Patent ID: 8489720

Claim:
A method in a computer network comprising an access link, wherein monetary charges incurred for utilization of the access link are based on a billing model, the method comprising: applying an aggregate bandwidth limit to data flows traversing the access link, monitoring data throughput of the access link relative to the billing model, wherein the billing model defines the monetary charges incurred based on the data throughput; modulating the aggregate bandwidth limit to maximize performance of a network application against a desired cost level of the access link based on the billing model and the data throughput, wherein the modulating comprises: determining an incremental cost of raising the aggregate bandwidth limit, the incremental cost defined by a pricing model included in the billing model; and based on the incremental cost, raising the aggregate bandwidth limit; and monitoring the performance of the network application, wherein the network application transfers packets between a first set of hosts and a second set of hosts over the computer network, including monitoring of response times between at least one host in the first set and at least one host in the second set, wherein the monitoring of the response times includes: recording, at a network device disposed between the first set of hosts and the second set of hosts, arrival times of the packets associated with the network application; and computing, based on the arrival times of the packets, at least one parameter characterizing a response time between at least one host in the first set and at least one host in the second set.