled policer is configured to police packets using at least two policing levels, including a first-level of class policers and a second-level aggregate policer. The multilevel coupled policer is configured to share bandwidth of the aggregate policer among packet traffic corresponding to the class policers based on the packet traffic. The multilevel coupled policer is configured to apply a particular class policer corresponding to a particular packet to identify a tentative policing action. The multilevel coupled policer is configured to apply the second-level aggregate policer to the particular packet based on the identified the tentative policing action and a result of a comparison operation of the number of tokens in one or more token buckets associated with the second-level aggregate policer and the length of the particular packet in order to determine a final policing action for marking and/or applying to the particular packet.