Patent ID: 8004980
Filing Date: 2011-08-23
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method performed by a data flow policing device, the method comprising: receiving, by the data flow policing device, a policing request associated with a packet belonging to a data flow; retrieving, from a memory associated with the data flow policing device, a data structure corresponding to the data flow, the data structure including a credit count for the data flow; calculating, by the data flow policing device, an amount to increment the credit count; determining, by the data flow policing device, whether the packet is within a data flow specification using a function that compares a probability value to a random number, the probability value being based on the credit count, as modified by a length of the packet and the amount to increment the credit count; sending an indication that the packet is within the data flow specification when the probability value is greater than the random number; and storing, in the memory, an updated data structure corresponding to the data flow, the updated data structure including the credit count, as modified by the length of the packet and the amount to increment the credit count.