Traffic Category Indicator for Packet Queue Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packet routing technologies face challenges in distinguishing and managing Traffic Engineered (TE) and non-TE packets, leading to potential oversubscription and indiscriminate packet dropping, which affects network performance and resource utilization.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a Traffic Category Indicator (TCI) encoded into packets allows network devices to differentiate between TE and non-TE packets, configuring separate queues and bandwidth reservations for each category, ensuring proper resource allocation and packet handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate queues and bandwidth reservations are implemented for TE and non-TE packets, then network reliability and resource allocation are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments packet handling into two distinct paths: TE packets are routed through reserved bandwidth with guaranteed quality of service, while non-TE packets use best-effort transmission. This segmentation is achieved through separate queue structures and differentiated routing logic, ensuring that critical TE traffic is isolated from best-effort traffic to prevent oversubscription and improve network reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing different service levels to different packet types. TE packets receive prioritized handling with guaranteed bandwidth reservations and protected queueing, while non-TE packets receive standard best-effort service. This localized differentiation of service quality allows the network to maintain high reliability for critical traffic without requiring all traffic to undergo complex processing.
2Adaptability or versatility
If traffic category indicator is encoded into packet headers, then packet differentiation capability is improved, but processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-encoding the Traffic Category Indicator (TCI) into packet headers at the source or ingress point. This allows downstream network devices to differentiate between TE and non-TE packets without performing complex classification algorithms. The TCI encoding enables immediate packet identification and routing decisions, reducing processing overhead at intermediate nodes while maintaining versatile packet differentiation capability throughout the network.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments providing for an indicator (termed the “Traffic Category Indicator,” TCI) to be encoded into packets, different values of which can be used, e.g., to distinguish Traffic Engineered (TE) packets and non-TE packets. In an example embodiment, the TCI can be used, e.g., to configure a network node to implement different packet queues, on each link, for TE packets and non-TE packets. In embodiments corresponding to the DiffSery TE paradigm, a node can be configured to implement different queues within each Forwarding Class for each link, said different queues distinguished by different respective TCI values. Example benefits of TCI include, but are not limited to fate separation of TE and non-TE packets in a node. The TCI concept can beneficially be applied to different packet-switching technologies supporting Source Routing, such as the IP, MPLS, Ethernet, etc.