Method and system for throughput and efficiency enhancement of a packet based protocol in a wireless network

• US 20030202480A1
• Filed: 04/30/2002
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Swami, Yogesh Prem
• Granted Patent: US 7,283,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/18 End to end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0273 adapting protocols for flow control or congestion control to wireless environment, e.g. adapting transmission control protocol [TCP] wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation, e.g. wireless application protocol H04W80/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16

Abstract

A method and system for employing the time stamp and SACK options in TCP and SCTP to modify their operation to initially only send new or lost packets, after a network timeout has occurred. Wireless network resources are saved by reducing the number of packets that are resent to a destination. In particular, the invention detects whether an acknowledgement from a destination is associated with the originally sent packet or a resent packet and uses this information to modify the operation of the protocol to reduce congestion on the network.

Claims

1. A method for communicating data with a packet based protocol over a network, comprising:

(a) employing the packet-based protocol to send a set of packets over the network towards a destination, each packet including instructions for the destination to provide an acknowledgement indicating every received packet in the set;

(b) if the acknowledgement for receiving at least one of the packets in the set is delayed, extending the set of packets to include another packet and periodically sending at least the other packet towards the destination until another acknowledgement is received indicating that at least the other packet in the extended set is received by the destination; and

(c) employing the acknowledgement of the other packet in the extended set that is sent periodically to provide information identifying each unreceived packet in the extended set and employing the identification information to periodically resend at least one unreceived packet in the extended set until the destination acknowledges receiving each resent packet in the extended set.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising extending the set by one new packet that is sent periodically to the destination until it is acknowledged.

3. The method of claim 1, subparagraph (b), further comprising periodically extending the set of packets to include a new packet and periodically sending the new packet towards the destination until another acknowledgement is received indicating that the new packet in the extended set is received by the destination.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically adjusting a size of the set of packets in relation to the performance of sending and receiving acknowledgement for each packet sent to the destination.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically adjusting the periodic sending of the other packet towards the destination.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically adjusting the periodic resending of each unreceived packet towards the destination.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the packet-based protocol includes at least one of TCP and SCTP.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the acknowledgement from the destination is at least one of a SACK message and an ACK message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the network is a wireless network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the network is a wired network.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the receiving of the acknowledgement from the destination for each packet in the set that is received by the destination.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein an amount of packets in the set is dynamically adjusted in relation to the performance of the network.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising when each packet in the set is received by the destination, employing the packet-based protocol to send another set of packets over the network towards the destination, each packet including instructions for the destination to provide an acknowledgement indicating every received packet in the other set.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of packets are disposed in a sequence and each packet is provided to the destination in relation to the order of its position in the sequence.

15. The method of claim 1, subparagraph (b), further comprising, employing a congestion control process to send each packet towards the destination, wherein the congestion control process employs a conservative congestion control process.

16. The method of claim 1, subparagraph (b), further comprising, employing a congestion control process to send each packet towards the destination, wherein the congestion control process employs a moderate congestion control process.

17. A system for communicating data with a packet based protocol over a network, comprising:

(a) a destination for packets sent over the network; and

(b) a mobile device that performs actions, including;

(i) employing the packet-based protocol to send a set of packets over the network towards the destination, each packet including instructions for the destination to provide an acknowledgement indicating every received packet in the set;

(ii) if the acknowledgement for receiving at least one of the packets in the set is delayed, periodically sending one packet in the set until the destination acknowledges receiving the one packet in the set that is sent periodically; and

(iii) employing the acknowledgement of the one packet in the set that is sent periodically to provide information identifying each unreceived packet in the set and employing the identification information to periodically resend one unreceived packet in the set until the destination acknowledges receiving each resent packet in the set.

18. An apparatus for communicating data with a packet based protocol over a network, comprising:

(a) a network interface that employs the packet-based protocol to send a set of packets over the network towards a destination, each packet including instructions for the destination to provide an acknowledgement indicating every received packet in the set; and

(b) a transcoder that performs actions, including;

(i) employing the packet-based protocol to send a set of packets over the network towards a destination, each packet including instructions for the destination to provide an acknowledgement indicating every received packet in the set;

(ii) if the acknowledgement for receiving at least one of the packets in the set is delayed, extending the set of packets to include a new packet and periodically sending at least one new packet in the extended set to the destination until the destination acknowledges receiving at least one new packet in the extended set; and

(ii) employing the acknowledgement of at least one packet in the extended set to provide information identifying each unreceived packet in the extended set and employing the identification information to periodically resend one unreceived packet in the extended set until the destination acknowledges receiving each resent packet in the extended set.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the one packet in the set that is sent periodically is the last packet in the set that was sent to the destination.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, subparagraph (b)(ii), further comprising automatically extending the set of packets to include another packet and periodically sending the other packet towards the destination until another acknowledgement is received indicating that the other packet in the extended set is received by the destination.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising automatically adjusting the periodic resending of each unreceived packet towards the destination.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the packet-based protocol includes at least one of TCP and SCTP.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the acknowledgement from the destination is at least one of a SACK message and an ACK message.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, subparagraph (b), further comprising, employing a congestion control process to send each packet towards the destination, wherein the congestion control process employs a conservative congestion control process.

25. The apparatus of claim 18, subparagraph (b), further comprising, employing a congestion control process to send each packet towards the destination, wherein the congestion control process employs a moderate congestion control process.

26. A computer-readable medium that includes instructions for performing actions, including:

(b) if the acknowledgement for receiving at least one of the packets in the set is delayed, extending the set of packets to include another packet and periodically sending at least the other packet towards the destination until another acknowledgement is received indicating that at least the other packet in the extended set is received by the destination; and

(c) employing the acknowledgement of the other packet in the extended set that is sent periodically to provide information identifying each unreceived packet in the extended set and employing the identification information to periodically resend at least one unreceived packet in the extended set until the destination acknowledges receiving each resent packet in the extended set.

27. A method for communicating data with a packet based protocol over a network, including:

(a) means for employing the packet-based protocol to send a set of packets over the network towards a destination, each packet including instructions for the destination to provide an acknowledgement indicating every received packet in the set;

(b) if the acknowledgement for receiving at least one of the packets in the set is delayed, employing means for extending the set of packets to include another packet and periodically sending at least the other packet towards the destination until another acknowledgement is received indicating that at least the other packet in the extended set is received by the destination; and

(c) employing means for the acknowledgement of the other packet in the extended set that is sent periodically to provide information identifying each unreceived packet in the extended set and employing the identification information to periodically resend at least one unreceived packet in the extended set until the destination acknowledges receiving each resent packet in the extended set.