U.S. patent application number 11/874509 was filed with the patent office on 2008-11-20 for method and system for managing network resources in audio/video bridging enabled networks.
Invention is credited to Wael William Diab, Michael Johas Teener.
Application Number | 20080288638 11/874509 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40026962 |
Filed Date | 2008-11-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080288638 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Diab; Wael William ; et
al. |
November 20, 2008 |
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING NETWORK RESOURCES IN AUDIO/VIDEO
BRIDGING ENABLED NETWORKS
Abstract
Aspects of a method and system for managing network resources in
audio/video bridging enabled networks are provided. In this regard,
network resources reserved via AVB may be allocated for
administrative and/or control traffic. Additionally, administrative
and/or control data may be assigned highest priority for routing in
the network. In this regard, priority of traffic may be determined
via one or more bits of a VLAN tag associated with the traffic. For
each AVB stream registered in the network, there may be a
corresponding portion of the reserved network resources allocated
for administrative and/or control data. The portion of reserved
network resources allocated for administrative and/or control data
may be based on past, present, or expected network statistics.
Portions of the reserved resources not allocated for administrative
and/or control data may be utilized for communicating one or more
multimedia streams. In this regard, the unallocated resources may
be distributed amongst the one or more multimedia streams.
Allocating reserved resources for administrative and/or control
traffic may ensure reliable communication of the administrative
and/or control traffic, by preventing one or more multimedia
streams from monopolizing network resources.
Inventors: |
Diab; Wael William; (San
Francisco, CA) ; Teener; Michael Johas; (Santa Cruz,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MCANDREWS HELD & MALLOY, LTD
500 WEST MADISON STREET, SUITE 3400
CHICAGO
IL
60661
US
|
Family ID: |
40026962 |
Appl. No.: |
11/874509 |
Filed: |
October 18, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60917870 |
May 14, 2007 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
709/225 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 19/172 20141101;
G09G 5/006 20130101; H04N 5/85 20130101; G09G 2370/10 20130101;
H04L 12/2805 20130101; H04L 2012/2849 20130101; H04N 19/61
20141101; H04N 7/106 20130101; H04N 21/43615 20130101; H04L 12/2816
20130101; H04N 21/6373 20130101; H04N 19/176 20141101; H04N
21/64322 20130101; H04N 9/8042 20130101; H04N 21/43632 20130101;
Y02D 30/32 20180101; Y02D 30/00 20180101 |
Class at
Publication: |
709/225 |
International
Class: |
G06F 15/173 20060101
G06F015/173 |
Claims
1. A method for communication, the method comprising: reserving,
via AVB, resources in a network node; and allocating at least a
portion of said reserved resources for administrative and/or
control traffic to and/or from said network node.
2. The method according to claim 1, comprising assigning said
administrative and/or control data a highest priority.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said priority is
identified in a VLAN tag of an Ethernet frame comprising said
administrative and/or control data.
4. The method according to claim 1, comprising allocating said at
least a portion of said reserved resources for each AVB stream
registered in said network node.
5. The method according to claim 1, comprising dynamically
allocating said at least a portion of said reserved resources based
on past and/or present network statistics.
6. The method according to claim 1, comprising utilizing
unallocated portions of said reserved network resources for
communicating one or more multimedia streams.
7. The method according to claim 6, comprising distributing said
communicated one or more multimedia streams among said unallocated
portions of said network resources.
8. The method according to claim 1, comprising allocating said at
least a portion of said reserved resources to enable reliable
communication of said administrative and/or control traffic when
communicating one or more multimedia streams.
9. A machine-readable storage having stored thereon, a computer
program having at least one code section for communication, the at
least one code section being executable by a machine for causing
the machine to perform steps comprising: reserving, via AVB,
resources in a network node; and allocating at least a portion of
said reserved resources for administrative and/or control traffic
to and/or from said network node.
10. The machine-readable storage according to claim 9, wherein said
at least one code section enables assigning said administrative
and/or control data a highest priority.
11. The machine-readable storage according to claim 10, wherein
said priority is identified in a VLAN tag of an Ethernet frame
comprising said administrative and/or control data.
