Compressing, filtering, and transmitting of protocol messages via a protocol-aware intermediary node

• US 20060075132A1
• Filed: 11/19/2004
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Zhigang
• Granted Patent: US 7,529,845 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0254 Stateful filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses, and a system for compressing, filtering, and transmitting of protocol messages to be transmitted from a transmitting side via a protocol-aware intermediary node to a receiving side, the compressing method comprising the steps of: detecting a type of a protocol message to be compressed; and selectively compressing, based on the detected message type, certain predefined parts of the protocol message and leaving other predefined parts of the protocol message uncompressed; and the filtering method, if it is retrieved that the protocol message is not fully compressed, comprising the steps of: detecting a type of the protocol message to be filtered; scanning the message; and selectively processing, based on the detected message type and the scanning, certain predefined parts of the protocol message and leaving other predefined parts of the protocol message unprocessed.

Claims

1. A method of compressing protocol messages to be transmitted from a transmitting side via a protocol-aware intermediary node to a receiving side, wherein each of the protocol messages comprises a header section being composed of a payload section, each of which being composed of a plurality of predefined parts, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a type of a protocol message to be compressed; and

selectively compressing, based on the detected protocol message type, certain predefined parts of the protocol message and leaving other predefined parts of the protocol message uncompressed.

2. The compressing method according to claim 1, wherein the step of detecting comprises analyzing whether the protocol message contains a payload section being composed of a plurality of predefined parts.

3. The compressing method according to claim 2, wherein the step of selectively compressing comprises compressing all parts of the protocol message, when a detection is made that the protocol message does not contain a payload section and is not of a predetermined message type.

4. The compressing method according to claim 1, wherein the step of selectively compressing leaves uncompressed the predefined parts of the protocol message, which contain information on a basis of which the protocol-aware intermediary node performs configurations for enabling data packets of a session associated with the protocol message to be transmitted from the transmitting side to the receiving side.

5. The compressing method according to claim 1, wherein the step of selectively compressing leaves uncompressed at least one predefined part being indicative of the type of the protocol message.

6. The compressing method according to claim 1, wherein the step of selectively compressing leaves uncompressed at least one predefined part indicative of information for capturing a response to the protocol message.

7. The compressing method according to claim 1, wherein the step of selectively compressing leaves uncompressed at least one predefined part being indicative of establishment information of a session between the transmitting side and the receiving side, to which the protocol message belongs.

8. The compressing method according to claim 1, wherein the step of selectively compressing leaves uncompressed at least one predefined part being indicative of a type of a payload section of the protocol message.

9. The compressing method according to claim 1, wherein the step of selectively compressing leaves uncompressed at least one predefined part being indicative of an identification of a session between the transmitting side and the receiving side, to which the protocol message belongs.

10. The compressing method according to claim 1, wherein the step of selectively compressing leaves uncompressed at least one predefined part being indicative of information relating to a logical association between the transmitting side and the receiving side.

11. The compressing method according to claim 1, wherein the step of selectively compressing leaves uncompressed at least one predefined part being indicative of information relating to a transport of data between the transmitting side and the receiving side.

12. The compressing method according to claim 1, wherein the step of selectively compressing leaves uncompressed at least one predefined part being indicative of attributes relating to a transmission intention of the transmitting side.

13. The compressing method according to claim 1, wherein the step of selectively compressing leaves uncompressed separation markings before and after specific predefined parts.

14. The compressing method according to claim 1, wherein said step of detecting comprises detecting the type of the protocol message to be compressed, the protocol message being a message of an application layer protocol according to an International Standards Organization'"'"'s Open System Interconnect (ISO/OSI) reference model.

15. The compressing method according to claim 1, wherein said step of detecting comprises detecting the type of the protocol message to be compressed, the protocol message being a message of a session initiation protocol (SIP).

16. The compressing method according to claim 2, wherein the payload section is of payload in accordance with a session description protocol (SDP).

17. The compressing method according to claim 1, wherein the step of selectively compressing operates in accordance with a signaling compression (SigComp) technique.

