JP2001520817A - Hierarchical resource management - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Summary Managing resources such as buffers and bandwidth allocated to entities (100, 102, 104) competing by two or more levels (level 0 ... level N) in a telecommunications network. A system is disclosed. The system provides tools for allocating resources for use by individual entities. Each entity is assigned a minimum guaranteed variable (302) and a maximum allowed variable (306). When an entity requests a resource, the system determines whether the entity is using a respective minimum guaranteed resource allocation specified by the minimum guaranteed variable (302). If the entities are not using their respective minimum guaranteed resource allocations, the system allocates resource units to the requesting entity (304). The system also allows the requesting entity to use additional resource units beyond the resource allocation specified by the minimum guaranteed variable, if additional resource units are available. Intermediate where the entity has reached its respective minimum guaranteed resource allocation but has not reached its respective maximum allowed resource allocation specified by the maximum allowed variable (306) and uses the respective maximum allowed resource allocation If no level exists, the resource unit is assigned to the requesting entity.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Hierarchical resource management Field of the invention The present invention relates generally to resource management techniques, and more particularly, to resource management techniques that dynamically adapt to multiple levels of context to provide efficient use of resources in a telecommunications network. Related application A priority claim is made to provisional application No. 60 / 001,498 entitled "COMMUNI CATION METHOD AND APPARATUS" filed on July 19, 1995. Background of the Invention Basic techniques for managing finite resources, such as bandwidth and buffers, in multi-level hierarchical systems, such as asynchronous transfer mode ("ATM") networks, are generally known. This technique provides sufficient resources to meet the maximum demand and allocation of theoretical resources based on statistically calculated requirements. In this technique, actual use is typically significantly less than the theoretical maximum and is inefficient because some of the resources provided are not fully utilized. In contrast, allocating resources at one level in a hierarchical system of resources based on expected values of the amount of resources required under certain predetermined conditions improves efficiency and reduces resource costs. Conventional techniques for hierarchical systems attempt to allocate such resources based on either maximum or nominal resource requirements. Resources are provided based on certain statistical criteria. However, this technique lacks the control and flexibility needed to manage resources in an efficient manner at various levels of the hierarchy. Several unsatisfactory modes of operation appear. Given resources are not sufficient to satisfy the demand under all conditions, resulting in the availability of the required resources when needed and the loss of data. The provision of excess resources for the purpose of preventing data loss negates the achievable cost savings. Such systems do not provide a means to dynamically manage hierarchical resources to adapt to changing situations. Also, such a system cannot maintain a pool of resources that are shared in a controlled manner by all requesters at the level immediately below the hierarchical resource. The provision of resources for hierarchical services according to the prior art level is realized by a request from a lower level to a next higher level for a certain amount of resources. The criterion for accepting this request is obtained as a maximum request amount or a statistical expectation of the requested resource. Resources granted in this manner have proven to be inadequate or provide unsatisfactory performance. However, changing such resource allocations after consent is very difficult, typically because it involves negotiating and changing the resources provided to users of higher level resources to other equivalent lower level resources. It is. Summary of the Invention Resource allocation is managed by a maximum allowable usage level and a minimum guaranteed usage level, which are resource usage levels associated with the resource usage entity. When N represents 2 or more, the method of hierarchical resource management for allocating resource units from level N entities and intermediate level to level 0 entities comprises one or more entities that specify the maximum amount of resources that can be allocated to each entity. Assigning the first variable to the first variable, and if the first variable is assigned to a level 0 entity, the actual use by the level 0 entity is less than the assignment specified by the assigned first variable. Determine if there is, and reject the request if the actual use is not less than the assignment specified by the assigned first variable; otherwise, the first variable at each intermediate level If assigned, the actual use of each intermediate level is determined by the unassigned specified by the first variable assigned to that level. And rejects the request if the actual use is not less than the assignment specified by the first variable at any intermediate level; otherwise, the level 0 entity Servicing a request for a resource unit from a level 0 entity by providing the resource unit. A second variable specifying the maximum guaranteed resource allocation is assigned for each entity. A resource request by an entity is granted if the requested usage level is less than the minimum guaranteed resource allocation. The first and second variables provide a tool that maximizes overall resource utilization by controlling resource utilization by individual entities in ways not previously possible. Efficient and flexible use of controlled resources ensures that each entity has at least a respective