Minimal delay transmission of short messages

• US 20050097158A1
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Satran, Julian, Gershinsky, Gidon, Carmeli, Boaz, Duigenan, John Justin, Nelken, Haim
• Granted Patent: US 7,613,115 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6489 Buffer Management, Threshold setting, Scheduling, Shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/522 Dynamic queue service slot or variable bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6255 queue load conditions, e.g. longest queue first
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9094 Arrangements for simultaneous transmit and receive, e.g. simultaneous reading/writing from/to the storage element

Abstract

A transmission method adjusts the size of aggregated packets based at least on the congestion of a transmitting network device. The adjusting comprises includes aggregating at least two small messages, received from an upper layer, into a packet, providing the packet to a pending queue, passing packets to a network device and selecting packets from the pending queue or the buffer depending on whether or not said pending queue is empty.

Claims

1. A transmission unit comprising:

an aggregation unit to aggregate in a buffer at least two small messages received from an upper layer into a packet and to provide said packet to a pending queue; and

a fireout unit to pass packets to a network device by selecting packets from said pending queue or said buffer depending on whether or not said pending queue is empty.

2. A unit according to claim 1 and also comprising a reception monitor to indicate to fireout unit the status of reception of said packets.

3. A unit according to claim 1 and wherein said fireout unit operates at a rate related to network congestion.

4. A unit according to claim 3 and wherein said network congestion may be any one of the following:

transmitter congestion, receiver congestion and congestion of network elements.

5. A transmission unit comprising:

a transmitting network device;

means for adjusting the size of aggregated packets produced by said network device based at least on network congestion.

6. A transmission unit according to claim 5 and wherein said means for adjusting comprises:

an aggregation unit to aggregate in a buffer at least two small messages received from an upper layer into a packet and to provide said packet to a pending queue; and

a fireout unit to pass packets to a network drive, selecting them from said pending queue or said buffer depending on whether or not said pending queue is empty.

7. A unit according to claim 6 and also comprising a reception monitor to indicate to fireout unit the status of reception of said packets.

8. A unit according to claim 5 and wherein said network congestion may be any one of the following:

transmitter congestion, receiver congestion and congestion of network elements.

9. A software product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing transmission of packets to a network, the computer readable program code means in said software product comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to aggregate in a buffer at least two small messages received from an upper layer into a packet and to provide said packet to a pending queue; and

computer readable program code means for causing the computer to pass packets to a network drive, selecting them from said pending queue or said buffer depending on whether or not said pending queue is empty.

10. A product according to claim 9 and also comprising code means for causing a computer to indicate to said second code means the status of reception of said packets.

11. A product according to claim 9 and wherein said second code means operates at a rate related to network congestion.

12. A product according to claim 12 and wherein said network congestion may be any one of the following:

transmitter congestion, receiver congestion and congestion of network elements.

13. A method comprising:

adjusting the size of aggregated packets based at least on the congestion of a transmitting network device.

14. A method according to claim 13 and wherein said adjusting comprises:

aggregating in a buffer at least two small messages received from an upper layer into a packet;

providing said packet to a pending queue;

passing said packets to a network device; and

selecting said packets from said pending queue or said buffer depending on whether or not said pending queue is empty.

15. A method according to claim 14 and also comprising indicating the status of reception of said packets.

16. A method according to claim 14 and wherein said passing operates at a rate related to network congestion.

17. A method according to claim 16 and wherein said network congestion may be any one of the following:

transmitter congestion, receiver congestion and congestion of network elements.