12. The machine-readable storage according to claim 9, wherein said
at least one code section enables allocating said at least a
portion of said reserved resources for each AVB stream registered
in said network node.
13. The machine-readable storage according to claim 9, wherein said
at least one code section enables dynamically allocating said at
least a portion of said reserved resources based on past and/or
present network statistics.
14. The machine-readable storage according to claim 9, wherein said
at least one code section enables utilizing unallocated portions of
said reserved network resources for communicating one or more
multimedia streams.
15. The machine-readable storage according to claim 14, wherein
said at least one code section enables distributing said
communicated one or more multimedia streams among said unallocated
portions of said network resources.
16. The machine-readable storage according to claim 9, wherein said
at least one code section enables allocating said at least a
portion of said reserved resources to enable reliable communication
of said administrative and/or control traffic when communicating
one or more multimedia streams.
17. A system for communication, the system comprising: one or more
processors that enable: reservation, via AVB, of resources in a
network node; and allocation of at least a portion of said reserved
resources for administrative and/or control traffic to and/or from
said network node.
18. The system according to claim 17, wherein said one or more
processors enable assigning said administrative and/or control data
a highest priority.
19. The system according to claim 18, wherein said priority is
identified in a VLAN tag of an Ethernet frame comprising said
administrative and/or control data.
20. The system according to claim 17, wherein said one or more
processors enable allocation of said at least a portion of said
reserved resources for each AVB stream registered in said network
node.
21. The system according to claim 17, wherein said one or more
processors enable dynamic allocation of said at least a portion of
said reserved resources based on past and/or present network
statistics.
22. The system according to claim 17, wherein said one or more
processors enable utilization of unallocated portions of said
reserved network resources for communicating one or more multimedia
streams.
23. The system according to claim 22, wherein said one or more
processors enable distribution of said communicated one or more
multimedia streams among said unallocated portions of said network
resources.
24. The system according to claim 17, wherein said one or more
processors enable allocation of said at least a portion of said
reserved resources to enable reliable communication of said
administrative and/or control traffic when communicating one or
more multimedia streams.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY
REFERENCE
[0001] This patent application makes reference to, claims priority
to and claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser.
No. 60917870 filed on May 14, 2007.
[0002] The above stated application is hereby incorporated herein
by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Certain embodiments of the invention relate to networking.
More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to a
method and system for managing network resources in audio/video
bridging (AVB) enabled networks.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The generation and rendering of high end graphics often
involves the movement of large quantities of data. Frequently the
data is stored in a server, from which it may be accessed by users
at computer workstations via a network. Once the data is received
at the computer workstation, the graphics may be displayed on an
attached video monitor. In many cases the video monitor is
physically separate and has been conventionally attached to the
computer workstation via an analog interface, such as a video
graphics array (VGA) interface, or a digital interface such as a
digital visual interface (DVI). In a typical configuration, an
interface in the computer workstation is connected to a compatible
interface in the video monitor via an interstitial connector, such
as a cable.
[0005] The ever increasing amount of multimedia content, and in
particular, high quality multimedia content is presenting a number
of challenges to designers and administrators of computing
platforms and network alike. For example, bandwidth, hardware, and
the isochronous nature of multimedia file transfers are all factors
limiting the quality and availability of the multimedia content. In
this regard a number of standards have been developed for
transporting high quality multimedia data for presentation. For
example, the digital video interface (DVI) and High Definition
Multimedia Interface (HDMI) represent two of the most widely
adopted and utilized display interfaces. However, DVI and HDMI each
have a number of drawbacks which Video electronics Standards
Association (VESA) has attempted to address with the newly emerging
DisplayPort (DP) standard. In this regard, DP may offer, for
example, increased bandwidth and more advanced copy protection as
compared to DVI or HDMI.
