Abstract: Conventional packet network nodes react to congestion in the packet network by dropping packets in a manner which is perceived by users to be indiscriminate. In embodiments of the invention, indiscriminate packet discards are prevented by causing packets to be discarded on lower priority flows and flow aggregates. Further action is taken to reduce the likelihood of packet discards. When an aggregate set of flows raises a congestion alarm, action is taken to try to increase aggregate capacity by excising capacity from pre-assigned donor aggregates. A donor aggregate may be carrying flows, for example, classified as best effort. Another type of donor capacity is donor re-assignable unused capacity. Aggregates may have capacity added either up to a defined limit or, temporarily, exceeding any limit provided there is free capacity available, but removable back to the defined limit when other aggregates need increased capacity and are below their defined limits.

Abstract: Packet network node and method of operating packet network node. Conventional packet network nodes react to congestion in packet network by dropping packets in a manner which is perceived by users to be indiscriminate. In the described system, indiscriminate packet discards are prevented by causing packets to be discarded on lower priority flows and flow aggregates. Further action is taken to reduce the likelihood of packet discards through: (1) classification of flows that are not observable at the point in the network where flow-based packet discards are deployed, but are consuming bandwidth and signaling classification information to flow-based packet discard function or a flow-based monitoring function or network management function; (2) classification of flows making use of extended monitoring functions that are not co-located with a flow-based packet discard function, where extended monitoring functions may perform monitoring of a flow or a group of flows over a period of time.

Abstract: Packet network node and method of operating packet network node. Conventional packet network nodes react to congestion in packet network by dropping packets in a manner which is perceived by users to be indiscriminate. In the described system, indiscriminate packet discards are prevented by causing packets to be discarded on lower priority flows and flow aggregates. Further action is taken to reduce the likelihood of packet discards through: (1) classification of flows that are not observable at the point in the network where flow-based packet discards are deployed, but are consuming bandwidth and signaling classification information to flow-based packet discard function or a flow-based monitoring function or network management function; (2) classification of flows making use of extended monitoring functions that are not co-located with a flow-based packet discard function, where extended monitoring functions may perform monitoring of a flow or a group of flows over a period of time.

Abstract: Conventional packet network nodes react to congestion in the packet network by dropping packets in a manner which is perceived by users to be indiscriminate. In embodiments of the invention, indiscriminate packet discards are prevented by causing packets to be discarded on lower priority flows and flow aggregates. Further action is taken to reduce the likelihood of packet discards. When an aggregate set of flows raises a congestion alarm, action is taken to try to increase aggregate capacity by excising capacity from pre-assigned donor aggregates. A donor aggregate may be carrying flows, for example, classified as best effort. Another type of donor capacity is donor re-assignable unused capacity. Aggregates may have capacity added either up to a defined limit or, temporarily, exceeding any limit provided there is free capacity available, but removable back to the defined limit when other aggregates need increased capacity and are below their defined limits.

Abstract: Conventional packet network nodes react to congestion in the packet network by dropping packets in a manner which is perceived by users to be indiscriminate. In embodiments of the invention, indiscriminate packet discards are prevented by causing packets to be discarded on lower priority flows and flow aggregates. Further action is taken to reduce the likelihood of packet discards. When an aggregate set of flows raises a congestion alarm, action is taken to try to increase aggregate capacity by excising capacity from pre-assigned donor aggregates. A donor aggregate may be carrying flows, for example, classified as best effort. Another type of donor capacity is donor re-assignable unused capacity. Aggregates may have capacity added either up to a defined limit or, temporarily, exceeding any limit provided there is free capacity available, but removable back to the defined limit when other aggregates need increased capacity and are below their defined limits.

Abstract: Conventional packet network nodes react to congestion in the packet network by dropping packets in a manner which is perceived by users to be indiscriminate. In embodiments of the present invention, indiscriminate packet discards are prevented by causing packets to be discarded according to bandwidth allocations that intelligently track flow sending rates. Flows are allocated bandwidth based on policy information. Where such policy information indicates that the flow should be treated as delay-sensitive, the present invention includes means to allocate an initial minimum rate that will be guaranteed and such flows will also have the use of an additional capacity that varies depending on the number of such flows that currently share an available pool of capacity. This provides a congestion alleviation method which is less annoying to users since communications that have been in existence for longer are less susceptible to component packets being deleted.

Abstract: Conventional packet network nodes react to congestion in the packet network by dropping packets in a manner which is perceived by users to be indiscriminate. In embodiments of the invention, indiscriminate packet discards are prevented by causing packets to be discarded on lower priority flows and flow aggregates. Further action is taken to reduce the likelihood of packet discards. When an aggregate set of flows raises a congestion alarm, action is taken to try to increase aggregate capacity by excising capacity from pre-assigned donor aggregates. A donor aggregate may be carrying flows, for example, classified as best effort. Another type of donor capacity is donor re-assignable unused capacity. Aggregates may have capacity added either up to a defined limit or, temporarily, exceeding any limit provided there is free capacity available, but removable back to the defined limit when other aggregates need increased capacity and are below their defined limits.

Abstract: Packet network node and method of operating packet network node. Conventional packet network nodes react to congestion in packet network by dropping packets in a manner which is perceived by users to be indiscriminate. In the described system, indiscriminate packet discards are prevented by causing packets to be discarded on lower priority flows and flow aggregates. Further action is taken to reduce the likelihood of packet discards through: (1) classification of flows that are not observable at the point in the network where flow-based packet discards are deployed, but are consuming bandwidth and signaling classification information to flow-based packet discard function or a flow-based monitoring function or network management function; (2) classification of flows making use of extended monitoring functions that are not co-located with a flow-based packet discard function, where extended monitoring functions may perform monitoring of a flow or a group of flows over a period of time.

