Very high speed cable modem for increasing bandwidth

• US 20060039380A1
• Filed: 08/09/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cloonan, Thomas J., Ansley, Carol, Bugajski, Mark, McClelland, Bruce, Doiron, Tim, Enderby, Russ, Robbins, Max
• Granted Patent: US 9,699,102 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.400
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/34 ensuring sequence integrity, e.g. using sequence numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/43 Assembling or disassembling of packets, e.g. segmentation and reassembly [SAR]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A flow bonder at a CMTS and another at a cable modem distribute packets of a service flow over multiple channels and collect them in the downstream direction respectively; vice versa in the upstream direction. The collector uses a service flow identifier and a sequence number identifier inserted by the distributor into each packet of the flow to reassemble the packets into the order they left the distributor. Packets received at the collector are stored to a buffer. If a stored packet is the next to be transmitted, it is transmitted. If not, the collector waits a predetermined period until the next packet to be sent is received. If it is not received during the wait period, the previously stored packet is sent. The wait period is based on the maximum transmission time difference between any two of the multiple channels.

Claims

1. A system for increasing bandwidth to a communication device, comprising:

means for scheduling packets that compose service flow onto multiple channels before sending the scheduled packets from an origination device toward a destination device; and

means for resequencing the scheduled packets received at the destination device into the original stream.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the means for scheduling packets includes a channel bonding distributor for:

identifying each packet as belonging to a particular service flow;

assigning a service flow identifier to each packet to identify the packet as belonging to its associated service flow;

assigning a sequence number to each packet of the particular service flow;

assigning each of the packets associated with a particular service flow to one of the multiple channels according to a scheduling algorithm; and

providing each packet to one of a plurality of MAC processors, said one MAC processor corresponding to the channel to which said packet has been assigned.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the means for resequencing packets received from the multiple channels includes a channel bonding collector for:

receiving packets from a plurality of MAC processors, the number of MAC processors corresponding to the number of multiple channels over which the packets of the service flow are sent from the origination device;

determining a service flow with which a given packet is associated based on a service flow identifier;

storing packets associated with the determined service flow to a resequencing buffer; and

transmitting packets from the resequencing buffer toward a subscriber device according to a resequencing algorithm.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the resequencing algorithm includes the step of transmitting a packet from the resequencing buffer if it is the next packet that needs to be transmitted for the determined service flow.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the resequencing algorithm includes the steps of:

determining whether a packet in the resequencing buffer is the next packet that needs to be transmitted in the determined service flow;

retaining the packet in the resequencing buffer for a predetermined wait period until the next packet that needs to be transmitted in the determined service flow has been received; and

transmitting the packet retained in the resequencing buffer if the next packet that needs to be transmitted in the determined service flow is not received by the channel bonding collector during the predetermined wait period.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the originating and destination devices are a cable modem termination system and a cable modem, respectively, in the downstream direction, and the origination and destination devices are a cable modem and a cable modem termination system, respectively, in the upstream direction.

7. The system of claim 2 wherein packets are identified as belonging to a particular service flow based on classifiers that include layer 2, layer 3 and layer 4 packet classifiers.

8. The system of claim 3 wherein the subscriber device is a local area network.

9. The system of claim 3 wherein the subscriber device is a computer.

10. The system of claim 3 wherein the subscriber device is a digital television.

11. The system of claim 2 wherein the scheduling algorithm assigns packets to the multiple channels in a round robin fashion.

12. A method for increasing bandwidth to a communication device, comprising:

scheduling packets that compose an associated service flow onto multiple channels before sending the scheduled packets from an origination device toward a destination device; and

resequencing the scheduled packets received at the destination device into the original stream.

13. The method of claim 12 including:

identifying each packet as belonging to a particular service flow based on packet classifiers;

assigning a service flow identifier to each packet to identify the packet as belonging to its associated service flow;

assigning a sequence number to each packet of the particular service flow;

assigning each of the packets associated with a particular service flow to one of the multiple channels according to a scheduling algorithm; and

providing each packet to one of a plurality of MAC processors, said one MAC processor corresponding to the channel to which said packet has been assigned.

14. The method of claim 12 including:

receiving packets from a plurality of MAC processors, the number of MAC processors corresponding to the number of multiple channels over which the packets of the service flow are sent from the origination device;

determining a service flow with which a given packet is associated based on a service flow identifier;

storing packets associated with the determined service flow to a resequencing buffer; and

transmitting packets from the resequencing buffer toward a subscriber device according to a resequencing algorithm.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the resequencing algorithm includes the step of transmitting a packet from the resequencing buffer if it is the next packet that needs to be transmitted for the determined service flow.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the resequencing algorithm includes the steps of:

determining whether a packet in the resequencing buffer is the next packet that needs to be transmitted in the determined service flow;

retaining the packet in the resequencing buffer for a predetermined wait period until the next packet that needs to be transmitted in the determined service flow has been received; and

transmitting the packet retained in the resequencing buffer if the next packet that needs to be transmitted in the determined service flow is not received by the channel bonding collector during the predetermined wait period.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the originating and destination devices are a cable modem termination system and a cable modem, respectively, in the downstream direction, and the origination and destination devices are a cable modem and a cable modem termination system, respectively, in the upstream direction.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the classifiers include layer 2, layer 3 and layer 4 packet classifiers.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the subscriber device is a local area network.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the subscriber device is a computer.

21. The method of claim 14 wherein the subscriber device is a digital television.

22. The method of claim 13 wherein the scheduling algorithm assigns packets to the multiple channels in a round robin fashion.