[0006] The increasing amount of data, and in particular multimedia
content, transmitted over networks has also led to much research
into ways to improve the quality and reliability of streaming data
over bridged local area networks. Accordingly, the IEEE is in the
process of standardizing a suite of protocols collectively known as
Audio Video Bridging and related extensions (AVB). The individual
protocols include, among others, IEEE P802.1AS--IEEE Standard for
Local and Metropolitan Area Networks--Timing and Synchronization
for Time-Sensitive Applications in Bridged Local Area Networks,
IEEE P801.1Qat--IEEE Standard for Local and Metropolitan Area
Networks: Virtual Bridged Local Area Networks--Amendment 9: Stream
Reservation Protocol (SRP) and IEEE P802.1Qav: IEEE Standard for
Local and Metropolitan Area Networks: Virtual Bridged Local Area
Networks--Amendment 11: Forwarding and Queuing for Time-Sensitive
Streams. Applications of these protocols include streaming
compressed and/or uncompressed Audio and/or Video between various
pieces of equipment. An exemplary transmission may comprise
streaming uncompressed audio from an Audio/Video receiver to
multiple Networked Speakers over an Ethernet network. In this
regard, it may be necessary that the rendering of Audio in all
speakers is synchronized so as not to affect the listener's
experience. In this manner, the audio video bridging protocols are
likely to be deployed in situations where quality of service is
paramount to the user experience.
[0007] Display Port is a digital interface standard, which enables
a computer workstation to send graphics and video data to a video
monitor, or multimedia display device, via a Display Port
interface. In this regard, the Display Port interface standard may
describe a point-to-point interface, which is capable of
transmitting data from a device connected at one end of a
connecting cable to a device connected at the other end of the
connecting cable. The graphics and/or video data communicated
across the Display Port interface may be sent in mini-packets as
described in applicable standards. The mini-packets may contain
information comprising instructions on how to render the graphics
and/or video data on the video display screen, for example. The
mini-packets may be sent via a plurality of data paths referred to
as "lanes". In an exemplary Display Port interface, there may be
four (4) such lanes.
[0008] In addition to supporting unidirectional data traffic from
the workstation to the computer monitor (or other attached video
display device), the Display Port standard may also enable the
bidirectional transfer of data. For example, the Display Port
standard may allow for the exchange of encryption keys to enable
the transfer of encrypted digital data across the Display Port
interface. This capability may enable protection of digital content
transferred across the Display Port interface. In addition, the
bidirectional traffic capability of the Display Port interface may
enable communication of computer mouse and/or keyboard data to the
computer workstation. For example, mouse clicks to specific regions
on the screen, or keyboard responses to the screen display may
result in the generation of data across the Display Port interface
in the direction of the video display device to the computer
workstation.
[0009] Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and
traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the
art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the
present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present
application with reference to the drawings.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] A system and/or method is provided for managing network
resources in audio/video bridging enabled networks, substantially
as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the
figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.
[0011] These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of
the present invention, as well as details of an illustrated
embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the
following description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary AVB enabled
Audio/Video equipment that may transmit and/or receive data over a
network, in connection with an embodiment of the invention.
[0013] FIG. 2A is a diagram of an audio/video bridging enabled
network, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0014] FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating communication of high
definition multimedia content over a network, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a diagram of an exemplary Ethernet frame structure
that may enable rationing network resources between AVB traffic and
General Ethernet traffic.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating allocation of network
bandwidth, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for
managing AVB traffic, in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] Certain embodiments of the invention may be found in a
method and system for managing network resources in an AVB enabled
network. In this regard, network resources reserved via AVB may be
allocated for administrative and/or control traffic. Additionally,
administrative and/or control data may be assigned highest priority
for routing in the network. In this regard, priority of traffic may
be determined via one or more bits of a VLAN tag associated with
the traffic. For each AVB stream registered in the network, there
may be a corresponding portion of the reserved network resources
allocated for administrative and/or control data. The portion of
reserved network resources allocated for administrative and/or
control data may be based on past, present, or expected network
statistics. Portions of the reserved resources not allocated for
administrative and/or control data may be utilized for
communicating one or more multimedia streams. In this regard, the
unallocated resources may be distributed amongst the one or more
multimedia streams. Allocating reserved resources for
administrative and/or control traffic may ensure reliable
communication of the administrative and/or control traffic, by
preventing one or more multimedia streams from monopolizing network
resources.
