Weighted fairness in cascade aggregation for access networks

A cascade aggregation can enable access networks to be deployed efficiently in areas with a low subscriber density. To achieve fairness for best effort (BE) traffic from subscribers, we proposed N rate N+1 color marking (NRN+1CM). However, it is important to realize weighted fairness. Network operators often provide different services that limit the maximum bandwidth or ensure that bandwidth is allocated with appropriate weights. This paper proposes weighted NRN+1CM which can set the maximum bandwidth and the weight for each subscriber and to allocate bandwidth based on the weights. The proposed algorithm modifies the color generation probability with the weight. If the input rate exceeds the maximum rate, frames are discarded to limit the output rate. We confirmed the effect of the proposed algorithm from computer simulations. The throughput ratio matched the weights and the throughput was limited to the maximum rate regardless of changes in traffic.