Patent ID: 8031601

Claim:
A method comprising detecting, at a network device operably connected to a link in a network, a first transport layer data flow corresponding to a first host and a second host among a plurality of transport layer data flows transmitted across the link; estimating, at a start of the first transport layer data flow between the first host and the second host, an initial rate demand for the first transport layer data flow, wherein the first host and the second host implement, relative to the first transport layer data flow, a protocol that utilizes a slow-start phase, wherein the initial rate demand is an estimated rate capacity for the first transport layer data flow of a communications path between the first and second host, wherein the communications path includes the link; allocating bandwidth of the link to a plurality of data flows including assigning a target rate to the first transport layer data flow wherein the target rate is less than the initial rate demand for the first transport layer data flow; enforcing, at the network device, the target rate on the first transport layer data flow; maintaining a count of packets associated with the first transport layer data flow; and increasing the target rate allocated to the first transport layer data flow, if the count of packets associated with the first transport layer data flow exceeds at least one threshold.