[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary Audio/Video
Bridging and Audio/Video Bridging extensions (any combination of
which are referred to herein as AVB) enabled Audio/Video equipment
that may transmit and/or receive data over a network, in connection
with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, there is
shown AVB enabled Audio/Video equipment 100 that comprises a host
106a and a network interface hardware (NIHW) device 114. The NIHW
device 114 may further comprise a medium access control (MAC)
controller 108a and a transceiver 104, to enable communication over
a network. In various embodiments of the invention, the network
may, for example, utilize Ethernet technology and may communicate
over one or more twisted pair cables or wireless channels. In
various embodiments of the invention, the AVB enabled A/V equipment
may comprise, for example, a microphone, an instrument, a sound
board, a sound card, a video camera, a media player, a graphics
card, or other audio and/or video device.
[0020] The transceiver 110 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,
and/or code that may enable communication, for example,
transmission and reception of data, between the AVB enabled
Audio/Video equipment 100 and a network. The transceiver 110a may
support, for example, Ethernet operations. The transceiver 110a may
enable multi-rate communications, such as 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 1000
Mbps (or 1 Gbps) and/or 10 Gbps, for example. In this regard, the
transceiver 110 may support standard-based data rates and/or
non-standard data rates. Moreover, the transceiver 110a may support
standard Ethernet link lengths or ranges of operation and/or
extended ranges of operation.
[0021] The transceiver 110 may be configured to handle all the
physical layer requirements, which include, but are not limited to,
packetization, data transfer and serialization/deserialization
(SERDES), in instances where such an operation is required.
Additionally, in order to support AVB protocols, the transceiver
110 may be enabled to generate timestamps corresponding to the
transmission and/or reception of data. Data packets received by the
transceiver 110a from the MAC controller 108a may include data and
header information for each of the above six functional layers. The
transceiver 110 may be configured to encode data packets that are
to be transmitted over a network and/or to decode data packets
received from a network.
[0022] The data transmitted and/or received by the transceiver 110a
may be formatted in accordance with the well-known OSI protocol
standard. The OSI model partitions operability and functionality
into seven distinct and hierarchical layers. Generally, each layer
in the OSI model is structured so that it may provide a service to
the immediately higher interfacing layer. For example, layer 1, or
physical (PHY) layer, may provide services to layer 2 and layer 2
may provide services to layer 3. The data transmitted may comprise
frames of Ethernet media independent interface (MII) data which may
be delimited by start of stream and end of stream delimiters, for
example.
[0023] The host 106 may represent layer 3 and above, the MAC
controller 108 may represent layer 2 and above and the transceiver
110 may represent the operability and/or functionality of layer 1
or the PHY layer. In this regard, the transceiver 110a may be
referred to as a PHY device or a PHY transceiver, for example. The
host 106a may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that
may enable operability and/or functionality of the five highest
functional layers for data packets that are to be transmitted over
a network. Since each layer in the OSI model provides a service to
the immediately higher interfacing layer, the MAC controller 108
may provide the necessary services to the host 106a to ensure that
packets are suitably formatted and communicated to the transceiver
110. During transmission, each layer may add its own header to the
data passed on from the interfacing layer above it. During
reception, a compatible device having a similar OSI stack strips
off the headers as the message passes from the lower layers up to
the higher layers.
[0024] The MAC controller 108 may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry, and/or code that may enable handling of data link layer,
layer 2, operability and/or functionality in the AVB enabled
Audio/Video equipment 100. Accordingly, the MAC controller 108 may
be configured to implement Ethernet protocols, such as those based
on the IEEE 802.3 standard, for example. Similarly, the MAC
controller 108 may be enabled to implement AVB protocols such as
IEEE 801.1Qat and IEEE 802.1Qav.
[0025] The MAC controller 108 may communicate with the transceiver
110a via an interface 118 and with the host 106 via a bus
controller interface 116. The interface 118 may correspond to an
Ethernet interface that comprises protocol and/or link management
control signals. The interface 118 may be a multi-rate interface
and/or media independent interface (MII). The bus controller
interface 116a may correspond to a PCI or PCI-X interface.
Notwithstanding, the invention is not limited in this regard.
