Dynamic Assignment of Traffic Classes to a Priority Queue in a Packet Forwarding Device

Abstract

Responsive to detecting that bandwidth consumption of a packet flow has exceeded a threshold, packet forwarding treatment is changed in accordance with at least one class of packet flow from a first packet forwarding treatment to a second packet forwarding treatment.

1 . In a packet forwarding device in a network in which packet flows are assigned respective classes and each respective class is accorded a respective packet forwarding treatment, a method comprising:
 detecting that a bandwidth consumption of a packet flow has exceeded a threshold; and   responsive to detecting that the bandwidth consumption of the packet flow has exceeded the threshold, changing the respective packet forwarding treatment accorded to at least one class of packet flow from a first packet forwarding treatment to a second packet forwarding treatment.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein detecting that the bandwidth consumption of the packet flow exceeds the threshold comprises detecting that the bandwidth consumption of the packet flow over a predetermined duration has exceeded the threshold. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein changing the respective packet flow treatment accorded to the at least one class of packet flow comprises changing assignment of the at least one class of packet flow from a queue having a first priority to a queue having a second priority. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein changing the respective packet flow treatment accorded to the at least one class of packet flow comprises dropping packets of the at least one class of packet flow. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein changing the respective packet flow treatment accorded to the at least one class of packet flow comprises copying packets of the at least one class of packet flow. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein changing the respective packet flow treatment accorded to the at least one class of packet flow comprises diverting packets of the at least one class of packet flow. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a packet flow is assigned a respective class based on at least one IP flow parameter of the packet flow. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a packet flow is assigned a respective class based on a respective source of the packet flow. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the packet flow is assigned the respective class based on a MAC address of the source of the packet flow. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the packet flow is assigned the respective class based on a VLAN associated with the source of the packet flow. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a packet flow is assigned a respective class based on a destination of the packet flow. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the packet flow is assigned a respective class based on a MAC address of the destination of the packet flow. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the packet flow is assigned the respective class based on a VLAN associated with the destination of the packet flow. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the packet flow is assigned a respective class based on an ingress port associated with the packet flow. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the packet flow is assigned a respective class based on an egress port associated with the packet flow. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the packet flow is assigned a respective class based on a virtual port associated with the packet flow. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a packet flow is assigned a respective class based on a protocol of the packet flow. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein a packet flow is assigned a respective class based on whether is associated with a specified high level protocol. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein a packet flow is assigned a respective class if it is associated with an FTP flow. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the packet flow is assigned a respective class if it is associated with an HTTP flow. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a packet flow is assigned a respective class based on a traffic type of the of the packet flow. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a packet flow is assigned a respective class based on whether it is associated with a specified IP flow. 
     
     
         23 . A non-transitory, processor-readable medium carrying instructions for execution by at least one processor, the instructions comprising instructions executable in a packet forwarding device in a network in which packet flows are assigned respective classes and each respective class is accorded a respective packet forwarding treatment, the instructions comprising:
 instructions executable to detect that a bandwidth consumption of a packet flow has exceeded a threshold; and   instructions executable, responsive to detecting that the bandwidth consumption of the packet flow has exceeded the threshold, to change the respective packet forwarding treatment accorded to the at least one class of packet flow from a first packet forwarding treatment to a second packet forwarding treatment.   
     
     
         24 . The medium of  claim 23 , wherein the instructions executable to detect that the bandwidth consumption of a packet flow has exceeded the threshold comprise instructions executable to detect that the bandwidth consumption of the packet flow over a predetermined duration has exceeded the threshold. 
     
     
         25 . The medium of  claim 23 , wherein the instructions executable to change the respective packet flow treatment accorded to the at least one class of packet flow comprise instructions executable to change assignment of the at least one class of packet flow from a queue having a first priority to a queue having a second priority. 
     
     
         26 . The medium of  claim 23 , wherein the instructions executable to change the respective packet flow treatment accorded to the at least one class of packet flow comprise instructions executable to drop packets of the at least one class of packet flow. 
     
     
         27 . The medium of  claim 23 , wherein the instructions executable to change the respective packet flow treatment accorded to the at least one class of packet flow comprise instructions executable to copy packets of the at least one class of packet flow. 
     
     
         28 . The medium of  claim 23 , wherein the instructions executable to change the respective packet flow treatment accorded to the at least one class of packet flow comprise instructions executable to divert packets of the at least one class of packet flow. 
     
     
         29 . The medium of  claim 23 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable to assign a packet flow a respective class based on at least one IP flow parameter of the packet flow. 
     
     
         30 . The medium of  claim 23 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable to assign a respective class to a packet flow based on a respective source of the packet flow. 
     
     
         31 . The medium of  claim 30 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable to assign a respective class to a packet flow based on a MAC address of the source of the packet flow. 
     
     
         32 . The medium of  claim 30 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable to assign a respective class to a packet flow based on a VLAN associated with the source of the packet flow. 
     
     
         33 . The medium of  claim 23 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable to assign a respective class to a packet flow based on a destination of the packet flow. 
     
     
         34 . The medium of  claim 33 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable to assign a respective class to a packet flow based on a MAC address of the destination of the packet flow. 
     
     
         35 . The medium of  claim 33 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable to assign a respective class to a packet flow based on a VLAN associated with the destination of the packet flow. 
     
     
         36 . The medium of  claim 23 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable to assign a respective class to a packet flow based on an ingress port associated with the packet flow. 
     
     
         37 . The medium of  claim 23 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable to assign a respective class to a packet flow based on an egress port associated with the packet flow. 
     
     
         38 . The medium of  claim 23 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable to assign a respective class to a packet flow based on a virtual port associated with the packet flow. 
     
     
         39 . The medium of  claim 23 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions executable to assign a respective class to a packet flow based on a protocol of the packet flow. 
     
     
         40 . The medium of  claim 39 , wherein a packet flow is assigned a respective class based on whether is associated with a specified high level protocol. 
     
     
         41 . The medium of  claim 40 , wherein the instructions executable to assign a respective class to the packet flow based on the protocol of the packet flow comprise instructions executable to assign the packet flow the respective class if it is associated with an FTP flow. 
     
     
         42 . The medium of  claim 40 , wherein the instructions executable to assign a respective class to the packet flow based on the protocol of the packet flow comprise instructions executable to assign the packet flow the respective class if it is associated with an HTTP flow. 
     
     
         43 . The medium of  claim 23 , comprising instructions executable to assign a packet flow a respective class based on a traffic type of the of the packet flow. 
     
     
         44 . The medium of  claim 23 , wherein a packet flow is assigned a respective class based on whether it is associated with a specified IP flow.