System and method for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet through network elements

• US 20080049624A1
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC A Delaware Limited Liability Company
• Inventors: Bugenhagen, Michael K., Morrill, Robert J., Chakravarthy, Cadathur V., Ray, Amar N.
• Granted Patent: US 7,684,332 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/245 Link aggregation, e.g. trunking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/27 Evaluation or update of window size, e.g. using information derived from acknowledged [ACK] packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures

Abstract

A system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network including a sending network element in communication with a receiving network element for transmitting and receiving data packets between the sending network element and the receiving network element on the packet network, wherein at least one of the sending network element and the receiving network element is configured to determine network performance information of the packet network; concatenate the network performance information into the data packets; and adjust the window size of the TCP packet based on the network performance information. A method for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network is also included.

Claims

1. A system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network comprising:

a sending network element in communication with a receiving network element for transmitting and receiving data packets between said sending network element and said receiving network element on said packet network, wherein at least one of said sending network element and said receiving network element is configured to;

determine network performance information of said packet network;

concatenate said network performance information into said data packets; and

adjust the window size of said TCP packet based on said network performance information.

2. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 1 wherein said at least one of said sending network element and said receiving network element further comprises:

an input/output (I/O)unit configured to communicate with said data packets over said packet network,

a memory unit configured to store said network performance information indicative of bandwidth of said data packets including real-time content and total data packets communicated over said packet network.

3. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 1 wherein said network performance information is contained in IEEE standard 802.1AG data packets.

4. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 1 wherein said at least one of said sending network element and said receiving network element includes at least one module configured to:

count the total of said data packets being communicated via said packet network during a time period;

count said data packets including real-time content being communicated via said packet network during said time period;

determine bandwidth of said data packets being communicated via said packet network; and

determine bandwidth of said data packets including real-time content being communicated via said packet network.

5. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 1 wherein said at least one of said sending network element and said receiving network element is configured to:

determine whether at least one network performance information value of said packet network exceeds a predetermined threshold value;

communicate an instruction to said at least one of said sending network element and said receiving network element to adjust the TCP window in an acknowledgement packet to be sent to the other of said at least one of said sending network element and said receiving network element.

6. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 1 wherein said at least one of said sending network element and said receiving network element includes a ITU-T Y.1731 module configured to separately count total data packets and data packets including real-time content.

7. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 1 wherein said network performance information includes load condition and traffic congestion.

8. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 1 wherein said adjust said window size includes a decrease or an increase in the window size.

9. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 1 wherein said adjust said window size includes a decrease or an increase in a timer value, said timer value relating to the retransmission of a portion of said data packets.

10. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 1 further comprising an intermediate network element configured to:

determine network performance information of said packet network; and

concatenate said network performance information into said data packets.

11. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 10 wherein said intermediate network element is further configured to:

adjust the window size of said TCP packet based on said network performance information.

12. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 1 wherein said adjust the window size includes increasing or decreasing the number of octets contained in said data packets said receiving network element is prepared to accept.

13. A method for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network comprising:

determining network performance information between a sending network element and a receiving network element on said packet network;

concatenating said network performance information into data packets;

transmitting said data packets to one of said sending network element and receiving network element; and

adjusting said window size of said TCP packet based on said network performance information.

14. The method for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 13 further comprising:

storing said network performance information indicative of bandwidth of said data packets including real-time content and total data packets communicated over said packet network.

15. The method for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 13 wherein said network performance information is contained in IEEE standard 802.1AG data packets.

16. The method for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 13 further comprising:

counting the total of said data packets being communicated via said packet network during a time period;

counting said data packets including real-time content being communicated via said packet network during said time period;

determining bandwidth of said data packets being communicated via said wireless router; and

determining bandwidth of said data packets including real-time content being communicated via said packet network.

17. The method for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 13 further comprising:

determining whether at least one network performance information value of said packet network exceeds a predetermined threshold value;

communicating an instruction in an acknowledgement data packet to said receiving network element to adjust said window size of said data packet.

18. The method for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 13 wherein one of said sending network element and receiving network element includes a ITU-T Y.1731 module configured to separately count total data packets and data packets including real-time content.

19. The method for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 13 further comprising:

delaying said adjusting said window size to increase a wait versus transmit for an acknowledgement data packet to accommodate packet network link lengths.

20. The method for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 13 further comprising an intermediate network element in communication with one of said sending network element and receiving network element:

determining network performance information between said intermediate network element and one of said sending network element and receiving network element on said packet network;

concatenating said network performance information into said data packets;

transmitting said data packets to one of said sending network element and receiving network element; and

adjusting said window size of said TCP packet based on said network performance information.

21. The method for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 20 further comprising:

storing said transmitted data packets by at least one of said intermediate network element, sending network element, and receiving network element for re-transmission to one of the other of said intermediate network element, sending network element, and receiving network element in the event of receiving an unacknowledged data packet.

22. A system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network comprising:

means for determining network performance information between a sending network element and a receiving network element on said packet network;

means for concatenating said network performance information into data packets;

means for transmitting said data packets to one of said sending network element and receiving network element; and

means for adjusting said window size of said TCP packet based on said network performance information.

23. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 22 further comprising:

means for storing said network performance information indicative of bandwidth of said data packets including real-time content and total data packets communicated over said packet network.

24. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 22 wherein said network performance information is contained in IEEE standard 802.1AG data packets.

25. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 22 further comprising:

means for counting the total of said data packets being communicated via said packet network during a time period;

means for counting said data packets including real-time content being communicated via said packet network during said time period;

means for determining bandwidth of said data packets being communicated via said wireless router; and

means for determining bandwidth of said data packets including real-time content being communicated via said packet network.

26. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 22 further comprising:

means for determining whether at least one network performance information value of said packet network exceeds a predetermined threshold value;

means for communicating an instruction in an acknowledgement data packet to said receiving network element to adjust said window size of said data packet.

27. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 22 wherein one of said sending network element and receiving network element includes a ITU-T Y.1731 module configured to separately count total data packets and data packets including real-time content.

28. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 22 further comprising:

means for delaying said means for adjusting said window size to increase a wait versus transmit for an acknowledgement data packet to accommodate packet network link lengths.

29. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 22 further comprising an intermediate network element in communication with one of said sending network element and receiving network element:

means for determining network performance information between said intermediate network element and one of said sending network element and receiving network element on said packet network;

means for concatenating said network performance information into said data packets;

means for transmitting said data packets to one of said sending network element and receiving network element; and

means for adjusting said window size of said TCP packet based on said network performance information.

30. The system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network of claim 29 further comprising:

means for storing said transmitted data packets by at least one of said intermediate network element,;

sending network element, and receiving network element for re-transmission to one of the other of said intermediate network element, sending network element, and receiving network element in the event of receiving an unacknowledged data packet.