DISABLING HEADER COMPRESSION OVER POINT-TO-POINT PROTOCOL (PPP)

• US 20070160059A1
• Filed: 01/30/2007
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Certicom Corporation (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Poeluev, Yuri, Mercer, Ronald
• Granted Patent: US 8,837,471 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.300
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/323 in the physical layer [OSI layer 1]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• 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 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method and system for manipulating packet header compression parameters, by substituting at least one instruction set associated with a PPP negotiation packet at the PPP layer of a protocol stack, the at least one instruction set for use in establishing a communication protocol and channel between a pair of correspondents. The method includes the steps of a software module coupled to a first correspondent examining all PPP negotiation packets from a second correspondent; the software module determining whether a first instruction set is present in the PPP negotiation packet; the software module discarding said first instruction set and replacing the first instruction set with a second instruction set; and at the second correspondent receiving the second instruction set associated with a communication protocol information.

Claims

1. A method for modifying a parameter included in a negotiation packet during an establishment and configuration of a communication channel between an initiating correspondent and a responding correspondent, said method including the steps of:

substituting at least one instruction set associated with said parameter prior to said responding correspondent receiving said negotiation packet, said at least one instruction set being used to establish said communication channel between said correspondents, said method of substituting said at least one instruction set comprising the steps of;

a software module disposed between said initiating correspondent and a layer of a protocol stack at said responding correspondent intercepting said negotiation packet sent from said initiating correspondent prior to said negotiation packet being received by said layer at said responding correspondent;

said software module examining said negotiation packet to determine whether a first instruction set associated with a first option type is present in said negotiation packet;

if said first instruction set is present, said software module substituting said first instruction set with a second instruction set associated with a second option type for said parameter; and

said software module sending a response packet to said initiating correspondent, wherein said initiating correspondent receives said second instruction set and transmits subsequent packets utilizing said second option type to said responding correspondent in accordance with said second instruction set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one instruction set includes a compression request for header compression.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one instruction set includes a compression reject for header compression.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said parameter is associated with at least one compression type option for header compression.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said header compression is implemented by a Van Jacobson compression algorithm.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said negotiation packets are intercepted before reaching said layer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said layer of said protocol stack is a point-to-point protocol (PPP) layer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said negotiation packet is a point-to point protocol (PPP) negotiation packet.

9. As method for disabling header compression of TCP/IP headers during an establishment and configuration of a communication protocol and communication channel between a pair of correspondents, said method including the steps of:

an initiating correspondent transmitting, PPP negotiation packets including at least one PPP compression request packet having at least one TCP/IP header compression option type, said option type associated with a first instruction set for said establishment and configuration of said communication protocol and channel;

a software module disposed between said initiating correspondent and a layer of a protocol stack at a responding correspondent intercepting and examining said at least one PPP compression request packet before said at least one PPP compression request packet reaches said responding correspondent'"'"'s PPP layer;

said software module determining said option type included in said at least one PPP compression request packet; and

said software module substituting said first instruction set with a second instruction set to said initiating correspondent, said second instruction set having an option type rejecting said compression request transmitting subsequent data packets in accordance with said second instruction set.

10. A system for modifying a parameter included in a negotiation packet during an establishment and configuration of a communication channel between an initiating correspondent and a responding correspondent, the system comprising:

a software module disposed between said correspondents at a layer of a protocol stack included in a computer readable medium of said responding correspondent, said software module configured to intercept and examine at least one negotiation packet from said initiating correspondent prior to said negotiation packet reaching said layer, and configured to substitute a first instruction set associated with said parameter with a second instruction set associated with a second parameter;

wherein subsequent packets to said responding correspondent are sent in accordance with said second instruction set.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said software module is located at a point-to-point protocol (PPP) layer of said protocol stack.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said negotiation packets are point-to-point protocol (PPP) negotiation packets.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said PPP negotiation packets are intercepted by said software module located at said PPP layer before reaching said PPP layer.