minimum guaranteed resource allocation, and that the entity is configured to use a first variable that exceeds the respective minimum guaranteed allocation. It is provided by making available resources available up to a specified amount. When a level 0 entity requests a resource unit, the resource unit is given if the actual usage by the level 0 entity is less than the allocated minimum guarantee specified by the second variable. Measures shall be taken to ensure the availability of a minimum guaranteed resource allocation by ensuring that the minimum guaranteed amount available at a level is greater than or equal to the sum of the minimum guaranteed amounts at lower levels. It is possible to provide. After the entity allocates each minimum guaranteed resource amount, additional available resources are utilized up to the amount specified by the respective first variable. However, total resource utilization, or efficiency, is maximized by controlling resource utilization by individual entities. With respect to the provision of hierarchical resources, the present invention provides better services than prior art services. A request for a resource is made with respect to two variables, one specifying the maximum (maximum allowed) resource available to the requestor and the other variable specifying the minimum resource requested by the requestor. I do. The criterion for accepting the request is the availability of minimum resources. If additional resources are available, the requester is allowed to use up to the maximum allowed. The upper level must be able to supply resources that match the sum of the minimum resource requirements for the granted request. The service provided by the higher level to the lower level user is improved by having the resources available up to the maximum allowed total for all granted lower level requests. It is also clear that providing more resources than the sum of the maximum allowed of all granted requests does not provide any additional benefit. Similar methods of requesting and granting resources are utilized at each level of the resource hierarchy system. Thus, the present invention allocates resources and makes the resources available at each level of the hierarchical system more efficient than would otherwise be possible. In another embodiment, the minimum guaranteed resources are statistically shared among resource utilization users at higher levels of the resource hierarchy. When the minimum guaranteed portion is statistically shared, the method is modified to implement a statistical sharing approach. More specifically, if a level 0 entity is operating below the associated minimum guaranteed resource allocation, the entity will allocate more resources at a higher level than their respective minimum guaranteed resource allocation. Can be used. This approach allows an entity to continue using resources even if the minimum guaranteed pool of resources is exhausted. In addition, if a level 0 entity is operating beyond the relevant minimum guaranteed resource allocation, higher level resources are only granted if all upper level minimum guaranteed resources are present. . This approach leaves resources available for other entities that have not used up the minimum guaranteed resources involved. Such statistical sharing is advantageous, for example, when there are a large number of resource users who do not always request resources at the same time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Other features and advantages will become apparent with reference to the following detailed description of the drawings. In the drawings, FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of bandwidth allocation in a telecommunication network, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of multi-level resource management, FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for consuming resources, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing hierarchical memory management. Detailed description of the drawings FIG. 1 shows the bandwidth allocation in a telecommunications network. The network unit 10 shows entities such as companies requesting network bandwidth. Network section 10 shares bandwidth with other network sections 12 over optical fibers or other links 14. For example, the network unit 10 represents a network unit in a company. In the present embodiment, the network unit 10 is a technology group 16, a sales and marketing group 18, a business administration group 20, a programming department 22, a hardware department 24, a marketing department 26, and a sales department. 28, including a number of other entities requesting access to network bandwidth, such as an accounting department 30 and a human resources department 32. For illustrative purposes, link 14 may provide up to two million bits per second ("MBPS") of bandwidth. If each network part 10, 12 in the network is allowed to occupy the bandwidth without restriction, some users occupy more bandwidth than others and some users have little or no bandwidth. It is recognized that bandwidth will not be available. Overall bandwidth usage control is provided by controlling bandwidth usage at the enterprise, group and department level. In the case of the present embodiment, the enterprise link unit 34 is limited to a bandwidth of 100 MBPS at the maximum. That is, when 100 MBPS of bandwidth is utilized on link 34, the network prevents entities within the enterprise from acquiring additional bandwidth over link 34. Similarly, in this embodiment, the technology group is limited to a bandwidth of 70 MBPS and the hardware department is limited to a bandwidth of 30 MBPS. The programming department 22 is not directly limited with respect to bandwidth. However, not all departments and / or groups need to be bandwidth limited. In this embodiment, the programming department has no direct bandwidth limitation, but the programming department is limited by the bandwidth allocation 36 of the technology group. That is, bandwidth usage by departments within a group cannot exceed the bandwidth allocation for the group. It should