Method of forming protocol data units, protocol data units and protocol data unit generation apparatus

• US 20070064618A1
• Filed: 09/16/2005
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Viavi Solutions, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Viavi Solutions, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Gardner, Robert, Garcia, Francisco, Das, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 8,159,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/34 Source routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/17 Interaction among intermediate nodes, e.g. hop by hop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures

Abstract

A source host comprising a processing resource that supports a kernel space and a user space. A socket layer is supported by the kernel space and allows a measurement application residing in the user space to instruct a protocol layer to form a plurality of UDP test packets for transmission, from the source host, to a destination node in a communications network. The plurality of test packets employ source-based routing and an alternative congestion control algorithm is implemented by the protocol layer to that supported by the communications network.

Claims

1. A method of forming protocol data units for measuring performance in relation to a first node of a communications network capable of supporting a congestion-aware connection in accordance with a first congestion control algorithm, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a plurality of protocol data units, each of the plurality of protocol data units having a data structure definition supporting routing path selection and supporting congestion control in accordance with a second congestion control algorithm in place of the first congestion control algorithm;

configuring the each of the plurality of protocol data units by setting a source address, a destination address and at least one routing address in the each of the plurality of protocol data units so as to cause the plurality of protocol data units, when sent, to follow a round-trip path via the first node.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second congestion control algorithm implements congestion control functionality compatible with the performance measurement.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first congestion control algorithm is a Transmission Control Protocol algorithm.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of protocol data units is a plurality of User Datagram Protocol datagrams.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of protocol data units relate to a Bulk Transfer Capacity measurement.

6. A method of measuring performance in relation to a first node of a communications network capable of establishing a congestion-aware connection in accordance with a first congestion control algorithm, the method comprising the steps of:

forming a plurality of protocol data units in accordance a method of forming protocol data units for measuring performance in relation to a first node of a communications network capable of supporting a congestion-aware connection in accordance with a first congestion control algorithm, the method comprising the steps of;

generating a plurality of protocol data units, each of the plurality of protocol data units having a data structure definition supporting routing path selection and supporting congestion control in accordance with a second congestion control algorithm in place of the first congestion control algorithm;

configuring the each of the plurality of protocol data units by setting a source address, a destination address and at least one routing address in the each of the plurality of protocol data units so as to cause the plurality of protocol data units, when sent, to follow a round-trip path via the first node.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising the step of:

injecting the plurality of protocol data units into the communications network so as to follow a round-trip path from a host corresponding to the source address back to the host via the first node.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising the step of:

deriving at least one metric using the plurality of protocol data units received at the host corresponding to the source address.

9. A method as claimed in any one of claims 6, further comprising the steps of:

providing the each of the protocol data units with respective data indicative of a respective departure time of the each protocol data unit.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising the step of:

providing the each of the protocol data units with respective data indicative of a respective receipt time of the each protocol data unit.

11. A protocol data unit generation apparatus for forming protocol data units to measure performance in relation to a first node of a communications network capable of supporting a congestion-aware connection in accordance with a first congestion control algorithm, the apparatus comprising:

a processing resource arranged to generate, when in use, a plurality of protocol data units, each of the plurality of protocol data units having a data structure definition supporting routing path selection and supporting congestion control in accordance with a second congestion control algorithm in place of the first congestion control algorithm;

wherein

the processing resource is further arranged to configure, when in use, the each of the plurality of protocol data units by setting a source address, a destination address and at least one routing address in the each of the plurality of protocol data units so as to cause the plurality of protocol data units when sent, to follow a round-trip path via the first node.

12. A network measurement apparatus comprising a protocol data unit generation apparatus for forming protocol data units to measure performance in relation to a first node of a communications network capable of supporting a congestion-aware connection in accordance with a first congestion control algorithm, the apparatus comprising:

a processing resource arranged to generate, when in use, a plurality of protocol data units, each of the plurality of protocol data units having a data structure definition supporting routing path selection and supporting congestion control in accordance with a second congestion control algorithm in place of the first congestion control algorithm;

wherein

the processing resource is further arranged to configure, when in use, the each of the plurality of protocol data units by setting a source address, a destination address and at least one routing address in the each of the plurality of protocol data units so as to cause the plurality of protocol data units when sent, to follow a round-trip path via the first node.

13. A communications system comprising a protocol data unit generation apparatus for forming protocol data units to measure performance in relation to a first node of a communications network capable of supporting a congestion-aware connection in accordance with a first congestion control algorithm, the apparatus comprising:

a processing resource arranged to generate, when in use, a plurality of protocol data units, each of the plurality of protocol data units having a data structure definition supporting routing path selection and supporting congestion control in accordance with a second congestion control algorithm in place of the first congestion control algorithm;

wherein

the processing resource is further arranged to configure, when in use, the each of the plurality of protocol data units by setting a source address, a destination address and at least one routing address in the each of the plurality of protocol data units so as to cause the plurality of protocol data units when sent, to follow a round-trip path via the first node.

14. A plurality of protocol data units for measuring performance in relation to a first node of a communications network capable of supporting a congestion-aware connection in accordance with a first congestion control algorithm, each of the plurality of protocol data units having a data structure definition supporting routing path selection and supporting congestion control in accordance with a second congestion control algorithm in place of the first congestion control algorithm;

wherein a source address, a destination address and at least one routing address in the each of the plurality of protocol data units is set so as to cause the plurality of protocol data units, when sent, to follow a round-trip path via the first node.