Packet Congestion Information Fields for Accurate Multi-Hop Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing congestion control methods, such as ECN, L4S, IFIT, INT, HPCC, and BBR, face challenges in accurately determining congestion due to limited information carried in the packet headers, leading to inefficient network utilization and resource waste, especially in long-distance multi-hop scenarios.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a congestion control method that includes a congestion detection indication and a congestion information field in the packet, allowing devices to obtain and update congestion information, enabling accurate congestion control and efficient packet encapsulation without hop-by-hop additions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If ECN technology uses two bits in the IP header to mark congestion status, then the congestion notification function is implemented, but the congestion information is insufficient for accurate congestion control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the congestion information into multiple components: congestion detection indication information (triggering congestion detection) and congestion information field (carrying detailed congestion data such as queue utilization, processing delay, and hop count). This segmentation allows comprehensive congestion information to be transmitted without overwhelming the packet header, resolving the contradiction between information completeness and control accuracy.
2Loss of information
If congestion information is added hop-by-hop in the packet transmission path, then each device can contribute its local congestion data, but the packet size increases with each hop
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges all congestion information from different hops into a single congestion information field within the packet. Instead of adding separate information blocks at each hop, the congestion detection indication information triggers a unified congestion information field that consolidates data from multiple sources (queue utilization, processing delay, hop count), preventing packet size explosion while maintaining information completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The congestion information field serves multiple functions simultaneously: it carries queue utilization data, processing delay information, and accumulated hop count. This multi-functionality allows a single field to replace multiple separate information elements, maintaining comprehensive congestion data while controlling packet size growth.
3Device complexity
If only two bits are used to indicate congestion status, then the packet header remains compact, but accurate congestion control cannot be performed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces congestion detection indication information as an intermediary element that triggers the inclusion of detailed congestion information. This intermediary mechanism allows the system to maintain a compact packet header structure while enabling access to comprehensive congestion data when needed, resolving the contradiction between header simplicity and control precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A congestion control method, apparatus, and system are provided, and pertain to the field of network technologies. The method includes: A first device obtains a first packet. The first packet includes congestion detection indication information and a congestion information field. The congestion detection indication information indicates a device to obtain congestion information corresponding to the device. The congestion information field is used to carry the congestion information. The first device obtains, based on the congestion detection indication information, congestion information corresponding to the first device. The first device updates the congestion information field based on the congestion information corresponding to the first device. In this application, the congestion information field in the first packet can carry a large amount of congestion information, so that an end-side device performs accurate congestion control based on the congestion information carried in the congestion information field.