be noted that departments are not guaranteed to have access to their respective maximum bandwidths associated with the department. Further control over bandwidth allocation is provided by allocating a minimum guaranteed amount of bandwidth to be provided to bandwidth utilizing entities such as enterprises, groups and departments. In this embodiment, the enterprise has a minimum guaranteed bandwidth of 100 MBPS in link 34, the technology group has a minimum guaranteed bandwidth of 60 MBPS over link 52, and the hardware department has a 25 MBPS over link 66. The programming department has a minimum guaranteed bandwidth of 35 MBPS over link 68. To ensure that each entity in the network has access to the minimum guaranteed bandwidth, the system uses the minimum guaranteed bandwidth given to the enterprise as the sum of the group's minimum guaranteed bandwidth. And the sum of the group's minimum guaranteed bandwidth is configured to match the department's minimum guaranteed bandwidth. Also, the minimum guaranteed bandwidth provided to certain entities may be set to zero. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating N-level resource management when N ≧ 2. Twenty-seven basic resource utilization entities 100-152 exist in level 0 entities. Nine entities 154-172 are at level 0. Level 0 entities reside within level 1 entities 174, 176, 178 that reside within level 2 entity 180. This architecture is repeated up to level N entity 182 where all lower level entities reside. For example, entity 122 resides in level 0 entity 160, level 0 entity resides in level 1 entity 176, and so on. Resources are allocated to base entities via level N entities and intermediate entities. In this way, the total amount of resources that can be allocated to the base entity is limited by the amount of resources that can be provided by level 0 to level N. Each entity in the architecture is assigned one or both of two variables, Minimum_Guaranteed and Maximum_Allowed, that determine the resource allocation to the entity. For each of the illustrated levels, the area enclosed by the dashed line represents the minimum guaranteed resource allocation that can be provided to the next lower level. The sum of the minimum guaranteed resource allocation for a given level matches the minimum guaranteed resource allocation for that level. For example, the level 1 minimum guaranteed resource allocation for entity 176 is equal to the sum of allocations 184, 186, 188. Each level of open space represents additional bandwidth available beyond the minimum guaranteed allocation. The actual current amount of resources used by the entity ("actual use" is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to the maximum allowed. The basic rules of operation of the management system are: (2) Each entity is surely given a minimum guaranteed amount, and the minimum guaranteed amount may be specified as "0". The system advantageously allocates resources to the requesting entity based on the availability of intermediate level resources.If the resource consuming entity uses less than the allocated minimum guaranteed resource allocation, the resource However, when the allocation of resources beyond the minimum guarantee is requested, the resource availability of intermediate levels 1 to N will be reduced by the assigned minimum guaranteed variable and maximum allowed. A request for a level 0 resource unit is rejected if the resource unit is not available at that intermediate level because the intermediate level entity has reached its assigned maximum allowed resource allocation. If the resource unit is available at each intermediate level, the request is granted Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the queuing process in the present resource management system, where a level 0 entity first requests a resource unit. When performing 300, a query 302 is made to determine whether the actual use by the level 0 entity is below the respective minimum guaranteed variable.If the actual use is below the minimum guaranteed variable, then the resource unit Allocation 304 is performed.If the actual use is not less than the respective minimum guaranteed variable, then the actual use is A query 306 is made to determine if it is less than the maximum allowed for the tidy, and if the actual use is greater than or equal to the respective maximum allowed variable, a rejection 308 of the request is made and the queuing process ends (310). If the actual use is less than the respective maximum allowed variable, to determine if the resource unit is available at the intermediate level entity that passes through when allocating the resource unit to the level 0 entity, A second query 312 is made, that is, query 312 determines whether the actual usage is less than a respective maximum allowable variable for each intermediate level, where the actual usage is a respective maximum allowable for each intermediate level. If not, a rejection 308 of the resource unit request is made 308. Actual usage is less than the respective maximum allowable variable for each intermediate level. Mules, assignment 304 to the entity level 0 resource units is performed, a variable that tracks the resource use is updated accordingly. To track resource usage for allocation purposes, each entry is assigned a minimum limit Min_Limit variable, a minimum excess limit AboveMin_Limit variable, a minimum counter Min_Counter, and a minimum excess counter AboveMin_Counter. The minimum limit is used to limit the total minimum guaranteed resources that an entity can use. The minimum overage limit is used to limit the total resources available to an entity over a minimum guarantee. The maximum allowed number of resources available to an entity is equal to the sum of the minimum and minimum excess limits. The minimum counter counts the number of resource units up to the minimum limit in use by the entity. The minimum exceeded counter counts the number of resource units in use that have exceeded the minimum limit by the entity. In practice, the minimum counter is incremented and incremented by the entity until the