Qos on a virtual interface over multi-path transport

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016112305-A1
Application number	US-201414519092-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 20, 2014
Priority date	Oct 20, 2014
Publication date	Apr 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Exemplary methods receiving a packet of a virtual interface provisioned with a virtual interface QoS, wherein the virtual interface comprises a hierarchy of sub interfaces. The methods include selecting a virtual adjacency from a plurality of virtual adjacencies, wherein each virtual adjacency is associated with the virtual interface or a sub interface of the virtual interface. The methods include using the selected virtual adjacency to select a queue based on a priority of the packet, and store the packet in the selected queue. The methods include performing hierarchical scheduling based on the virtual interface QoS to select the queue from all sets of virtual interface queues of all virtual adjacencies, and sending the packet from the selected queue and a transport link identifier (ID) to a physical network processing unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method in a first network device for applying Quality-of-Service (QoS) on a virtual interface over a multi-path transport topology, the method comprising:
receiving a packet of the virtual interface, wherein the virtual interface is provisioned with a virtual interface QoS, and wherein the virtual interface comprises a hierarchy of sub interfaces; selecting a virtual adjacency from a plurality of virtual adjacencies maintained by the first network device based on metadata included in the packet, wherein each virtual adjacency is associated with the virtual interface or a sub interface of the virtual interface; using the selected virtual adjacency to
select a queue from a set of virtual interface queues of the selected virtual adjacency based on a priority of the packet, and
store the packet in the selected queue;
performing hierarchical scheduling based on the virtual interface QoS to select the queue from all sets of virtual interface queues of all virtual adjacencies; and sending the packet from the selected queue and a transport link identifier (ID) to a physical network processing unit (NPU) that is to forward the packet over a physical transport link identified by the transport link ID, to cause the physical NPU to apply a QoS on the packet based on the transport link ID.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating the transport link ID based on metadata included as part of the packet.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising using the selected virtual adjacency to generate a packet priority and a packet color for the packet, wherein the packet priority and the packet color are sent along with the packet to the physical NPU, to cause the physical NPU to use the packet color and packet priority to determine whether to drop the packet or to queue the packet, and to further cause the physical NPU to use the packet priority to select a queue from a set of virtual interface queues associated with the virtual interface at the physical NPU for queueing the packet.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein all traffic of the virtual interface is sent to the first network device, thereby allowing the first network device to enforce a consistent throughput over the virtual interface regardless of how many physical transport links the virtual interface traffic is directed to.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the physical NPU is implemented at a second network device communicatively coupled to the first network device.

6 . A first network device for applying Quality-of-Service (QoS) on a virtual interface over a multi-path transport topology, the first network device comprising:
a set of one or more processors; and a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium containing code, which when executed by the set of one or more processors, cause the first network device to:
receive a packet of the virtual interface, wherein the virtual interface is provisioned with a virtual interface QoS, and wherein the virtual interface comprises a hierarchy of sub interfaces;
select a virtual adjacency from a plurality of virtual adjacencies maintained by the first network device based on metadata included in the packet,
wherein each virtual adjacency is associated with the virtual interface or a sub interface of the virtual interface;

use the selected virtual adjacency to
select a queue from a set of virtual interface queues of the selected virtual adjacency based on a priority of the packet, and
store the packet in the selected queue;

perform hierarchical scheduling based on the virtual interface QoS to select the queue from all sets of virtual interface queues of all virtual adjacencies; and
send the packet from the selected queue and a transport link identifier (ID) to a physical network processing unit (NPU) that is to forward the packet over a physical transport link identified by the transport link ID, to cause the physical NPU to apply a QoS on the packet based on the transport link ID.

7 . The first network device of claim 6 , wherein the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium further contains code, which when executed by the set of one or more processors, cause the first network device to:
generate the transport link ID based on metadata included as part of the packet.

8 . The first network device of claim 6 , wherein the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium further contains code, which when executed by the set of one or more processors, cause the first network device to use the selected virtual adjacency to generate a packet priority and a packet color for the packet, wherein the packet priority and the packet color are sent along with the packet to the physical NPU, to cause the physical NPU to use the packet color and packet priority to determine whether to drop the packet or to queue the packet, and to further cause the physical NPU to use the packet priority to select a queue from a set of virtual interface queues associated with the virtual interface at the physical NPU for queueing the packet.

9 . The first network device of claim 6 , wherein all traffic of the virtual interface is sent to the first network device, thereby allowing the first network device to enforce a consistent throughput over the virtual interface regardless of how many physical transport links the virtual interface traffic is directed to.

10 . The first network device of claim 6 , wherein the physical NPU is implemented at a second network device communicatively coupled to the first network device.

11 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer code stored therein, which when executed by a processor of a first network device for applying Quality-of-Service (QoS) on a virtual interface over a multi-path transport topology, cause the first network device to perform operations comprising:
receiving a packet of the virtual interface, wherein the virtual interface is provisioned with a virtual interface QoS, and wherein the virtual interface comprises a hierarchy of sub interfaces; selecting a virtual adjacency from a plurality of virtual adjacencies maintained by the first network device based on metadata included in the packet, wherein each virtual adjacency is associated with the virtual interface or a sub interface of the virtual interface; using the selected virtual adjacency to
select a queue from a set of virtual interface queues of the selected virtual adjacency based on a priority of the packet, and
store the packet in the selected queue;
performing hierarchical scheduling based on the virtual interface QoS to select the queue from all sets of virtual interface queues of all virtual adjacencies; and sending the packet from the selected queue and a transport link identifier (ID) to a physical network processing unit (NPU) that is to forward the packet over a physical transport link identified by the transport link ID, to cause the physical NPU to apply a QoS on the packet based on the transport link ID.

12 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , further comprising:
generating the transport link ID based on metadata included as part of the packet.

13 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , further comprising using the selected virtual adjacency to generate a packet priority and a packet color for the packet, wherein the packet priority and the packet color are sent along with the packet to the physical NPU, to cause the physical NPU to use the packet color and packet priority to determine whether to drop the packet or to queue the packet, and to further cause the physical NPU to use the packet

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Djekic Igor
• Martin Lars
• Mohamed Usman Mohamed Abdul Malick

Classifications

• H04L45/70

  Routing based on monitoring results · CPC title

• H04L47/62

  characterised by scheduling criteria · CPC title

• H04L45/302 Primary

  Route determination based on requested QoS · CPC title

• H04L45/742

  Route cache; Operation thereof · CPC title

• H04L12/54

  Store-and-forward switching systems  (packet switching systems H04L45/00, H04L47/00) · CPC title