Methods and systems for reducing network congestion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9736047-B2
Application number	US-201615389769-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2016
Priority date	Apr 24, 2015
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

The present invention discloses methods and systems carried out at a network device for reducing network congestion by establishing an aggregated connection, wherein the aggregated connection comprise a plurality of virtual private network (VPN) tunnels. The system further comprises assigning default weights to the plurality of VPN tunnels along with transmitting and receiving data packets of a data session through the aggregated connection. When there is a missing data packet in the received data packets, the missing data packet is recreated based on a previous or a next data packet. Furthermore the present invention discloses methods and systems for determining whether a VPN tunnel from the plurality of VPN tunnels is experiencing an unacceptable packet drop rate. If it is seen that a VPN tunnel is experiencing an unacceptable packet drop rate, an effective weight of the at least one VPN tunnel is decreased in order to overcome the setback.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method carried out at a network device for reducing network congestion comprising the steps of:
(a) establishing an aggregated connection, wherein the aggregated connection comprising a plurality of virtual private network (VPN) tunnels;
(b) assigning default weights to the plurality of VPN tunnels;
(c) transmitting and receiving data packets of a data session through the aggregated connection;
(d) when there is at least one missing data packets in the received data packets: recreating the at least one missing data packets based on at least one previous or at least one next data packet: wherein the recreating is further based on a text database, or an audio database: wherein using the text database and audio database to determine characters of words that are in payload(s) of the at least one missing data packets: wherein when it is determined that there is more than one possibility for the characters, determining the characters based on historical data:
(e) determining whether at least one VPN tunnel of the plurality of VPN tunnels is experiencing an unacceptable packet drop rate:
(f) modifying a respective weight value for the at least one VPN tunnel at a first periodicity in response to an observed packet drop rate: wherein when the observed packet drop rate is an unacceptable packet drop rate, the respective weight value is decreased:
(g) updating an effective weight value to the modified respective weight value at a second periodicity, wherein the second periodicity is longer than the first periodicity:
(h) when the at least one missing data packets is first or last in sequence of the data session: sending a request to a sender for resending the at least one missing data packets.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the packet drop rate is determined based, at least in part, on the number of missing data packets.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the modifying in step (f) is implemented stepwise fashion, in a continuous manner, or in proportion to increase in packet drop rate.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: monitoring packet drop rate of the at least one VPN tunnels; and dynamically changing the weight of the plurality of VPN tunnels according to the packet drop rate.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (d) is performed periodically.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (d) is performed using the following steps:
i. determining global sequence numbers (GSN) and per tunnel sequence numbers (PTSN) of the at least one missing data packets; wherein the determining is based on a management message received from sender of the data packets;
ii. recreating payload(s) of the at least one missing data packets; and
iii. transmitting at least one new data packet comprising payload of the at least one missing data packets, wherein the at least one new data packet is assigned with GSN(s) and PTSN(s) of the at least one missing data packet.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (d) is performed for the at least one missing data packet(s) based on an average value of payloads of the at least one previous data packets and/or at least one next data packets.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein when the data packets contain multimedia data, step (d) is performed using transform coding, non-linear interpolation, nearest neighbor interpolation, bilinear interpolation, and/or bicubic interpolation.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising temporarily storing data packets in a non-transitory storage medium received via the aggregated connection after step (c).

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (d) is performed using a regression analysis model.

11. A network device for reducing network congestion comprising:
at least one network interface;
at least one processing unit;
at least one non-transitory storage medium storing program instructions executable by the at least one processing unit for the steps of:
(a) establishing an aggregated connection, wherein the aggregated connection comprising a plurality of virtual private network (VPN) tunnels;
(b) assigning default weights to the plurality of VPN tunnels;
(c) transmitting and receiving data packets of a data session through the aggregated connection;
(d) when there is at least one missing data packets in the received data packets: recreating the at least one missing data packets based on at least one previous or at least one next data packet; wherein the recreating is further based on a text database, or an audio database: wherein using the text database and audio database to determine characters of words that are in payload(s) of the at least one missing data packets; wherein when it is determined, that there is more than one possibility for the characters, determining the characters based on historical data;
(e) determining whether at least one VPN tunnel of the plurality of VPN tunnels is experiencing an unacceptable packet drop rate;
(f) modifying a respective weight value for the at least one VPN tunnel at a first periodicity in response to an observed packet drop rate; wherein when the observed packet drop rate is an unacceptable packet drop rate, the respective weight value is decreased;
(g) updating an effective weight value to the modified respective weight value at a second periodicity, wherein the second periodicity is longer than the first periodicity;
(h) when the at least one missing data packets is first or last in sequence of the data session: sending a request to a sender for resending the at least one missing data packets.

12. The network device of claim 11 , wherein the packet drop rate is determined based, at least in part, on the number of missing data packets.

13. The network device of claim 11 , wherein the modifying in step (f) is implemented stepwise fashion, in a continuous manner, or in proportion to increase in packet drop rate.

14. The network device of claim 11 , wherein the at least one non-transitory storage medium further storing program instructions for: monitoring packet drop rate of the at least one VPN tunnels; and dynamically changing weights of the plurality of VPN tunnels according to the packet drop rate.

15. The network device of claim 11 , wherein step (d) is performed periodically.

16. The network device of claim 11 , wherein step (d) is performed using the following steps:
i. determining global sequence numbers (GSN) and per tunnel sequence numbers (PTSN) of the at least one missing data packets; wherein the determining is based on a management message received from sender of the data packets;
ii. recreating payload(s) of the at least one missing data packets; and
iii. transmitting at least one new data packet comprising payload of the at least one missing data packets, wherein the at least one new data packet is assigned with GSN(s) and PTSN(s) of the at least one missing data packet.

17. The network device of claim 11 , wherein step (d) is performed for the at least one missing data packet(s) based on an average value of payloads of the at least one previous data packets and/or at least one next data packets.

18. The network device of claim 11 , wherein when the data packets contain multimedia data, step (d) is performed using transform coding, non-linear interpolation, nearest neighbor interpolation, bilinear interpolation, and/or bicubic interpolation.

19. The network device of claim 11 , wherein the at least one non-transitory storage medium further storing program instructions for: temporarily storing data packets in a non-transitory storage medium received via the ag

Assignees

• Chan Ho Ming
• Sung Patrick Ho Wai
• Ng Kam Chiu
• Chan Alex Wing Hong
• Chau Kit Wai
• Pismo Labs Technology Ltd

Inventors

• Chan Ho Ming
• Sung Patrick Ho Wai
• Ng Kam Chiu
• Chan Alex Wing Hong
• Chau Kit Wai

Classifications

• H04L1/16

  in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals · CPC title

• H04L1/189

  Transmission or retransmission of more than one copy of a message · CPC title

• H04L1/1642

  Formats specially adapted for sequence numbers · CPC title

• H04L12/4625

  Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge · CPC title

• H04L65/1069

  Session establishment or de-establishment · CPC title