resource unit reaches the minimum limit, and the minimum exceeded counter is incremented as the resource unit is acquired by the entity between the minimum and minimum limit. You. To update the counter when a resource unit is allocated, the management system first determines in a third query 314 whether the minimum counter variable of the level 0 entity is less than the minimum limit variable. If the minimum counter variable is less than the minimum limit variable, an increment 316 of the minimum counter variable is performed. If the minimum counter variable is not less than the minimum limit variable, an increment 318 of the minimum excess counter variable is made. The system then determines at inquiry 320 whether level N has been reached. If level N has not been reached, the system checks the next higher level 322 and updates the counter accordingly. When the level N has been reached, the program ends (310). Referring to FIG. 4, resources that are no longer used are queued. During the queuing process, the resource unit is returned at step 326 and the counter is updated. The counter is updated by first decreasing each minimum excess counter variable to zero and then decreasing each minimum counter variable. More specifically, when a resource unit is returned, the management system first determines at query 328 whether the respective minimum excess counter variable is greater than zero. If the minimum excess counter variable is greater than zero, a minimum excess counter variable reduction 330 is performed; otherwise, a respective minimum counter variable reduction 332 is performed. The system then determines at inquiry 334 whether level N has been reached. If level N has not been reached, the system checks the next higher level 327 and updates the counter accordingly. When level N is reached, the program ends (336). FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a memory managed by a hierarchical method. The actual memory 500 is shown on the right. The memory is level 2 of a three-level hierarchy. The request source 502 of level 0 of the hierarchy is shown on the left. Requesters are grouped by department 504 at level 1 of the hierarchy. There are many requesters per department, but only two are shown for simplicity. Also, if necessary, for simplicity, some levels are represented by "n", such as the minimum limit Min_Limit (n, c), and the requester is represented by "c". However, n = 1 and c = 6 indicate the minimum limit Min_Limit value of the section number 6. The hierarchical memory management system includes a control storage 506 for storing all minimum and minimum excess limits, and counters corresponding to all required minimum and minimum counter values. In each case, the number of requested values above is defined by the number of levels and the number of equivalent requesters at each level. The actual memory 500 includes a fixed number of storage locations. These storage locations are divided into two pools n of memory based on the minimum limit (2). Memory elements below the minimum limit represent the minimum guaranteed memory resources available at level two. All illustrated memory elements, including those exceeding the minimum limit, represent the maximum allowed memory resources available. The memory elements corresponding to the minimum guaranteed resources available are shown as being adjacent to one another when the minimum bounding line is a horizontal line, but is not limited to this. The memory elements corresponding to the minimum guaranteed resources may be distributed throughout the actual memory 500, the number of memory elements used in both categories being kept in corresponding counters, and the minimum limit value corresponding to the corresponding control storage device. Is stored in the storage location. The maximum allowed memory resource, indicated by the rectangular outline representing the memory, corresponds to the number of available memory elements, which is a fixed number predetermined based on the physical memory itself. The value for the minimum limit is assigned, changed, and managed based on the requirements of the system under control. Level 1 also shows the minimum guaranteed memory resources available and the maximum allowable memory resources available for each requester. These values are also held in the counter and control storage. However, at level 1, all values are assigned, changed, and managed based on the requirements of the controlling system. At level 0, the minimum guaranteed memory resources available and the maximum allowable memory resources available for each request source are also shown. These values are also held in the counter and control storage. At level 0 all values are assigned, changed and managed based on the requirements of the controlling system. As shown, the memory element provided to the requestor is represented as a block of contiguous memory at level 0, level 1 and level 2, with the minimum limit indicating the minimum limit at the next higher level. Aligned with the horizon. However, in actual use, a given memory element may be distributed throughout the memory. In all cases, the counter and control store controls and tracks the actual allocation of memory elements to the requestor. AboveMin_limit (2), a level 2 minimum excess limit, corresponds to all available actual memory less than the guaranteed minimum value Min_Limit (2). At levels 0 and 1, the minimum excess limit AboveMin_Limit (n, c) is set based on both the level 2 available actual memory resources and the requirements of the controlling system. A request for a memory resource by a level 0 requester is processed based on the flow given in FIG. 3 using the current usage of level 0, level 1 and level 2, and the flow of FIG. To be rejected or rejected. If accepted, the requestor is allowed to use the requested memory at the level 2 actual memory. The process of returning the requested memory to an available state is controlled by the flow shown in FIG. The sum of the minimum guaranteed memory resources for the level 0 requester belonging to one department is equal to the minimum