[0026] FIG. 2A is a diagram of an exemplary audio/video bridging
enabled network, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Referring to FIG. 2A there is shown a network 204 coupling a
plurality of network nodes 100a, and 100b. The nodes 100a, 100b,
and 100c may be similar to or the same as the AVB enabled A/V
equipment 100 of FIG. 1. The network 204 may comprise one or more
physical links and/or network nodes enabled to route data. In this
regard, the network 204 may, for example, comprise one or more
twisted pair links, switches, routers, end systems, wireless links,
wireless routers, etc.
[0027] In operation, a VLAN VL1 may be established between the AVB
node 100a and the AVB node 100b. Similarly, a VLAN VL2 may be
established between the AVB node 100a and the AVB node 100c. AVB
and non-AVB traffic may be exchanged over VL1 and/or VL2. For
example, the node 100b may request A/V content, stream 1, from the
node 100a. Accordingly, the AVB nodes 100b and/or 100c may utilize
AVB protocols to reserve resources for the stream 1. However, in
addition to multimedia content comprising the stream 1, the nodes
100a, 100b and 100c may need to exchange administrative/control
data. In one embodiment of the invention, the nodes 100b and/or
100c may need to send data to the node 100a in order to, for
example, open additional streams, manage files located on the node
100a, and/or perform other operations separate from existing
multimedia streams. Accordingly, the nodes 100a, 100b, and any
intermediary nodes comprising the network 200 may be enabled to
monitor and/or control an amount of bandwidth allocated for
administrative/control data. In this regard, allocating resources
for administrative/control data may prevent multimedia traffic
and/or general Ethernet traffic from consuming too many resources
in the network 200 leading to communication errors, system
failures, and/or network failures.
[0028] In another embodiment of the invention, the node 100c may
comprise an administrative/control node which may be enabled to
access, control, and/or otherwise interact with the nodes 100a and
100b while stream 1 is being transmitted from the node 100a to
100b. Accordingly, resources between the node 100c and the node
100a and resources between the node 100c and the node 100b may be
reserved to enable the administrative/control traffic, regardless
of the amount and/or types of data being exchanged between the
nodes 100a and 100b.
[0029] FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating communication of high
definition multimedia content over a network, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2B, there is shown a
multimedia host 252 communicating content over the network 250 to a
multimedia client 254. The host 252 and the client 254 may be
similar to or the same as the AVB enabled A/V equipment 100 of FIG.
1. The network 204 may be as described in FIG. 2A.
[0030] In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the network 250
may enable communication at up to 10 Gbps. However, high definition
multimedia content may exceed data rates of 10 Gbps. Accordingly,
in instances where the client 254 may be allowed to reserve 10 Gbps
for multimedia traffic from the host 252 to the client 254, the
upstream administrative/control traffic from the client 254 to the
host 252 may be bandwidth starved and communications may fail. In
this manner, the client 254 may be unable to, for example, access
files on the server 252, initiate additional multimedia streams, or
perform various other tasks. Thus, aspects of the invention may
ensure that at least a minimum amount of bandwidth may be reserved
for administrative/control traffic, such that one or more
multimedia streams don't monopolize communications between network
nodes. Moreover, administrative/control traffic may be provided
guaranteed quality of service (as opposed to best effort service)
to ensure reliable and timely communication of
administrative/control data.
[0031] FIG. 3 is a diagram of an exemplary Ethernet frame structure
that may enable managing network resources allocated for AVB
traffic. Referring to FIG. 3, the Ethernet frame 300 may comprise a
destination MAC address field 302, a source MAC address field 304,
a VLAN tag 312, an length/type field 306, a payload 308, and a
frame check sequence (FCS) 310.
[0032] The destination MAC address field 302 may comprise
information that may be utilized to identify the node that the
frame 300 is to be sent to. The source MAC address 304 field may
comprise information that may be utilized to identify the node that
originated the frame.
[0033] The length/type field 306 may comprise information that may
be utilized to identify the protocol (e.g. IPv4 or IPv6) being
transported in the frame. In this regard, the length/type field may
be similar to or the same as an Ethertype field in a non-VLAN
tagged Ethernet frame. Accordingly, when the frame 300 is parsed,
the VLAN tag 312 may be removed and the length/type field 306 may
be shifted over and become an Ethertype field. In this manner, when
a frame is VLAN tagged, the information comprising an Ethertype
field may be preserved in the length/type field 306.
