Router Source Quench Handling for Congestion Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network congestion management systems fail to accurately differentiate between destination and intermediate router congestion, leading to inefficient bandwidth utilization and potential data rate reduction when congestion occurs at intermediate routers rather than the destination.
Innovation Solution
A method where a receiving router determines the originator of an ICMP Source Quench message and, if it is an intermediate router with an alternative route available, updates its routing table to reroute packets instead of forwarding the message to the source computer, thereby avoiding unnecessary data rate reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the receiving router forwards the source quench message to the source computer when congestion is detected, then the source computer reduces its data rate, but this causes unnecessary bandwidth utilization reduction when the congestion is at an intermediate router rather than the destination
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving router acts as an intermediary that intercepts and analyzes ICMP source quench messages before they reach the source computer. It determines whether the congestion originator is the destination computer or an intermediate router, and only forwards the message to the source computer when the destination is actually congested. This prevents unnecessary bandwidth reduction while maintaining accurate congestion notification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by having the receiving router analyze the originator of congestion and provide differentiated responses. When the destination computer is the congestion source, feedback is sent to the source computer to reduce data rate. When an intermediate router is congested, the receiving router uses alternative routing instead, avoiding false feedback that would unnecessarily reduce bandwidth utilization.
2Ease of operation
If the receiving router uses the current routing table to forward packets, then routing is simple and deterministic, but it cannot dynamically avoid congestion at intermediate routers
Solution Approach 1:
The routing system transitions from static to dynamic by allowing the receiving router to adjust its routing decisions based on real-time congestion information. When congestion is detected at an intermediate router, the receiving router dynamically switches to an alternative route from the routing table, rather than always following the predetermined path. This maintains routing simplicity while adding adaptability to congestion conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The routing table is pre-populated with alternative routes to destination computers before congestion occurs. When congestion is detected at an intermediate router, the receiving router can immediately switch to a pre-calculated alternative route without complex real-time pathfinding. This preliminary preparation maintains ease of operation while enabling dynamic congestion avoidance.
Data Source
AI summary
In a method of reducing network congestion between a source computer and a destination computer, a receiving router receives a source quench message and determines whether originator of the source quench message is the destination computer or an intermediate router. If the receiving router determines the originator to be the destination computer, the receiving router forwards the source quench message to the source computer. If the receiving router determines the originator to be an intermediate router, the receiving computer determines if there is an alternative route from the receiving router to the destination computer. If the receiving router determines there is no alternative route from the receiving router to the destination computer, the receiving router forwards the source quench message to the source computer. If the receiving router determines there is an alternative route to the destination computer, the receiving router does not forward the source quench message to the source computer, and, going forward, routes packets to the destination computer by the alternative route.