Abstract: A packet network node and method of operating a packet network node are disclosed. Conventional packet network nodes react to congestion in the packet network by dropping packets in a manner which is perceived by users to be indiscriminate. In embodiments of the present invention, indiscriminate packet discards are prevented by causing packets to be discarded on lower priority flows and flow aggregates. A further action is taken to reduce the likelihood of packet discards. When an aggregate set of flows raises a congestion alarm action is taken to try to increase the capacity of the aggregate through taking capacity from pre-assigned donor aggregates. A donor aggregate may be carrying flows, for example flows classified as best effort. Another type of donor capacity is donor re-assignable unused capacity.

Abstract: Packet network node and method of operating packet network node. Conventional packet network nodes react to congestion in packet network by dropping packets in a manner which is perceived by users to be indiscriminate. In the described system, indiscriminate packet discards are prevented by causing packets to be discarded on lower priority flows and flow aggregates. Further action is taken to reduce the likelihood of packet discards through: (1) classification of flows that are not observable at the point in the network where flow-based packet discards are deployed, but are consuming bandwidth and signaling classification information to flow-based packet discard function or a flow-based monitoring function or network management function; (2) classification of flows making use of extended monitoring functions that are not co-located with a flow-based packet discard function, where extended monitoring functions may perform monitoring of a flow or a group of flows over a period of time.

Abstract: Packet network node and method of operating packet network node. Conventional packet network nodes react to congestion in packet network by dropping packets in a manner which is perceived by users to be indiscriminate. In the described system, indiscriminate packet discards are prevented by causing packets to be discarded on lower priority flows and flow aggregates. Further action is taken to reduce the likelihood of packet discards through: (1) classification of flows that are not observable at the point in the network where flow-based packet discards are deployed, but are consuming bandwidth and signaling classification information to flow-based packet discard function or a flow-based monitoring function or network management function; (2) classification of flows making use of extended monitoring functions that are not co-located with a flow-based packet discard function, where extended monitoring functions may perform monitoring of a flow or a group of flows over a period of time.

Abstract: A packet network node and method of operating a packet network node are disclosed. Conventional packet network nodes react to congestion in the packet network by dropping packets in a manner which is perceived by users to be indiscriminate. In embodiments of the present invention, indiscriminate packet discards are prevented by causing packets to be discarded on lower priority flows and flow aggregates. A further action is taken to reduce the likelihood of packet discards. When an aggregate set of flows raises a congestion alarm action is taken to try to increase the capacity of the aggregate through taking capacity from pre-assigned donor aggregates. A donor aggregate may be carrying flows, for example flows classified as best effort. Another type of donor capacity is donor re-assignable unused capacity.

Abstract: Conventional packet network nodes react to congestion in the packet network by dropping packets in a manner which is perceived by users to be indiscriminate. In embodiments of the present invention, indiscriminate packet discards are prevented by causing packets to be discarded according to bandwidth allocations that intelligently track flow sending rates. Flows are allocated bandwidth based on policy information. Where such policy information indicates that the flow should be treated as delay-sensitive, the present invention includes means to allocate an initial minimum rate that will be guaranteed and such flows will also have the use of an additional capacity that varies depending on the number of such flows that currently share an available pool of capacity. This provides a congestion alleviation method which is less annoying to users since communications that have been in existence for longer are less susceptible to component packets being deleted.

Abstract: A service multiplexer (2) for connecting a plurality of signal sources to a public switched communication network transfers data in the form of a synchronously transferred data cells from a plurality of inputs (4) to an output (6) for connection to the network. The multiplexer (2) includes a bandwidth control unit which receives a bandwidth control signal from the network representative of available bandwidth for transmission of cells to the network and generates feedback control signals for transmission to the signal sources to cause them to alter their data transmission rates in accordance with the available bandwidth. An activity detector coupled to the bandwidth control unit monitors the bandwidth of data received at the inputs. The multiplexer allows ABR (available bit rate)—commandable signal sources to be linked to a single port of a public network operating on an ABR basis to provide an efficient and fair allocation of bandwidth for each source.

Abstract: A network for ATM signals includes source end systems SES1, SES3 connected by a permanent virtual connection PVC1 through switch SW1 . . . SWN. Dynamic bandwidth controllers DBC1, DBC2 operate as virtual source/virtual destinations. The individual switches, such as switch SW2 have associated rate controllers RC1 which determine the available bandwidth for the signal path PVC1. Dynamic bandwidth controller DBC1 interrogates the rate controller RC1, RC2 using resource management RM signals which cascade from switching node to switching node along the path in a forward direction and then in a backward direction. The DBC's communicate with the SES's using RM signals which may be of a different format to the RM signals which pass from switching node to switching node.

Abstract: A broadband switching system and method switches asynchronously transferred cells of data using a dynamic bandwidth controller to control application of data cells from a number of transmitting end systems to an input port of the system. The dynamic bandwidth controller provides cell buffering from each source and controls output of data cells to the system according to a current cell rate assigned to cells from the respective end system. When an end system begins transmitting data cells, the controller detects the presence of incoming cells and requests bandwidth from a connection admission control forming part of the system. A default cell rate is provided for the end system so that transmission can continue until an appropriate bandwidth is allocated. The controller contains a buffer for buffering cells in this situation.