Network Congestion Management via Proxy Queue Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network congestion occurs due to excessive traffic, leading to increased network delays, potential application failures, and system crashes, as existing protocols rely on large time constants for end-to-end congestion control, which is inefficient for managing transient and sustained congestion effectively.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a physical queue monitor and a proxy queue control module to detect congestion, activating link layer flow control for short-term issues and transitioning to transport layer flow control when congestion is sustained, with a proxy queue providing a larger view of network state to differentiate between transient and sustained conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If link layer flow control is activated for congestion management, then short-term congestion can be handled effectively, but it cannot distinguish between transient and sustained congestion leading to inefficient resource allocation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments congestion management into two distinct layers: link layer flow control for short-term/transient congestion and transport layer flow control for sustained congestion. This segmentation allows each layer to specialize in handling specific congestion types, improving overall efficiency and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by using a proxy queue that proactively tracks physical queue depth and predicts congestion conditions before they fully manifest. This allows the system to prepare appropriate flow control responses in advance, differentiating between transient and sustained congestion patterns.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If large buffers are used for flow control, then sustained congestion can be managed, but transient congestion handling becomes inefficient due to large time constants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the buffer system into two segments: a small physical queue for rapid response to transient congestion and a larger proxy queue for tracking sustained congestion patterns. This segmentation enables the system to respond quickly to short-term issues while still maintaining capacity for longer-term congestion management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a proxy queue as a virtual copy of the physical queue, but with different characteristics. The proxy queue maintains queue depth information without actually storing packets, allowing the system to monitor congestion trends without being constrained by the physical buffer size limitations.
3Reliability
If end-to-end congestion control protocols are used, then network-wide congestion can be managed, but they rely on large time constants making them inefficient for transient congestion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments congestion control into local (link layer) and end-to-end (transport layer) components. The link layer provides immediate local response to congestion, while the transport layer maintains end-to-end control for sustained issues, eliminating the need for large time constants in the overall system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a proxy queue as an intermediary between the physical queue and the congestion control protocols. This intermediary provides real-time queue depth information to transport layer protocols without requiring them to wait for traditional acknowledgment cycles, effectively reducing the time constant while maintaining end-to-end control.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system to manage network traffic congestion in networks with link layer flow control is provided. The system comprises a physical queue monitor configured to monitor a state of a physical queue at a network device, a link layer flow control activator configured to activate link layer flow control based on the state of the physical queue, a proxy queue control module, a proxy queue monitor to monitor the state of the proxy queue, and a transport layer flow control activator. The proxy queue control module may be configured to update a state of a proxy queue based on the state of the physical queue. The proxy queue monitor may be configured to monitor the state of the proxy queue. The transport layer flow control activator may be configured to activate transport layer flow control based on the state of the proxy queue.