Distributed solution for regulating network traffic

Abstract

A number of sensors are distributively deployed in a network, either integrally disposed in a number of routing devices of the network or externally disposed and coupled to the routing devices, to monitor and report on network traffic routed through the routing devices. A director is provided to receive network traffic reports from the sensors for the routing devices, and to determine whether moderating actions are to be taken to moderate an amount of network traffic, based at least in part on some of the network traffic reports received from the sensors. In one embodiment, upon determining moderating actions are to be taken, the director further determines what kind of moderating actions are to be taken, including where the moderating actions are to be taken. In one embodiment, the director further instructs appropriate ones of the sensors to cause the desired moderating actions to be applied on the network traffic going through some of the routing devices. In one embodiment, the director, in cooperation with the sensors, also determines when and where moderating actions are to be relaxed, and causes such relaxation to be effectuated. In yet another embodiment, the director, in cooperation with the sensors, also determines when and where regulating actions filtering out certain types of network traffic destined for a network node are to be applied, and causes such filtering to be performed.