guaranteed memory resource for the level 1 department. Similarly, the sum of the level 1 minimum guaranteed memory resources for all departments exactly matches the level 2 minimum guaranteed memory resources. The sum of the maximum allowable memory resources for the level 0 requester belonging to one department is larger than the maximum allowable memory resources for the level 1 department. Similarly, the sum of the maximum allowable memory resources of level 1 for all departments is greater than the maximum allowable memory resources of level 2. The following pseudo code implements a system that manages resources such as buffers or memory as described above. This pseudocode requires a means by which a minimum resource is guaranteed. Level 0: A connection in which the "i" connection competes at this level Level 1: A service class of a level in which the "j" service class competes ... Level N: A physical level at which there is no competition Links In a basic scenario, an entity requests a resource and competes for the resource with other entities in the level. In the following description, the variable "n" represents a level and the variable "c" represents an equivalent entity at that level requesting the next higher level resource. Min_Limit (n, c): Limits the number of "minimum" type resources that an entity can use. It is used to ensure that the minimum guaranteed resource amount is obtained for each entity. AboveMin_Limit (n, c): Limits the number of "minimum exceeded" type resources that an entity can use. The maximum allowable number of resources that can be used by an entity is equal to the sum of Min_Limit and AboveMin_Limit. Min_Counter (n, c): Counts the number of resources in use by the entity until it reaches Min_Limit. AboveMin_Counter (n, c): After reaching Min_Limit, count the number of resources in use by the entity. Enqueuing (consume resource) IF ((((Min_Counter (0, i) <Min_Limit (0, i)) OR ((AboveMin_Counter (0, i) <AboveMin_Limit (0, i)) AND (AboveMin_Counter (1, j) <AboveMin_Limit (1, j) AND (AboveMin_Counter (N) <AboveMin_Limit (N)) THEN ｛Take Resource IF (Min_Counter (0, i) <Min_Limit (0, i)) THEN ｛Increment Min_Counter (0, i)｝ ELSE ｛Increment AboveMin_Counter (0, i) Increment AboveMin_Counter (1, j) Increment AboveMin_Counter (N)}｝ ELSE ｛No_Action (resource denied)} Free Resource: Return Resource IF (AboveMin_Counter (0, i)> 0) THEN Decrement AboveMin_Counter (0, i) Decrement AboveMin_Counter (1, j) Decrement Min_Counter (N)｝ ELSE ｛Decrement Min_Counter (0, i)｝ Provides management of resources such as buffers, bandwidth, channels and memory according to the methods described in 3 and 4. To refer to the buffer for illustrative purposes, the first IF statement in the queue (IF (((Min_Counter (0, i) <Min_Limit (0, i)) OR) determines whether the buffer usage by the level 0 entity is less than Min_Provided. If the buffer usage is less than Minimum_Guaranteed, a buffer is provided; otherwise, a buffer is provided only if the buffer usage of each intermediate level is less than Maximum_Allowed. The next IF statement following the logical OR (IF ((AboveMin_Counter (0, i) <AboveMin_Limit (0, i)) AND (AboveMin_Counter (1, j) <AboveMin_Limit (1, j) AND (AboveMin_Counter (N) <AboveMin_Limit (N)))) determines whether the buffer usage by each intermediate level is less than Maximum_Allowed. If the buffer usage by the intermediate level is not less than Maximum_Allowed, the request for the buffer is rejected. When a buffer is provided, the counters at level 0 and each intermediate level are correspondingly updated by the IF-THEN-ELSE statement. For cueing, AboveMin_Counter is tested at each level and decremented if greater than zero; Min_Counter is decremented otherwise. The minimum guaranteed Minimum_Guaranteed variable and the maximum allowed Maximum_Allowed variable are assigned to entities according to a specified management method. For example, an entity may be charged for resource usage based on the value of the assigned minimum guaranteed variable and maximum allowed variable. Furthermore, variables are assigned in such a way as to allow the theoretical possibility of a full allocation of resources, thereby violating the basic rules of the management system. For example, if the total minimum guaranteed resources at level 0 for all level 0 entities exceeds the minimum guaranteed resources for level 1 entities, for example, each entity at level 0 requests a minimum guarantee and the level 1 entities may conflict. , A level 0 entity may not be able to acquire its minimum guaranteed resource level. Such over-allocation may be performed by a user of the management system according to a policy decision or according to statistical data indicating that each entity at level 0 is unlikely to simultaneously require a minimum guarantee. The pseudo-code is intended for a resource management system in which, according to a predetermined policy, the total minimum guarantee available at a certain level is equal to the sum of all the minimum guaranteed resources at a lower level, but is guaranteed. Therefore, the pseudo code needs only the level 0 minimum counter Min_Counter / minimum limit Min_Limit. If statistical resource sharing is used, the intermediate level is also assigned a minimum counter Min_Counter / minimum limit Min_Limit. Also, the resource management system can operate without any minimum guaranteed variables assigned. For example, since the maximum allowed variable may be assigned to one or more entities, the system will be able to allocate resources if the level 0 to level N entities do not fall below the maximum allowed, regardless of the minimum resource allocation guarantee. Act to reject the request. The following table shows an example of a resource management method. The difference between the lower level "sum of the minimum bounds" and the next level of the minimum bound / entity is that the Min_Provided assignment assigned to each entity at level 0 is provided, i.e. the minimum of the lower level The sum of the limits indicates how to ensure that it is less than the minimum limit of the