Per-destination Queue Management for Packet Data Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network operations systems for fixed infrastructure networks are inadequate for mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs), as they fail to respond effectively to dynamically changing conditions and inefficiently utilize network resources.
Innovation Solution
Implementing per-destination queues and urgency weights for medium access control, which allow for joint congestion control, scheduling, and contention resolution on a hop-by-hop basis, ensuring that queue lengths at nodes do not become arbitrarily large, and utilizing these mechanisms to transmit and receive queue lengths and urgency weights via medium access control messages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If existing network operations systems for fixed infrastructure networks are used, then network management is simplified, but the system cannot respond effectively to dynamically changing conditions in MANETs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic queue management where nodes continuously adjust their per-destination queue lengths based on real-time network conditions. The system dynamically creates, modifies, and deletes queues as network topology changes, allowing the control system to adapt to MANET dynamics while managing complexity through automated adjustments rather than static configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where nodes transmit their per-destination queue length information to neighboring nodes. This feedback loop allows the network to monitor congestion levels and adjust transmission behavior accordingly, enabling effective response to changing conditions while distributing the complexity management across multiple nodes rather than centralizing it.
2Productivity
If per-destination queues are implemented for each destination, then packet transmission efficiency is improved, but the number of queues per node increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments packet queues by destination address, creating separate per-destination queues at each node. This segmentation allows independent management of packets to different destinations, improving transmission efficiency by preventing packets for different destinations from blocking each other. The complexity is managed by organizing queues in a structured manner and using destination-based indexing rather than creating separate physical queue structures for each destination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating queues only for destinations that are actually present in the network topology. Each node maintains per-destination queues locally for destinations reachable through that node, rather than maintaining queues for all possible destinations. This selective approach improves efficiency for active communication paths while limiting the number of queues to only those locally relevant, thus managing complexity.
3Reliability
If queue lengths are transmitted to other nodes, then congestion control is improved, but network overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the queue length information transmission with existing MAC layer protocols. The per-destination queue length information is transmitted using MAC control messages that are already part of the standard MAC layer communication, rather than requiring separate dedicated congestion control messages. This merging approach improves congestion control reliability while minimizing additional network overhead by reusing existing communication infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the MAC layer messages universal by enabling them to serve multiple functions: standard MAC operations plus congestion control information exchange. The same MAC control messages that handle basic packet transmission also carry queue length information for congestion management, allowing one message type to perform multiple functions and reducing the need for separate overhead messages.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique for controlling a packet data network to maintain network stability and efficiently utilize network resources through mechanisms involving per-destination queues and urgency weights for medium access control. The technique jointly controls congestion, scheduling, and contention resolution on hop-by-hop basis, such that the length of queues of packets at a node does not become arbitrarily large. In one embodiment, queue lengths and urgency weights may be transmitted and received via medium access control messages.