Patent ID: 7729347
Filing Date: 2010-06-01
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. In a non-degenerated backbone network transmitting flows from a plurality of QoS levels that are determined either at the source edge router process or specified in the data packet header, a method in an edge router process for classifying into flows every data packet arriving at the source edge router process from an end user device through its access link, updating the current list of active flows in the source edge router based on flow activities and possibly transmitting Type I-1 and Type I-2 forward RMP packets, the method comprising the steps of: checking a local interval timer, and setting a wildcard symbol in the identifier of the output link (denoted by out_port) through which the packet will be switched out by the edge router, and scanning a local data structure, which maintains the active flows (denoted by Active_Flow_DS), for determining if the data packet matches an active flow characterized by the packet source IP address header field, or alternatively by a unique representative IP address in the network number of the packet source IP address, and also by the packet destination IP address header field, or alternatively by a unique representative IP address in the network number of the packet destination IP address, and also by the packet TOS header field, and if out_port is retrieved, then also by the out_port value; and comparing between the flow characteristics of each scanned flow in Active_Flow_DS and that of the arriving data packet, and completing the scanning by