[0034] The payload 308 may contain data being transmitted by the
frame 300. For example, in instances that the frame 300 may be part
of a multimedia stream, the payload 308 may comprise multimedia
data and/or auxiliary/control data associated with a multimedia
stream. For other frames, the payload 308 may comprise
administrative/control data which may be necessary to maintain the
operations of one or more nodes in a network. Accordingly, aspects
of the invention may enable reserving network resources for frames
comprising administrative/control data.
[0035] The FCS 310 may comprise information that may be utilized to
provide error detection for the frame. For example, the FCS 310 may
comprise a CRC and/or a checksum.
[0036] The VLAN tag 312 may comprise a TPID 314 and a tag control
information (TCI) field 316. The TPID 314 may comprise a numerical
identifier which may indicate that the frame 300 has been VLAN
tagged so that the frame 400 may be parsed accordingly. An
exemplary numerical identifier may comprise 0x8100. The TCI field
316 may comprise a priority field 318, a canonical format indicator
(CFI) 320, and a VLAN ID 322. The CFI 320 may be used to provide
compatibility between Ethernet and token ring networks. The VLAN ID
322 may comprise a numerical identifier corresponding to the VLAN
with which the frame 300 is associated. The priority field 318 may
indicate a level of urgency associate with the frame 300 and may be
utilized for network resource management, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. In this regard, frames comprising
administrative/control information may be assigned a high priority
such that AVB reservations for multimedia streams and/or general
Ethernet traffic do not prevent the timely delivery of the
administrative/control information. For example, a minimum amount
of bandwidth may be reserved at all times in a video server to
ensure that remote nodes can communicate bi-directionally with the
video server. In this regard, the minimum amount of bandwidth may
be a cumulative minimum or may be a minimum per client.
[0037] The frame 300 may be communicated across a network, such as
the network 200, utilizing Audio/Video bridging protocols. In one
embodiment of the invention, the TPID 314 may indicate that the
frame is associated with a VLAN which has reserved network
resources across the network. Accordingly, for a frame 300
containing important administrative/control data, the priority
field 418 may indicate a high priority.
[0038] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating allocation of network
bandwidth, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Referring to FIG. 4, portions 404 and 406 may be reserved via AVB.
In this regard, a determined percentage of node bandwidth may be
reserved for guaranteed traffic while the remaining bandwidth,
portion 402, may provide best effort communication. For example,
70% of a nodes bandwidth may be reserved while 30% may remain for
best effort service. However, in accordance with an embodiment of
the invention, the portion 406 may be allocated for
administrative/control traffic. In this regard, reserving bandwidth
strictly for administrative/control traffic may prevent network
and/or node resources from being monopolized and causing
communication errors, network, failures, and/or node failures.
[0039] In various embodiments of the invention, the percentage of
bandwidth which may be reserved via AVB, the sum of portions 404
and 406 in FIG. 4, may increase to 100%, or may decrease to a
minimum bandwidth required for administrative/control data. In the
latter case, there may be no reserved bandwidth available for
multimedia traffic.
[0040] In various embodiments of the invention, a minimum amount of
bandwidth may be reserved for administrative/control data for each
AVB stream registered in a network. For example, for each AVB
reservation request received by a network node, aspects of the
invention may enable that node to reserve an additional amount of
bandwidth, beyond that requested, to be utilized strictly for
administrative/control data associated with that AVB reservation or
with the client requesting the reservation. In this regard, in
instances where the requested bandwidth plus the additional
administrative/control bandwidth is unavailable, the node may be
enabled to reject the reservation.
[0041] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for
managing network resources, in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention. Referring to FIG. 5, the exemplary steps may begin with
start step 502. Subsequent to step 502, the exemplary steps may
advance to step 504. In step 504, resources in a network may be
reserved utilizing AVB. In this regard, a default bandwidth may be
reserved for time-sensitive traffic. Moreover, a portion of the
reserved resources may be allocated for administrative/control
traffic. Subsequent to step 504, the exemplary steps may advance to
step 506. In step 506, a frame may be received by a network node.
