Shared Buffer Allocation Using Queue Bandwidth Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication networks face challenges in efficiently managing shared buffer resources among competing queues, leading to potential overflow and inefficiencies due to unequal allocation based on queue occupancy and Quality of Service (QoS) alone.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a memory management circuit that estimates queue bandwidth and uses it as a criterion for allocating and deallocating segments of shared buffer resources, combined with other criteria like queue occupancy and QoS, to prioritize high-bandwidth queues and prevent overflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If shared buffer resources are allocated based on queue occupancy and QoS alone, then resource allocation is simplified, but high-bandwidth queues may experience overflow and data loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic buffer allocation where the buffer size for each queue is adjusted in real-time based on measured bandwidth characteristics. The system continuously monitors queue bandwidth and modifies buffer allocations accordingly, transforming the static buffer allocation into a dynamic adaptive system that responds to changing traffic conditions, thereby preventing overflow in high-bandwidth queues without requiring complex manual configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback mechanisms by measuring the actual bandwidth of each queue and using this information to adjust buffer allocations. The bandwidth measurement results feed back into the buffer management logic, creating a closed-loop control system that automatically optimizes buffer distribution to match actual traffic patterns, improving reliability while maintaining automated simplicity
2Productivity
If buffer space is dynamically allocated based on bandwidth measures, then high-bandwidth queues receive adequate resources, but measurement and estimation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service bandwidth measurement where each queue effectively measures its own bandwidth characteristics through the memory management circuit. The measurement process is integrated into the normal packet processing flow, with the system automatically tracking data volumes and calculating bandwidth without requiring external measurement tools or complex separate measurement infrastructure, thereby improving productivity while keeping measurement complexity manageable
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex manual bandwidth measurement and buffer allocation processes with automated electronic measurement and control circuitry. The memory management circuit automatically performs bandwidth estimation and uses this data to control buffer allocation, substituting what would otherwise require complex manual intervention with streamlined electronic automation, thus improving efficiency while managing measurement complexity through integration
3Reliability
If fixed buffer allocation is used for each queue, then management is simpler, but low-bandwidth queues may waste buffer space while high-bandwidth queues may overflow
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the allocation parameter from fixed buffer sizes to dynamic buffer sizes based on bandwidth measurements. By continuously adjusting the buffer allocation parameter according to actual queue bandwidth characteristics, the system ensures that high-bandwidth queues receive sufficient space to prevent overflow while low-bandwidth queues are allocated only the space they actually need, thereby preventing data loss without requiring excessive total buffer space
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by tailoring the buffer allocation to the specific characteristics of each individual queue. Instead of applying a uniform fixed allocation policy across all queues, the system measures and adjusts buffer size locally for each queue based on its specific bandwidth needs, ensuring that each queue receives appropriate resources matched to its actual traffic patterns, thus preventing both overflow and waste
Data Source
AI summary
A network device includes a memory and a memory management circuit. The memory is to store a shared buffer. The memory management circuit is to estimate respective bandwidth measures for one or more queues used in processing packets in the network device, and to allocate and deallocate segments of the shared buffer to at least one of the queues based on the bandwidth measures.