METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING A DATA UNIT

• US 20090268613A1
• Filed: 05/14/2009
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Sagfors, Mats
• Granted Patent: US 9,178,741 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• 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 69/321 Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A given data unit of a first protocol layer for transmission in a data unit based communication system is passed to a second protocol layer. A numeric value of a numerically quantifiable parameter associated with said given data unit of said first protocol layer is determined and the given data unit is embedded into one or more data units of the second protocol layer and transmission control for the one or more data units of the second protocol layer is performed in accordance with said numeric value of said numerically quantifiable parameter.

Claims

1. A method of processing a data unit of a first protocol layer for transmission in a data unit based communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

passing to a second protocol layer a data unit of said first protocol layer that is to be transmitted, said second protocol layer lying below said first protocol layer;

performing a buffering operation for one or both of

said data unit of said first protocol layer and

one or more data units of said first protocol layer into which said data unit of said second protocol layer is embedded;

performing a congestion alleviation procedure for buffered data units if one or more predetermined triggering conditions are fulfilled, said congestion alleviation procedure comprising

a step for deciding whether congestion alleviation measure is to be performed with respect to a buffered data unit under consideration, said decision step depending on one or more numeric values that belong to at least one numerically quantifiable parameter associated with a given data unit of said first protocol layer, said given data unit of said first protocol layer being the data unit under consideration if the data unit under consideration is a data unit of the first protocol layer, and said given data unit of said first protocol layer being a data unit of said first protocol layer embedded in said data unit under consideration if the data unit under consideration is a data unit of said second protocol layer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said congestion alleviation procedure comprises a data unit dropping procedure for dropping said buffered data unit under consideration and a data unit marking procedure for adding a marking to said given data unit of said first protocol layer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one numerically quantifiable parameter is the size of said given data unit of said first protocol layer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said decision step comprises comparing the size of said given data unit of said first protocol layer with a predetermined threshold and performing the congestion alleviation measure with respect to the data unit under consideration if the threshold is exceeded.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one numerically quantifiable parameter is an inter-arrival time of data units of said first protocol layer.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of discriminating a group of data units of said first protocol layer to which said given data unit of said first protocol layer belongs.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said group of data units is discriminated on the basis of one or more of source information, destination information and a protocol identifier contained in said data units of said first protocol layer.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said decision step of said congestion alleviation procedure also depends on a result of said discriminating step.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said group is discriminated on the basis of a protocol identifier in said given data unit of said first protocol layer and said decision step comprises

determining whether the congestion alleviation measure should comprise dropping the data unit under consideration or, marking the given data unit of the first protocol layer where the data unit under consideration is dropped if the protocol identifier belongs to a predetermined category.

10. A transmitter for sending data over a link in a data unit based communication system that includes implementations of a first protocol layer and a second protocol layer, said first protocol layer lying above said second protocol layer, said transmitter being arranged to:

pass a given data unit of said first protocol layer, that is to be transmitted, to said second protocol layer, said implementation of said second protocol layer comprising;

a buffer for buffering one or both of

said data unit of said first protocol layer, and

one or more data units of said second protocol layer into which said data unit of said first protocol layer is embedded;

a controller connected to said buffer for performing a congestion alleviation procedure for buffered data units if one or more predetermined triggering conditions are fulfilled, said congestion alleviation procedure comprising

determining whether a congestion alleviation measure is to be performed with respect to a buffered data unit, based on one or more numeric values of a numerically quantifiable parameter associated with a given data unit of said first protocol layer, said given data unit of said first protocol layer being the buffered data unit, if the buffered data unit is a data unit of the first protocol layer, and said given data unit of said first protocol layer is a data unit of said first protocol layer embedded in said data unit under consideration of the data unit under consideration is a data unit of said second protocol layer;

transmit the one or more data units of said second protocol layer that include the embedded data unit of said first protocol layer.