Nested Leaky Bucket Data Traffic Policer for Fairness
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data traffic policers using serial or hierarchical configurations often lose information, leading to unfairness in network resource utilization due to differences in emission and discard priorities.
Innovation Solution
A data traffic policer with a nested leaky bucket structure, where a second traffic class's transmission rate is disabled when the first bucket is filled, ensuring that the committed traffic class's rate is prioritized and maintaining fairness by separating packet streams based on class and burst capacities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If serial or hierarchical policer configuration is used, then traffic management is simplified, but information is lost between policers affecting fairness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested bucket structure where a first bucket (for committed traffic) and a second bucket (for excess traffic) are combined into a single policer instance. The second bucket is nested within the first, allowing both traffic classes to be policed simultaneously without information loss. This nested configuration maintains complete traffic information while providing simplified single-instance policing.
2Loss of information
If nested bucket structure is implemented, then information loss is prevented and fairness is maintained, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple policing functions into a single policer instance by combining the first bucket (committed traffic) and second bucket (excess traffic) into one unified structure. This merging approach prevents information loss that would occur in serial configurations while avoiding the need for multiple separate policer instances, thus balancing complexity and information retention.
3Reliability
If rate of second bucket is disabled when first bucket is filled, then committed traffic priority is ensured, but excess traffic transmission is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic rate adjustment for the second bucket based on the fill status of the first bucket. When the first bucket is not full, the second bucket operates at its full rate to maximize excess traffic transmission. When the first bucket becomes full, the second bucket's rate is disabled or reduced, ensuring committed traffic gets priority. This dynamic behavior automatically balances reliability and productivity based on real-time buffer conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A data traffic policer includes a classifier for separating a packet stream in accordance with class, a first bucket for a first traffic class representing a first transmission rate and a first burst capacity and a plurality of second buckets for a plurality of second traffic classes representing a corresponding second transmission rates and a second burst capacities, the plurality of second buckets being nested within the first bucket thereby being subordinate to the rate and capacity of the first bucket, with the rate of the second bucket being disabled when a fill condition exists in the first bucket. The second bucket for a second traffic class may include a plurality of buckets for a corresponding plurality of traffic classes, with each bucket of the plurality of buckets having a corresponding capacity and rate. The rate defined as a corresponding weight.