next higher level entity. However, it should be noted that Table 1 is a simplified example, since the minimum limit and minimum excess limit are the same for all entities at a given level, and the number of entities is the same at each level. There is. Typically, the limits are different for each entity at each level, and the number of entities at each level decreases as the hierarchy level increases. It is possible to use restrictions such that all limits of a particular entity have the same value to achieve low cost. Such a restriction eliminates the need for a critical storage location for each entity. The limit is stored, for example, for each level. In certain situations, it is desirable to statistically share the minimum guaranteed resources. For example, statistical sharing is advantageous in systems with multiple resource users that do not require resources at the same time. Table 2 shows an example of a resource management method in which statistical sharing of the minimum guaranteed resource is used. It is recognized that the required minimum resources (200) cannot be provided by the level 1 entity (180) if each level 0 entity requests resources at the same time. When the minimum guarantee part is shared statistically, the pseudo code is modified as follows. Resource consumption (ConsumeResource) IF ((((Min_Counter (0, i) <Min_Limit (0, i)) AND ((Min_Counter (1, j) <Min_Limit (1, j)) OR (AboveMin_Counter (1, j) <AboveMin_Limit (1, j))) AND ((Min_Counter (N) <Min_Limit (N)) OR (AboveMin_Counter (N) <AboveMin_Limit (N)))) THEN ｛Take Resource IF (Min_Counter (0, i) <Min_Limit (0, i)) THEN ｛Increment Min_Counter (0, i)｝ IF (Min_Counter (1, j) <Min_Limit (1, j)) THEN ｛Increment Min_Counter (1, j)｝ ELSE ｛Increment Min_Counter (1, j)｝ ... IF (Min_Counter (N) <Min_Limit (N)) THEN ｛Increment Min_Counter (N)｝ ELSE ｛Increment AboveMin_Counter (N)｝｝ ELSE IF ((AboveMin_Counter (0, i) <AboveMin_Limit (0, i)) AND ((Min_Counter (1, j) <Min_Limit (1, j)) AND (AboveMin_Counter (1, j) <AboveMin_Limit (1, j))) AND ・ ・ ・ ((Min_Counter (N) <Min_Limit (N)) AND (AboveMin_Counter (N) <AboveMin_Limit (N)))) THEN ｛Take Resource Increment AboveMin_Counter (0, i) Increment AboveMin_Counter (0, i) Increment AboveMin_Counter (N)｝ ELSE ｛No_Action (resource denied)｝ Release Resources (FreeResource): Return Resource IF (AboveMin_Counter (0, i)> O) THEN ｛Decrement AboveMin_Counter (0, i)｝ ELSE ｛Decrement Min_Counter (0, i)｝ IF (AboveMin_Counter (1, j)> 0) THEN ｛Decrement AboveMin_Counter (1) , j)｝ ELSE ｛Decrement Min_Counter (1, j)｝ IF (AboveMin_Counter (N)> 0) THEN ｛Decrement AboveMin_Counter (N)｝ ELSE ｛Decrement Min_Counter (N) に よ りA statistical sharing method for Unlike the pseudo-code described first, this pseudo-code requires a minimum limit (Min_Counter) and a minimum counter (Min_Counter) for each entry at each level. If the level 0 entity falls below the associated minimum guaranteed resource allocation, the level 0 entity uses resources above the higher level minimum guaranteed allocation. In this way, resources can continue to be used even if the minimum guaranteed pool at the higher level of the hierarchy is consumed. Also, if the actual use by a level 0 entity exceeds the minimum guaranteed allocation, resources will be granted only if there are "minimum guaranteed" resources at all higher levels, i.e., the minimum counter will be assigned to each higher level. It must be below the minimum limit for the entity. This method leaves resources available for other entities that have not consumed the minimum amount. The minimum limit for level N is optional. The minimum limit (N) controls the point at which requests for resources above the "minimum guaranteed" pool are denied. Without level N control, the "maximum allowed" cutoff point would be equal to the sum of the lower level minimum limits. The change of the pseudo code to realize this is the comparison (Min_Counter (N)) in the conditional statement. <Min_Limit (N)). The techniques are equally applicable to the management of hierarchical resources other than bandwidth and may be generalized using entities other than departments, groups, companies, and the like. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments shown and described herein, but rather depart from the spirit and scope of the novel concept of the invention as set forth in the following claims. It should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention.

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page    (81) Designated countries EP (AT, BE, CH, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, L U, MC, NL, PT, SE), OA (BF, BJ, CF) , CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (KE, LS, MW, SD, S Z, UG), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD , RU, TJ, TM), AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ , BB, BG, BR, BY, CA, CH, CN, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, GB, GE, HU, I L, IS, JP, KE, KG, KP, KR, KZ, LK , LR, LS, LT, LU, LV, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, R U, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, TJ, TM, TR , TT, UA, UG, US, UZ, VN (72) Inventor Bubnik, Richard Gee             63146, Missouri, United States             True Louis, Willow Brook Dry             No. 116 (72) Inventor Caldara, Stephen A             Massachusetts, United States             01776, Sudbury, Horse Pond Low             C 220 (72) Inventors Manning, Thomas A             Massachusetts, United States             01532, Northborough, Summer Street               26th [Continuation of summary] Not reached and using the respective maximum allowed resource allocation If the level does not exist, the resource unit is Assigned to the entity.