18. A method of filtering protocol messages to be transmitted from a transmitting side via a protocol-aware intermediary node to a receiving side, wherein each of the protocol messages comprises a header section being composed of a payload section, each of which being composed of a plurality of predefined parts, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving a compressing status of a protocol message to be filtered, said compressing status being indicative of the protocol message being fully compressed or not; and

when the compressing status retrieved indicates that the protocol message is fully compressed, the protocol message is relayed; and

when the compressing status retrieved indicates that the protocol message is not fully compressed, the method further comprises the steps of detecting a type of the protocol message to be filtered;

scanning the protocol message for identifying compressed and uncompressed predefined parts of the protocol message; and

selectively processing, based on the detected message type and the scanning, certain predefined parts of the protocol message and leaving other predefined parts of the protocol message unprocessed.

19. The filtering method according to claim 18, wherein the step of detecting comprises analyzing whether the protocol message contains a payload section being composed of a plurality of predefined parts.

20. The filtering method according to claim 18, wherein the step of selectively processing comprises an extracting of information from the uncompressed predefined parts of the protocol message, which contain information on a basis of which the protocol-aware intermediary node performs configurations for enabling data packets of a session associated with the protocol message to be transmitted from the transmitting side to the receiving side.

21. The filtering method according to claim 18, wherein the step of selectively processing comprises an extracting of information being indicative of capturing a response to the protocol message.

22. The filtering method according to claim 18, wherein the step of selectively processing comprises an extracting of information being indicative of an establishment of a session between the transmitting side and the receiving side, to which the protocol message belongs.

23. The filtering method according to claim 18, wherein the step of selectively processing comprises an extracting of information being indicative of a type of a payload section of the protocol message.

24. The filtering method according to claim 18, wherein the step of selectively processing comprises an extracting of information being indicative of an identification of a session between the transmitting side and the receiving side, to which the protocol message belongs.

25. The filtering method according to claim 18, wherein the step of selectively processing comprises an extracting of information being indicative of a logical association between the transmitting side and the receiving side.

26. The filtering method according to claim 18, wherein the step of selectively processing comprises an extracting of information being indicative of a transport of data between the transmitting side and the receiving side.

27. The filtering method according to claim 18, wherein the step of selectively processing comprises an extracting of information being indicative of attributes relating to a transmission intention of the transmitting side.

28. The filtering method according to claim 18, further comprising a step of performing configurations for enabling data packets to be transmitted between the transmitting side and the receiving side.

29. The filtering method according to claim 28, wherein the step of performing configurations is carried out at the protocol-aware intermediary node, and is based on information being extracted from the protocol message to be filtered.

30. The filtering method according to claim 28, wherein the step of performing configurations comprises a step of setting up at least one pinhole for a session between the transmitting side and the receiving side, to which the protocol message belongs.

31. The filtering method according to claim 18, wherein said step of retrieving comprises retrieving the compressing status of the protocol message to be filtered, the protocol message being a message of an application layer protocol according to a ISO/OSI reference model.

32. The filtering method according to claim 18, wherein said step of retrieving comprises retrieving the compressing status of the protocol message to be filtered, the protocol message being a message of a session initiation protocol (SIP).

33. The filtering method according to claim 19, wherein the payload section is of payload in accordance with a session description protocol (SDP).

34. The filtering method according to claim 18, wherein said step of scanning comprises scanning the protocol message to identify compressed predefined parts, and wherein the compressed predefined parts of the protocol message are compressed in accordance with a signaling compression (SigComp) technique.

35. A method of transmitting protocol messages to be transmitted from a transmitting side via a protocol-aware intermediary node to a receiving side, wherein each of the protocol messages comprises a header section being composed of a payload section, each of which being composed of a plurality of predefined parts, the method comprising the steps of:

compressing, at a compressor, a protocol message to be transmitted by detecting a type of a protocol message to be compressed, and selectively compressing, based on the detected protocol message type, certain predefined parts of the protocol message and leaving other predefined parts of the protocol message uncompressed; and

filtering, at the protocol-aware intermediary node, the protocol message by retrieving a compressing status of a protocol message to be filtered, said compressing status being indicative of the protocol message being fully compressed or not, and

when the compressing status retrieved indicates that the protocol message is fully compressed, the protocol message is relayed, and

when the compressing status retrieved indicates that the protocol message is not fully compressed, then

detecting a type of the protocol message to be filtered,

scanning the protocol message for identifying compressed and uncompressed predefined parts of the protocol message, and

selectively processing, based on the detected message type and the scanning, certain predefined parts of the protocol message and leaving other predefined parts of the protocol message unprocessed.

