QoS Engine for ATM Traffic Shaping and Cell Pacing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ATM networking systems face challenges in efficiently shaping ATM traffic and ensuring quality of service guarantees, particularly in handling diverse traffic parameters and priorities across multiple sources and destinations.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing a Quality of Service (QoS) engine that accelerates ATM traffic processing by sorting data entries based on timestamp, index, port, and priority, allowing for concurrent support of various port speeds and traffic classes, integrated with a dual-processor hardware configuration and a generic rate control algorithm to manage cell transmission effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional ATM networking systems are used for traffic shaping and quality of service management, then basic cell transmission is supported, but efficient handling of diverse traffic parameters and priorities across multiple sources and destinations is challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments traffic into different classes (e.g., real-time, non-real-time, high priority, low priority) and processes each class separately through dedicated queues and scheduling mechanisms. This allows efficient handling of diverse traffic parameters by treating similar traffic types uniformly while maintaining overall system manageability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic scheduling algorithms that adaptively adjust traffic shaping parameters, queue priorities, and resource allocation based on current network conditions, traffic patterns, and QoS requirements. This dynamic approach enables the system to efficiently handle varying traffic demands without requiring complex static configurations
2Reliability
If multiple virtual circuits with different traffic parameters are supported concurrently, then quality of service guarantees are enhanced, but the complexity of managing diverse traffic classes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different quality of service policies, scheduling algorithms, and resource allocation strategies tailored to specific traffic classes and virtual circuits. Each VC can have customized parameters (priority, bandwidth, delay constraints) while the overall system uses standardized management mechanisms, balancing reliability with manageability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements connection-oriented setup procedures where QoS parameters, bandwidth allocations, and scheduling priorities are pre-negotiated and configured during virtual circuit establishment. This preliminary configuration simplifies ongoing traffic management by establishing clear rules beforehand, reducing the complexity of real-time decision-making
3Manufacturing precision
If accurate pacing of ATM virtual circuits is achieved across multiple physical ports, then cell transmission control is precise, but the processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service mechanisms where each virtual circuit maintains its own pacing state, queue, and scheduling information independently. The traffic shaper autonomously makes pacing decisions based on pre-configured parameters and current queue states without requiring centralized control for each cell, achieving precise control with minimal processing overhead
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for scheduling the transmission of cells onto an network, or other packet switching network, is disclosed. The central feature of the scheduling mechanism is a quality of service engine (QoS Engine) which accelerates the processing of packets in a packet switching networks, such as an ATM network, by assisting the accurate pacing of many ATM virtual circuits. The QoS Engine allows the concurrent support of a wide variety of port speeds, traffic classes using different priorities and traffic parameters. quality of service engine (QoS Engine) works in conjunction with a network processor (NP) to allow it to maintain software flexibility, and for it to achieve accurate pacing.