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. When N represents 2 or more, the level from level 1 including the intermediate level to level N Hierarchy that allocates resource units to level 0 entities through entities Resource management methods,   At least one entity that specifies the maximum resource allocation for each entity Assigning a first variable to the entity;   Receiving a request for a resource unit from a level 0 entity;   In response to a request for a resource unit from a level 0 entity,   a) The actual resource utilization by the level 0 entity depends on each first variable. Less than the maximum resource allocation specified by   b) The actual resource utilization by each entity from level 1 to level N-1 Less than the maximum resource allocation specified by the respective first variable for the entity If so, assigning the above resource units to level 0 entities Hierarchical resource management method. 2. At least one entity has a minimum for each entity 2. The hierarchy of claim 1 further comprising the step of assigning a second variable specifying resource allocation. Resource management method. 3. The above assignment step is   The actual resource utilization by the level 0 entity depends on the respective second variables. Querying whether it is less than the specified resource allocation,   The actual resource utilization is less than the maximum resource allocation specified by the respective second variables From the step of providing resource units to the level 0 entity. 3. The hierarchical resource management method according to claim 2, wherein 4. The second variable at level X from level 1 to at least level N-1 The resource allocation specified by the second variable at level X-1 Setting the first and second variables to be equal to or greater than the sum of all resource allocations 4. The hierarchical resource management method according to claim 3, further comprising: 5. The resource allocation specified by the first variable at level X is , So that it is less than the sum of all resource allocations specified by the respective first variables. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of setting the first and second variables. Law. 6. Assigning at least one resource usage counter to each entity 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of tracking resource utilization. 7. The tracking step includes: for each entity, exceeding zero and the second A first resource indicating utilization of a resource unit that is less than the resource allocation specified by the variable; Counter and resource units that have exceeded the resource allocation specified by the second variable above. 7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of: Source management method. 8. The step of allocating the counters comprises determining which resource units are available to the entity. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising assigning a minimum limit variable specifying a minimum number of knits. Hierarchical resource management method described above. 9. The step of allocating the counter comprises the step of exceeding the minimum limit variable. Assigns a minimum excess limit variable that specifies the maximum number of resource units for which 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of applying. 10. Claims further comprising utilizing a method for managing bandwidth in a telecommunications network. Item 2. The hierarchical resource management method according to Item 1. 11. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing a method of managing storage resources. Hierarchical resource management method. 12. The floor of claim 11, further comprising utilizing a method of managing memory. Layered resource management method. 13. The method further comprising utilizing a method for managing buffers in a telecommunications network. 13. The hierarchical resource management method according to claim 12. 14． Further comprising utilizing a method of managing the memory storing the ATM cells. The hierarchical resource management method according to claim 12, wherein 15. 2. The floor of claim 1, further comprising utilizing a method for managing channels. Layered resource management method. 16. The actual resource utilization by the level 0 entity is dictated by the second variable. If the combined resource utilization is less than the specified minimum Independent of whether the minimum resource utilization specified by the respective second variables is exceeded Assigning resource units to level 0 entities. The described hierarchical resource management method. 17． The actual resource utilization by the level 0 entity is dictated by the second variable. Exceeds the specified minimum resource usage and is synthesized at each of levels 1 to N The second variable for each of the actual resource utilization at any of the levels 1 to N Minimum capital specified by If the resource usage is not exceeded, assign a resource unit to the level 0 entity 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of: 18. A stage for setting the first variable to the same value for each level 0 entity 3. The hierarchical resource management method according to claim 2, further comprising a floor. 19. Set the first variable to a different value for each level 0 entity 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of: 20. Set the first variable to the same value for each of the entities from level 1 to N 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of: 21. The first variable is set to a different value for each of the entities at levels 1 to N. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of defining. 22. A stage for setting the second variable to the same value for each entity at level 0 3. The hierarchical resource management method according to claim 2, further comprising a floor. 23. Set the second variable to a different value for each level 0 entity 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of: 24. Set the second variable to the same value for each of the entities from level 1 to N 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of: 25. The second variable is set to a different value for each of the entities at levels 1 to N. 3. The hierarchical resource management of claim 2 further comprising the step of defining. Method. 