36. A compressor for compressing protocol messages to be transmitted from a transmitting side via a protocol-aware intermediary node to a receiving side, wherein each of the protocol messages comprises a header section being composed of a payload section, each of which being composed of a plurality of predefined parts, the compressor comprising:

detecting means for detecting a type of a protocol message to be compressed; and

compressing means for selectively compressing, based on the detected protocol message type, certain predefined parts of the protocol message and leaving other predefined parts of the protocol message uncompressed.

37. The compressor according to clam 36, wherein the detecting means is further configured for analyzing whether the protocol message contains a payload section being composed of a plurality of predefined parts.

38. The compressor according to clam 37, wherein the compressing means is further configured for compressing all parts of the protocol message, if the detecting means yields that the protocol message does not contain a payload section and is not of a predetermined message type.

39. The compressor according to clam 36, wherein the compressing means is further configured for leaving uncompressed those predefined parts of the protocol message, which contain information on a basis of which the protocol-aware intermediary node performs configurations for enabling data packets of a session associated with the protocol message to be transmitted from the transmitting side to the receiving side.

40. The compressor according to clam 36, wherein the compressing means is configured for selecting predefined parts not to be compressed on a basis of locally available protocol knowledge.

41. The compressor according to clam 36, wherein the compressing means is configured for selecting predefined parts not to be compressed on a basis of marks within the protocol message.

42. The compressor according to clam 36, wherein the compressor constitutes a component of a user equipment (UE).

43. The compressor according to clam 36, wherein the compressor constitutes a component of a proxy call session control function (P-CSCF) device.

44. The compressor according to clam 36, wherein the compressor constitutes a component of a push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) server.

45. A protocol-aware intermediary node for filtering protocol messages to be transmitted from a transmitting side via a protocol-aware intermediary node to a receiving side, wherein each of the protocol messages comprises a header section being composed of a payload section, each of which being composed of a plurality of predefined parts, the intermediary node comprising:

retrieving means for retrieving a compressing status of a protocol message to be filtered, said compressing status being indicative of the protocol message being fully compressed or not;

transceiver means for relaying the protocol message, when the compressing status retrieved indicates that the protocol message is fully compressed;

detecting means for detecting a type of the protocol message to be filtered, when the compressing status retrieved indicates that the protocol message is not fully compressed; and

scanning means for scanning of the protocol message for identifying compressed and uncompressed predefined parts of the protocol message and for selectively processing, based on the detected protocol message type and the scanning, certain predefined parts of the protocol message and leaving other predefined parts of the protocol message unprocessed.

46. The intermediary node according to claim 45, wherein the detecting means is further configured for analyzing whether the protocol message contains a payload section being composed of a plurality of predefined parts.

47. The intermediary node according to claim 45, wherein the scanning means is further configured for extracting information from the uncompressed predefined parts of the protocol message, which contain information on a basis of which the protocol-aware intermediary node performs configurations for enabling data packets of a session associated with the protocol message to be transmitted from the transmitting side to the receiving side.

48. The intermediary node according to claim 45, wherein the intermediary node is a firewall.

49. The intermediary node according to claim 48, wherein the intermediary node is a SIP-aware firewall.

50. The intermediary node according to claim 45, further comprising a configuring means for performing configurations for enabling data packets to be transmitted from the transmitting side to the receiving side.

51. The intermediary node according to claim 50, wherein the configuring means is further configured for setting up at least one pinhole for a session from the transmitting side to the receiving side, to which the protocol message belongs.

52. A system for transmitting protocol messages to be transmitted from a transmitting side via a protocol-aware intermediary node to a receiving side, wherein each of the protocol messages comprises a header section being configured of a payload section, each of which being composed of a plurality of predefined parts, the system comprising:

at least one compressor configured to detect a type of a protocol message to be compressed, and to selectively compress, based on the detected protocol message type, certain predefined parts of the protocol message and leave other predefined parts of the protocol message uncompressed; and

at least one protocol-aware intermediary node, said at least one protocol-aware intermediary node comprising

a retriever configured to retrieve a compressing status of a protocol message to be filtered, said compressing status being indicative of the protocol message being fully compressed or not;

a transceiver configured to relay the protocol message, when the compressing status retrieved indicates that the protocol message is fully compressed;

a detector configured to detect a type of the protocol message to be filtered, when the compressing status retrieved indicates that the protocol message is not fully compressed; and

a scanner configured to scan the protocol message to identify compressed and uncompressed predefined parts of the protocol message and to selectively process, based on the detected protocol message type and the scanning, certain predefined parts of the protocol message and leave other predefined parts of the protocol message unprocessed.