Communication stack

• US 20010053131A1
• Filed: 06/13/2001
• Published: 12/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Geens, Ronald Maria Albert
• Granted Patent: US 7,020,075 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention relates to a communications stack, for connection management in a communications system. The communications system consists of at least two communicating application programs. Both application programs communicate over a connection via the communications stack.

The communication stack comprises a connection resetting means that is adapted to reset the connection by closing all connection involved elements, a signal reception means that is able to receive at least one signal for managing said connection and a connection persisting means that is adapted to keep the connection persistent. The communications stack additionally contains a decision means that is adapted to delay the reset of the connection if a terminated application signal is received via the signal reception means. If the communication stack subsequently, via the signal reception means, receives a successful application restart signal, the decision means decides to persist the connection if the application restart signal is received before expiration of said delay.

Claims

1. Communications stack (COST1), for connection management, to be used in a communications system comprising at least two communicating application programs, said application programs each communicating over a connection (CON) via said communications stack (COST1), said communications stack (COST1) comprising the following means:

a. connection resetting means (CRM), adapted to reset said connection by closing all connection involved elements; and

b. signal reception means (SRM), adapted to receive at least one signalfor managing said connection (CON),

c. connection persisting means (CPM), coupled with an input to an output of said connection resetting means (CRM) and adapted to keep said connection persistent, CHARACTERISED IN THAT said communications stack further (COST1) comprises the following means;

d. decision means (DM), coupled with an input to an output of said signal reception means (SRM) and with an output to an input of said connection resetting means (CRM) and adapted to delay said reset of said connection if said at least one signal is a terminated application signal and subsequently decide to persist said connection if a further said at least one signal is a successful application restart signal and said application restart signal is received before expiration of said delay.

2. Communications stack (COST1) according to

claim 1

, CHARACTERISED IN THAT said decision means (DM) additionally is adapted to change said delay based on a restart time of said application program.

3. Communication Network Element including a communication stack (COST1) as claimed in

claim 1

or

claim 2

.

4. Communication Network Element according to

claim 3

, CHARACTERISED IN THAT said Communication Network Element is a Border Gateway Protocol Router (ROU).