Network protocol for network communications

• US 20080114853A1
• Filed: 10/05/2007
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: John Holt
• Original Assignee: John Holt
• Inventors: Holt, John
• Application Number:
  US11/973,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20080114853A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/214
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

A network protocol is disclosed in which the network switch reports failure to transmit a message or packet to the source computer of a multiple computer system. The destination computer(s) is/are then instructed by the source computer to re-initialize the relevant memory locations. A transaction identifier (TID) is used to identify a source computer sending a stream of updating data for a specific memory location.

Claims

1. A transmission protocol for transmission of data in a communication network interconnecting at least one source of data and at least one destination for that data, said protocol comprising:

a payload comprising said data; and

a header comprising a transaction identifier, a destination address, and a source address.

2. A transmission protocol as in claim 1, wherein said transmission protocol in modified so that said transaction identifier is omitted, and said data of said payload has previously been signalled as being part of a sequence of data from the same said source to the same said destination.

3. A method of recovery of substantially coherent memory in a replicated shared memory, or partial replicated shared memory, multiple computer system in the event of unsuccessful data transmission from a source computer to a destination computer both of which form part of said multiple computer system and said data unsuccessfully transmitted comprises the updated content of a memory location replicated in both said source computer and said destination computer, said method of recovery comprising the steps of:

(i) said source computer on becoming aware of said unsuccessful data transmission instructing said destination computer to overwrite the shared memory location to which the undelivered data relates by re-initializing said shared memory location to which the undelivered data relates; and

(ii) said source computer sending said destination computer its current contents of said shared memory location to which the undelivered data related.

4. The method as in claim 3, wherein said data includes a count value indicative of the position of said data in a sequence of changed data, said method including the further step of:

(iii) in step (ii) said source computer sends to said destination computer an unincremented count value.

5. In a communications network in which data packets are transmitted via at least one multi-port switch from a source to at least one destination, a method comprising the steps of:

(i) providing the or each multi-port switch with a data processing capacity; and

(ii) having said multi-port switch notify said source of any failure to deliver a packet sent from said source to any one or more of said destination(s).

6. A method for the transmission and reception of asynchronous data in a communications network interconnecting at least one source of data and at least one destination for that data, said method comprising:

forming a payload comprising said data;

forming a header for said payload comprising;

(i) a transaction identifier, (ii) a data destination address, and (iii) a data source address;

forming a data packets including said payload and said header;

transmitting said data packet via at least one multi-port switch from said source to said at least one destination, including;

(a) providing the or each multi-port switch with a data processing capacity; and

(b) having said multi-port switch notify said source of any failure to deliver a packet sent from said source to any one or more of said destination(s).

7. A method for the transmission and reception of asynchronous data as in claim 6, wherein the data comprises data in replicated shared memory, or partial or hybrid replicated shared memory, multiple computer system.

8. A method for the transmission and reception of asynchronous data as in claim 6, wherein the data comprises stock exchange and/or commodity price data.