Stream Manager for Network Resource Allocation

The patent introduces a stream manager as an intermediary component that sits between applications and the network stack. This stream manager provides a uniform interface for network stream classification and management, abstracting away the underlying variability of QoS facilities. The stream manager classifies network streams from different applications and applies appropriate management policies, ensuring consistent behavior across different network conditions and application types without requiring direct access to or uniform implementation of QoS facilities throughout the system.

The patent segments the network management function into distinct layers: the stream manager handles automated classification and high-level policy enforcement, while applications retain control through explicit stream classification APIs. This segmentation allows automated management at the system level while preserving application-level controllability. Applications can declare their network stream characteristics and priorities through the provided interface, and the stream manager automatically enforces these preferences without requiring applications to implement complex network management logic directly.

The patent merges the network management functions of multiple applications into a centralized stream manager. Instead of each application implementing its own network-sharing logic, the stream manager consolidates these functions and provides a uniform interface for all applications. This eliminates the complexity of duplicate network programming across applications and prevents conflicts by providing a single point of coordination. Applications simply declare their network preferences through the standardized interface, and the stream manager handles the complex interactions and resource allocation among competing applications.

The stream manager provides a universal network stream management mechanism that handles both TCP and UDP protocols, as well as both send and receive streams. Unlike LEDBAT which only affects TCP send windows, the stream manager can classify and manage any network stream based on its characteristics and application preferences. It applies appropriate rate limiting and priority management to both outgoing and incoming traffic, making the solution protocol-agnostic and effectively addressing the limitations of protocol-specific approaches like LEDBAT.