Subsequent to step 506, the exemplary steps may advance to step
507. In step 507, it may be determined whether the frame received
in step 506 comprises administrative/control data. If the frame
does comprise administrative/control data, then the exemplary steps
may advance to step 508. In step 508, the frame comprising
administrative/control data may be routed utilizing the reserved
resources allocated for admin/control traffic.
[0042] Returning to step 507, if the frame received in step 506
does not comprise administrative/control data, the exemplary steps
may advance to step 510. In step 510, it may be determined whether
the frame received in step 507 is attempting to register a new AVB
stream. If, in step 510, it is determined that the frame is a
stream registration, then the exemplary steps may advance to step
512. In step 512, it may be determined whether the stream may be
registered without exceeding the resources reserved in step 504. In
this regard, sufficient resources may be required for associated
administrative/control data in addition to the resources required
for the stream. Accordingly, if the stream and associated
administrative/control data do not result in exceeding the
resources reserved in step 504, then the exemplary steps may
advance to step 516. In step 516, reserved resources may be
allocated for the stream and associated administrative/control
traffic, and the stream may begin traversing the network.
[0043] Returning to step 512, in instances where the stream and
associated administrative/control data may require resources beyond
those reserved in step 504, the exemplary steps may advance to step
522. In step 522, it may be determined whether additional resources
may be reserved via AVB. In this regard, network administrators may
impose a limit on the resources which may be reserved via AVB.
Additionally, limits on the usage of network resources may be based
on past and/or present network statistics. If, in step 522,
additional resources may be reserved, then the exemplary steps may
advance to the previously described step 516.
[0044] Returning to step 522 if additional resources may not be
reserved, then the exemplary steps may advance to step 526. In step
526, the stream may be denied and the originator of the frame may
be notified of a lack of network resources.
[0045] Returning to step 510, if the frame is not attempting to
register a new stream, then the exemplary steps may advance to step
514. In step 514, it may be determined whether the frame is part of
an existing AVB stream. In this regard, in instances where the
frame may be part of an existing AVB stream, then the exemplary
steps may advance to step 518. In step 518, the frame may be routed
via reserved resources allocated for that AVB stream.
[0046] Returning to step 514 if the frame is not part of an
existing AVB stream, then the exemplary steps may advance to step
5124. In step 524, the frame may be routed via best effort
service.
[0047] Aspects of a method and system for managing network
resources in audio/video bridging enabled networks are provided. In
this regard, network resources reserved via AVB may be allocated
for administrative and/or control traffic, as depicted in FIG. 4.
Additionally, administrative and/or control data may be assigned
highest priority for routing in the network. In this regard,
priority of traffic may be determined via one or more bits of a
VLAN tag associated with the traffic, as described with respect to
FIG. 3. For each AVB stream registered in the network, there may be
a corresponding portion of the reserved network resources allocated
for administrative and/or control data. The portion of reserved
network resources allocated for administrative and/or control data
may be based on past, present, or expected network statistics.
Portions of the reserved resources not allocated for administrative
and/or control data may be utilized for communicating one or more
multimedia streams. In this regard, the unallocated resources may
be distributed amongst the one or more multimedia streams.
Allocating reserved resources for administrative and/or control
traffic may ensure reliable communication of the administrative
and/or control traffic, by preventing one or more multimedia
streams from monopolizing network resources.
[0048] Another embodiment of the invention may provide a
machine-readable storage, having stored thereon, a computer program
having at least one code section executable by a machine, thereby
causing the machine to perform the steps as described herein for
managing network resources in audio/video bridging (AVB) enabled
networks.
[0049] Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in
hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The
present invention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at
least one computer system, or in a distributed fashion where
different elements are spread across several interconnected
computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus
adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A
typical combination of hardware and software may be a
general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, when
being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that
it carries out the methods described herein.
[0050] The present invention may also be embedded in a computer
program product, which comprises all the features enabling the
implementation of the methods described herein, and which when
loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods.
Computer program in the present context means any expression, in
any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended
to cause a system having an information processing capability to
perform a particular function either directly or after either or
both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or
notation; b) reproduction in a different material form.
[0051] While the present invention has been described with
reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents
may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present
invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a
particular situation or material to the teachings of the present
invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is
intended that the present invention not be limited to the
particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention
will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the
appended claims.
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