Network Gateway Bandwidth Management via Usage Policy Enforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Public Internet access providers face challenges in managing bandwidth effectively due to an increasing number of devices accessing the network, with some users abusing bandwidth by using bandwidth-intensive applications, leading to a negative impact on other users' experiences.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a gateway that monitors various characteristics of network usage, such as temporal and application-specific metrics, to enforce a network usage policy, which reduces bandwidth for abusive users over time, encouraging them to change their behavior or disconnect.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If more devices are allowed to access the network simultaneously, then network accessibility is improved, but bandwidth availability per user deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating user access rights based on usage behavior. Users are segmented into categories (e.g., acceptable users vs. abusive users) and assigned different bandwidth quotas and access characteristics. This allows the system to maintain high accessibility for legitimate users while restricting bandwidth for abusive users, resolving the contradiction between allowing more devices and maintaining adequate bandwidth per user.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts bandwidth allocation based on real-time monitoring of usage patterns. The gateway continuously evaluates user behavior and modifies bandwidth quotas accordingly, enabling the network to adapt to varying demand conditions. This dynamic approach allows the system to maximize accessibility when demand is low while protecting bandwidth when abusive behavior is detected.
2Adaptability or versatility
If bandwidth-intensive applications are permitted, then user functionality is improved, but network load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of bandwidth allocation dynamically based on application type and usage patterns. The system monitors application characteristics and adjusts bandwidth quotas accordingly, allowing bandwidth-intensive applications for acceptable users while restricting or blocking such applications for users exhibiting abusive behavior. This parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction by maintaining functionality for legitimate uses while managing network load from abusive traffic.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway implements continuous feedback loops that monitor network traffic patterns and user behavior. Based on this feedback, the system identifies abusive usage patterns and responds by reducing or blocking bandwidth for those users. This feedback mechanism enables the system to distinguish between legitimate bandwidth-intensive applications and abusive behavior, maintaining functionality while controlling network load.
3Reliability
If monitoring and enforcement actions are taken against abusive users, then network fairness is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically monitoring, detecting, and responding to abusive behavior without requiring manual intervention. The gateway autonomously evaluates usage patterns, identifies abusive users, and applies appropriate sanctions based on pre-configured policies. This automation maintains network fairness while minimizing the operational complexity that would arise from manual management of user behavior.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring enforcement policies and thresholds before abusive behavior occurs. The gateway is pre-programmed with criteria for identifying abusive usage patterns and corresponding sanctions. This preliminary setup enables the system to respond automatically and consistently to abusive behavior, maintaining fairness while reducing the complexity of real-time decision-making.
Data Source
AI summary
The subject matter of this document can be implemented in, among other things, a method that includes receiving network traffic associated with a computing device, the network traffic including packet flows communicated between the computing device and a network. The method also includes monitoring the network traffic over time, and identifying a plurality of network usage characteristics associated with the network traffic. The network usage characteristics include a usage time that corresponds to an amount of time the computing device has been consuming network resources and a network application identifier that corresponds to a network application being used by the computing device. The method also includes determining whether the network traffic violates a network usage policy based on two or more of the network usage characteristics, and decreasing, over a period of time, throughput of the network traffic that is determined to be violative of the network usage policy.