Virtual Environment Access Rate Control via Request Queuing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Large numbers of users accessing a virtual environment simultaneously can cause server overload, leading to crashes and performance issues like lag and stutter, especially during events when demand suddenly increases and additional server capacity is not promptly brought online.
Innovation Solution
A method that receives user requests for access, allocates them to a queue, and controls the access rate to prevent server overload by limiting the number of users accessing resources to a maximum permissible rate, which can be adjusted based on server capacity and demand, using virtual or human agents to manage access and potentially bring in additional servers when needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users are allowed to access the resource freely without rate limiting, then user satisfaction and access speed are improved, but server overload occurs causing crashes and performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by creating a queue structure and rate limiting mechanism before the flood of access requests occurs. The queue is pre-configured with maximum size and rate parameters, allowing the system to handle sudden demand surges without server overload by processing requests at a controlled rate from the outset
Solution Approach 2:
A queue mechanism is introduced as an intermediary between users and the server resource. This queue acts as a buffer that decouples direct user access from server processing, allowing users to submit requests immediately while the server processes them at a controlled rate, thus protecting server stability while maintaining user access capability
2Reliability
If a queue mechanism is implemented to control access rates, then server overload is prevented, but users experience waiting time and access delay
Solution Approach 1:
The rate limiting mechanism is made dynamic by allowing the maximum access rate to be adjusted based on current server capacity and demand conditions. The system can adaptively increase or decrease the processing rate from the queue, optimizing the balance between server protection and user waiting time reduction without fixed rigid constraints
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements partial action by processing only a portion of the queued requests at any given moment, specifically the maximum permissible rate. This controlled partial processing prevents server overload while accepting that not all requests can be handled simultaneously, managing user expectations and reducing overall waiting time through steady progress
3Productivity
If additional servers are brought online quickly to handle sudden demand, then user access capacity is improved, but system complexity and deployment time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The queue mechanism is pre-configured with maximum size and rate parameters before demand surges occur. This preliminary setup allows the system to handle sudden user floods without requiring immediate server provisioning, as the queue buffer can absorb and gradually process requests at a controlled rate
Solution Approach 2:
The rate limiting and queue management system operates autonomously to regulate access flows without requiring manual server intervention. The system self-regulates the processing rate based on configured parameters, eliminating the need for complex manual server scaling operations and reducing deployment complexity during demand fluctuations
Data Source
AI summary
Access to a resource in a virtual environment is controllably granted by:a) receiving, from a user of the environment, a request for access to the resource;b) allocating the request to a queue of requests for the resource;c) determining a maximum permissible rate of access of users to the resource;d) providing a mechanism which is operable to grant users of the virtual environment with access to the resource at a rate no greater than the maximum permissible rate;e) allocating requests from the queue to the mechanism at a controlled allocation rate no greater than the maximum permissible rate;f) upon allocation of the request from the user to the mechanism, the mechanism granting the user with access to the resource within the virtual environment.