Token Ring Node Congestion Control via Retransmission Monitoring

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing network traffic control methods in token ring networks fail to address severe congestion effectively, leading to message loss, increased retransmissions, and buffer queue overflows, which degrade network reliability and availability.

Innovation Solution

A method that acquires network congestion information, including the total number of to-be-retransmitted messages, and adjusts the number of messages to be transmitted based on a congestion threshold, reducing the transmission count during severe congestion to prevent overloads and maintain orderly message submission.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traffic control is implemented by limiting the number of messages per node, then buffer queue overflow is prevented, but network congestion is not effectively addressed, leading to message loss and increased retransmissions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessage delivery reliabilityVSAvoidnetwork throughput
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the message transmission limit adaptive rather than fixed. The system dynamically adjusts the transmission limit based on real-time network congestion detection, allowing nodes to transmit more messages when congestion is low and fewer messages when congestion is high, thus resolving the contradiction between preventing buffer overflow and maintaining throughput

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms where nodes monitor network congestion status and use this information to adjust their transmission behavior. The congestion detection feedback loop allows the system to respond to actual network conditions, preventing message loss during congestion while maintaining efficiency during normal operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If retransmission is allowed for lost messages, then message reliability is improved, but network load increases and retransmission list overflows occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessage delivery reliabilityVSAvoidnetwork load
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary anti-action by preventing message loss before it occurs through proactive congestion avoidance. By limiting transmissions during congestion periods, the system prevents buffer overflows that would cause message loss, thereby reducing the need for retransmissions and the associated network load increase

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the harmful effect of congestion into a beneficial control signal. Instead of allowing congestion to cause random message loss and subsequent retransmissions, the system uses congestion detection to intentionally limit transmissions, transforming congestion from a harmful state into a trigger for protective action that reduces overall network load

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Productivity

If the token passing period is extended to allow more transmissions, then message delivery is improved, but buffer queue overflow risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessage delivery efficiencyVSAvoidbuffer queue overflow prevention
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the effective transmission window adaptive. While the token passing period remains extended to allow more transmissions, the system dynamically limits the actual number of messages that can be transmitted based on congestion conditions, thus extending productivity while preventing buffer overflow

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2712227B1Network traffic control method, node and system based on token-ring
Publication Date: 2017.10.11 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP2712227B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2712227B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2712227B1 patent drawing

AI summary

A method for controlling network traffic based on a token ring includes: acquiring, by a node that obtains a token, network congestion situation information carried in the token, where the network congestion situation information includes the total number of to-be-retransmitted messages requested by nodes in a current token passing period; comparing, by the node that obtains the token, the total number of to-be-retransmitted messages requested by the nodes in the current token passing period with a congestion threshold; determining, by the node that obtains the token and according to a comparison result, the number of messages that can be transmitted; and transmitting, by the node that obtains the token, messages according to the number of messages that can be transmitted. Embodiments of the present invention further provide a token ring node and a system for controlling network traffic based a token ring. Because the total number of to-be-retransmitted messages requested by nodes in a current token passing period is added into a token to reflect a network congestion situation, a node is capable of reducing the number of messages to be transmitted when a network is severely congested, thereby reducing network load and improving cluster availability.