26. When N represents 2 or more, from level 1 including the intermediate level to level N For allocating resource units to level 0 entities through the entity In the layered resource management method,   At least one entity that specifies the maximum resource allocation for each entity Assigning a first variable to the entity;   At least one entity that specifies the minimum resource allocation for each entity Assigning a second variable to the entity;   Receiving a request for a resource unit from a level 0 entity;   Actual resource utilization in response to a request for a resource unit from a level 0 entity Is less than the resource allocation specified by the respective second variables, Allocate the above resource unit to the entity,   a) The actual resource utilization by the level 0 entity depends on each first variable. Less than the maximum resource allocation specified by   b) The actual resource utilization by each entity from level 1 to level N-1 Less than the maximum resource allocation specified by the respective first variable for the entity If so, assigning the above resource units to level 0 entities Hierarchical resource management method. 27. When N represents 2 or more, from level 1 including the intermediate level to level N For allocating resource units to level 0 entities through the entity In the layered resource management method,   At least one entity that specifies the maximum resource allocation for each entity Assigning a first variable to the entity;   At least one entity that specifies the minimum resource allocation for each entity Assigning a second variable to the entity;   Receiving a request for a resource unit from a level 0 entity;   In response to a request for a resource unit from a level 0 entity,   a) The actual resource utilization by the level 0 entity is specified by the second variable. If the combined resource utilization is less than the minimum resource utilization Independent of whether the minimum resource utilization specified by each second variable is exceeded , Granting resource units to level 0 entities;   b) The actual resource utilization by the level 0 entity is specified by the second variable. Actual that exceeds the minimum resource utilization and is synthesized at each of the levels 1 to N Resource utilization at each of the levels 1 to N depends on the respective second variable. Not exceed the minimum resource utilization specified by the Assigning a source unit. 28. The second variable at level X from level 1 to at least level N-1 Are assigned at level X-1 by respective second variables. Setting the first and second variables to be equal to or greater than the sum of all resource allocations 28. The hierarchical resource management method according to claim 27, further comprising: 29. The resource allocation specified by the first variable at level X is So that it is less than the sum of all resource allocations specified by the respective first variables 28. The hierarchical resource management of claim 27, further comprising the step of setting first and second variables. Method. 30. Assigning at least one resource usage counter to each entity 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of tracking resource utilization by: Law. 31. The tracking step includes: for each entity, exceeding zero and the second A first indicating the utilization of resource units that are less than the resource allocation specified by the A counter and a resource unit that exceeds the resource allocation specified by the second variable. 31. The hierarchy of claim 30, further comprising the step of: Resource management method. 32. The step of allocating the counters comprises determining which resources are available to the entity. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: assigning a minimum limit variable specifying a minimum number of units. 2. The hierarchical resource management method according to 1. 33. The step of allocating the counters comprises the step of: Assigns a minimum over-limit variable that specifies the maximum number of resource units for which 33. The method of claim 32, further comprising the step of assigning. 34. Claims further comprising utilizing a method for managing bandwidth in a telecommunications network. Item 29. The hierarchical resource management method according to Item 27. 35. 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising utilizing a method for managing channels. Hierarchical resource management method. 36. 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising utilizing a method for managing storage resources. Hierarchical resource management method described above. 37. The floor of claim 36, further comprising utilizing a method of managing memory. Layered resource management method. 38. Using the method of managing buffers in the telecommunications network 38. The hierarchical resource management method according to claim 37, further comprising: 39. Further comprising utilizing a method of managing the memory storing the ATM cells. 38. The hierarchical resource management method according to claim 37. 40. A stage for setting the first variable to the same value for each level 0 entity The method of claim 27, further comprising a floor. 41. Set the first variable to a different value for each level 0 entity The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of: 42. Set the first variable to the same value for each of the entities from level 1 to N 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of: 43. The first variable is set to a different value for each of the entities at levels 1 to N. 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of defining. 44. A stage for setting the second variable to the same value for each entity at level 0 The method of claim 27, further comprising a floor. 45. Set the second variable to a different value for each level 0 entity The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of: 46. Set the second variable to the same value for each of the entities from level 1 to N 28. The hierarchical resource management of claim 27, further comprising the step of: Method. 47. The second variable is set to a different value for each of the entities at levels 1 to N. 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of defining.