A flexible, policy-based, mechanism for managing, monitoring, and prioritizing traffic within a network and allocating bandwidth to achieve true quality of service (QoS) is provided. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for managing bandwidth allocation in a network that employs a non-deterministic access protocol, such as an Ethernet network. A packet forwarding device receives information indicative of a set of traffic groups, such as: a MAC address, or IEEE 802.1p priority indicator or 802.1Q frame tag, if the QoS policy is based upon individual station applications; or a physical port if the QoS policy is based purely upon topology. The packet forwarding device additionally receives bandwidth parameters corresponding to the traffic groups. After receiving a packet associated with one of the traffic groups on a first port, the packet forwarding device schedules the packet for transmission from a second port based upon bandwidth parameters corresponding to the traffic group with which the packet is associated. According to another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for managing bandwidth allocation in a packet forwarding device. The packet forwarding device receives information indicative of a set of traffic groups. The packet forwarding device additionally receives information defining a QoS policy for the traffic groups. After a packet is received by the packet forwarding device, a traffic group with which the packet is associated is identified. Subsequently, rather than relying on an end-to-end signaling protocol for scheduling, the packet is scheduled for transmission based upon the QoS policy for the identified traffic group.
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/018,103, filed on Feb. 3, 1998, now issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,104,700.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/057,371, filed Aug. 29, 1997.
A network system, enabling the quality of the data to be ensured and efficient use can be made of the network, including at least one network relay apparatus provided with a discriminating unit for discriminating the type of data transmitted, a selecting unit for selecting the optimal route for each string of data in accordance with the discriminated type and destination, and a holding unit for holding the optimal routing information for each type of data and destination and sending received data toward the optimal route.
Methods and apparatus are disclosed for collecting statistics from elements at multiple collection rates which may be used, inter alia, in a computer or communications system, such as a computer or communications device, packet switching system, router, other device, or component thereof. Multiple polling tasks running at different polling intervals are used to collect data from various sets of elements. Elements are assigned to a polling task or group based on a required minimum collection rate for the element, which may correspond to a data acquisition or overflow rate for the element. In one implementation, this data corresponds to traffic and other characteristics of a connection, such as a virtual connection across a packet switching system or device.
A packet scheduling apparatus made it possible to always hold priority orders determined in advance for preferentially controlled priority queues while guaranteeing reserved bandwidths for bandwidth guaranteed queues. This packet scheduling apparatus is configured by a service time computing unit for computing service times for bandwidth guaranteed queues and priority queues having high priority orders based on input plurality of predetermined parameters, a service time comparing unit for comparing magnitudes of the computed service times with each other and selecting the packet to be output first, and a parameter generating unit for generating the parameters computed so as to achieve both a bandwidth guarantee and preferential control.
A method of enhancing network transmission between stations on a priority-enabled frame-based communications network, the communications network having multiple transmit priorities and transmitting frames such that a network access time to transmit a frame of a lower transmit priority is longer than a network access time to transmit a frame of a higher transmit priority, the number of transmit priorities being fixed and all stations being capable of transmitting frames at any transmit priority. The method applies to each station. An initial transmit priority is established for each frame to be transmitted. A set of initial transmit priorities assigned to frames transmitted on the communications network is maintained. A set of final transmit priorities is established containing highest possible priorities, one final transmit priority being associated with each member of the set of initial transmit priorities, such that a highest initial transmit priority is assigned to a highest possible priority, a next highest initial transmit priority is assigned to a next highest possible priority, and so forth. Ordered frames are transmitted onto the communications network, each frame using a final transmit priority associated with the initial transmit priority established for the each frame.
