Congestion mitigation and avoidance

摘要

In one embodiment, a method is provided for congestion mitigation. In this method, a congestion level of data flows along a path is monitored relative to a threshold. Here, each data flow is associated with a flow identifier. Based on detection that the congestion level exceeds the threshold, the flow identifier of a number (e.g., one or more) of the data flows is changed to a different flow identifier. This change results in the number of the data flows redirected to a different path. In an alternate embodiment, another method is provided for congestion avoidance. In this method, a data flow transmitted along a single path is received, and the data flow is split into multiple micro data flows. A different flow identifier is then assigned to each micro data flow. This change results in the multiple micro data flows distributed along multiple different paths.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
identifying, at a source device, a plurality of equal cost paths from the source device; establishing, at the source device, a data flow along a path of the plurality of equal cost paths and associating the data flow with a flow identifier, wherein the flow identifier is based on data associated with a first Open System Interconnection (OSI) model layer; monitoring, at the source device, a congestion level of the data flow along the path of the plurality of equal cost paths; in response to detecting that the congestion level exceeds a threshold, splitting the data flow into a first split flow and a second split flow; sending the first split flow along a first split flow path and sending the second split flow along a second split flow path; wherein splitting the data flow comprises splitting the data flow based on data associated with a second OSI model layer, wherein the second OSI model layer is higher in the OSI model than the first OSI model layer, wherein sending the first split flow along the first split flow path and sending the second split flow along the second split flow path comprises changing a flow identifier for at least one of the first split flow or the second split flow, and wherein the data flow is identified in OSI layer 3 based upon a combination of an Internet Protocol source address and an Internet Protocol destination address and the data flow is split at OSI layer 4 into the first split flow and the second split flow based on at least one of a User Datagram Protocol source port or a User Datagram Protocol destination port.