System and method for bandwidth reservation for multimedia traffic in communication networks

摘要

A system and method is provided to compliment use of priority for reserved traffic in multimedia computerized data communication networks, to insure that the opportunity for transmitting large, unreserved data frames is constrained. If frames transmitted when the server releases a token tend to be small, then the server will capture a larger portion of the bandwidth. Thus, a short bandwidth reservation acknowledgement is transmitted onto the ring by the client for selected frames which it receives. This is not addressed to any station on the ring. Rather it is simply transmitted at a non-zero priority less than the server's priority. The criteria which is employed by the client for such acknowledgement is that the sender will send a bandwidth reservation acknowledgement only when the IEEE 802.5 AC field is set, but will do so for a fixed amount of time or for a fixed number of received frames. This criteria provides an optimization reducing overall ring utilization, since the bandwidth reservation acknowledgement is only sent when the ring is congested. A communication network is disclosed which transmits an unsolicited acknowledgement at non-zero priority for each non-zero priority frame received, such system thereby being independent of the communication protocol employed by the network station.