OVERLOAD CONTROL

Description
The memory overload can happen on any binary that has independent memory resources or some shared resources such as FPA buffers. The overload could happen even when the queue size in RLC/PDCP increases significantly and the underlying layer becomes the bottleneck for higher throughput. Ideally, overload control mechanism needs to available on every binary that we may build. When a certain threshold is reached, the overload control mechanism will stop allowing new packets/calls. In other words, it will start dropping the packets.

Design Description
In current LTE eNodeB architecture the bottleneck for overload is rlcpdcp layer. The basic overload control can be provided in current architecture in 2 different ways. The two alternatives are discussed below: 1. Approach 1: PDCP layer is configured with the threshold based on no of packets and PDCP layer drops the packet if the threshold is reached. PDCP layer provides the pjLibPktAdmCtrl function which will check for the threshold. It can be overwritten by customer specific application catering to their design. But this piece of code will always run along with the RLC/PDCP stack. Also, PDCP layer can decide whether to drop packet on a particular type of bearer whether it is SRB or DRB i.e prioritizing the bearers. This approach will work fine when the application is running along with the User Plane Stack (RLC/PDCP). If the application is running on a separate processor than application needs to provide some configuration for thresholds or it can have hardcoded logic inside this function. RLC/PDCP can check this configured value and start dropping the packet when the threshold is reached.

2.

Approach 2: RLC PDCP layer will be configured with the threshold but it will not drop the packet. It will simply inform the application through the status indication. Data Relay Application will start dropping the packet on reaching the threshold. Again if the stack informs the application through Status Indication that the load is below threshold then Data Relay application can stop dropping the packets. This has an added advantage in terms of application knowing that the threshold is reaching so that application can reject further bearer allocation. Also application can change the threshold run time. This approach can also help eNodeB application if Radio Admission Control is used in the application. Independent of these 2 approaches, RLC/PDCP can have multiple levels of threshold let us say threshold1 and threshold2. On reaching the threshold 1 RLC/PDCP will drop the DRB packets and on reaching the threshold RLC/PDCP will drop the SRB packets also along with the DRB packets. We can have also check for the CPU usage for setting the threshold.

Low Level Design: