Hybrid Networking System with Seamless Path Switching of Streams

• US 20130132603A1
• Filed: 11/21/2011
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Etan Gur Cohen
• Inventors: Cohen, Etan Gur, Chen, Kai
• Granted Patent: US 9,461,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1841 Resequencing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/125 based on throughput or bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6225 Fixed service order, e.g. Round Robin
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/726 Reserving resources in multiple paths to be used simultaneously by balancing the load H04L47/125
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/164 Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol

Abstract

System and method for switching a stream to a new transmission medium. A first stream may be received. A first plurality of packets of the first stream may be transmitted to a second device on a first transmission medium. The first plurality of packets may include one or more index marker packets. It may be determined that at least a portion of the first plurality of packets may not have been received by the second device. A second plurality of packets of the first stream may be transmitted to the second device on a second transmission medium. The second plurality of packets may include at least a subset of the first plurality of packets and at least a subset of the one or more index marker packets. The one or more index marker packets may be configured for use by the second device to detect and discard duplicate packets.

Claims

1. A method for a first device to switch a stream to a new transmission medium, wherein the first device is coupled to a second device via a plurality of transmission media, the method comprising:

receiving a first stream for transmission to the second device;

transmitting a first plurality of packets of the first stream to the second device on a first transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media, wherein the first plurality of packets comprises one or more index marker packets;

determining that at least a portion of the first plurality of packets may not have been received by the second device;

transmitting a second plurality of packets of the first stream to the second device on a second transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media, wherein the second plurality of packets of the first stream comprise at least a subset of the first plurality of packets, wherein the second plurality of packets further comprise at least a subset of the one or more index marker packets;

wherein the one or more index marker packets are configured for use by the second device to detect and discard duplicate packets.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

transmitting a buffer-begin marker packet to the second device on the second transmission medium prior to transmitting the second plurality of packets of the first stream, wherein the buffer-begin marker packet indicates to the second device that at least a subset of the second plurality of packets of the first stream may duplicate packets transmitted on the first transmission medium, wherein the buffer-begin marker packet comprises information identifying an index marker packet and indicating a position of the buffer-begin marker packet in the first stream relative to the identified index marker packet.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting a buffer-end marker packet to the second device on the second transmission medium after transmitting the at least a subset of the first plurality of packets comprised in the second plurality of packets on the second transmission medium, wherein the buffer-end marker packet indicates to the second device that subsequent packets transmitted on the second transmission medium do not duplicate packets transmitted on the first transmission medium.

4. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

determining a first interval for inserting index marker packets into the first stream;

inserting a first portion of the plurality of index marker packets into the first stream at the first interval;

determining a second interval for inserting index marker packets into the first stream, wherein the second interval is different than the first interval;

inserting a second portion of the plurality of index marker packets into the first stream at the second interval.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a subset of packets of the first stream in a buffer;

wherein the at least a subset of the first plurality of packets comprised in the second plurality of packets comprises the subset of packets of the first stream stored in the buffer.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein determining that at least a portion of the first plurality of packets may not have been received by the receiver comprises determining that the first transmission medium has failed.

7. A device, comprising:

a plurality of ports for coupling to a second device via a plurality of transmission media;

logic configured to switch a stream to a new transmission medium, wherein the logic is configured to;

receive a first stream for transmission to the second device;

transmit a first plurality of packets of the first stream to the second device on a first transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media, wherein the first plurality of packets comprises one or more index marker packets;

determine that at least a portion of the first plurality of packets may not have been received by the second device;

transmit a second plurality of packets of the first stream to the second device on a second transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media, wherein the second plurality of packets of the first stream comprise at least a subset of the first plurality of packets, wherein the second plurality of packets further comprise at least a subset of the one or more index marker packets;

wherein the one or more index marker packets are configured for use by the second device to detect and discard duplicate packets.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the logic is further configured to:

transmit a buffer-begin marker packet to the second device on the second transmission medium prior to transmitting the second plurality of packets of the first stream, wherein the buffer-begin marker packet indicates to the second device that at least a subset of the second plurality of packets of the first stream may duplicate packets transmitted on the first transmission medium, wherein the buffer-begin marker packet comprises information identifying an index marker packet and indicating a position of the buffer-begin marker packet in the first stream relative to the identified index marker packet.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the logic is further configured to:

transmit a buffer-end marker packet to the second device on the second transmission medium after transmitting the at least a subset of the first plurality of packets comprised in the second plurality of packets on the second transmission medium, wherein the buffer-end marker packet indicates to the second device that subsequent packets transmitted on the second transmission medium do not duplicate packets transmitted on the first transmission medium.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the logic is further configured to:

determine a first interval for inserting index marker packets into the first stream;

insert a first portion of the plurality of index marker packets into the first stream at the first interval;

determine a second interval for inserting index marker packets into the first stream, wherein the second interval is different than the first interval;

insert a second portion of the plurality of index marker packets into the first stream at the second interval.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein the logic is further configured to:

store a subset of packets of the first stream in a buffer;

wherein the at least a subset of the first plurality of packets comprised in the second plurality of packets comprises the subset of packets of the first stream stored in the buffer.

12. The device of claim 7, wherein the logic configured to determine that at least a portion of the first plurality of packets may not have been received by the receiver is further configured to determine that the first transmission medium has failed.

13. A system for switching a stream to a new transmission medium, the system comprising:

means for receiving a first stream for transmission to the second device;

means for transmitting a first plurality of packets of the first stream to the second device on a first transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media, wherein the first plurality of packets comprises one or more index marker packets;

means for determining that at least a portion of the first plurality of packets may not have been received by the second device;

means for transmitting a second plurality of packets of the first stream to the second device on a second transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media, wherein the second plurality of packets of the first stream comprise at least a subset of the first plurality of packets, wherein the second plurality of packets further comprise at least a subset of the one or more index marker packets;

wherein the one or more index marker packets are configured for use by the second device to detect and discard duplicate packets.

14. A computer-readable memory medium comprising program instructions for switching a stream to a new transmission medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

receive a first stream for transmission;

route a first plurality of packets of the first stream to a first transmission medium of a plurality of transmission media for transmission, wherein the first plurality of packets comprises one or more index marker packets;

determine that at least a portion of the first plurality of packets may not have been received by the second device;

route a second plurality of packets of the first stream to a second transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media for transmission, wherein the second plurality of packets of the first stream comprise at least a subset of the first plurality of packets, wherein the second plurality of packets further comprise at least a subset of the one or more index marker packets;

wherein the one or more index marker packets are configured for use by the second device to detect and discard duplicate packets.

15. A method for a receiving device to remove duplicate packets received from a transmitting device, wherein the receiving device is coupled to the transmitting device via a plurality of transmission media, the method comprising:

receiving a first plurality of packets of a first stream on a first transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media, wherein the first plurality of packets comprises one or more index marker packets;

receiving a second plurality of packets of the first stream on a second transmission medium, wherein the second plurality of packets comprises at least a subset of the first plurality of packets, wherein the second plurality of packets further comprise at least a subset of the one or more index marker packets;

determining, based on the one or more index marker packets comprised in the first plurality of packets and the second plurality of packets, that one or more of the first plurality of packets received on the first transmission medium or the second plurality of packets received on the second transmission medium are duplicate packets;

discarding the determined duplicate packets.

16. The method of claim 15, the method further comprising:

storing information indicating a last index marker received in the first stream and a number of packets of the first stream received since the last index marker on the first transmission medium;

receiving a buffer-begin marker packet on the second transmission medium prior to receiving the second plurality of packets of the first stream, wherein the buffer-begin marker packet indicates that at least a subset of the second plurality of packets of the first stream may duplicate packets transmitted on the first transmission medium, wherein the buffer-begin marker packet comprises information identifying an index marker packet and indicating a position of the buffer-begin marker packet in the first stream relative to the identified index marker packet;

comparing the stored information indicating the last index marker received in the first stream and the number of packets of the first stream received since the last index marker on the first transmission medium to the information indicating a position of the buffer-begin marker packet in the first stream relative to a most recent index marker;

wherein said determining that one or more of the first plurality of packets received on the first transmission medium or the second plurality of packets received on the second transmission medium are duplicate packets is based on said comparing.

17. The method of claim 16, the method further comprising:

receiving a buffer-end marker packet on the second transmission medium, wherein the buffer-end marker packet indicates that subsequent packets of the first stream received on the second transmission medium do not duplicate packets of the first stream received on the first transmission medium.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein a portion of the first plurality of packets are received on the first transmission medium after the buffer-begin marker packet is received on the second transmission medium, the method further comprising:

discarding the portion of the first plurality of packets received after the buffer-begin marker packet is received.

19. A device, comprising:

a plurality of ports for coupling to a second device via a plurality of transmission media;

logic configured to detect and remove duplicate packets received from the second device, wherein the logic is configured to;

receive a first plurality of packets of a first stream on a first transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media, wherein the first plurality of packets comprises one or more index marker packets;

receive a second plurality of packets of the first stream on a second transmission medium, wherein the second plurality of packets comprises at least a subset of the first plurality of packets, wherein the second plurality of packets further comprise at least a subset of the one or more index marker packets;

determine, based on the one or more index marker packets comprised in the first plurality of packets and the second plurality of packets, that one or more of the first plurality of packets received on the first transmission medium or the second plurality of packets received on the second transmission medium are duplicate packets;

discard the determined duplicate packets.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the logic is further configured to:

store information indicating a last index marker received in the first stream and a number of packets of the first stream received since the last index marker on the first transmission medium;

receive a buffer-begin marker packet on the second transmission medium prior to receiving the second plurality of packets of the first stream, wherein the buffer-begin marker packet indicates that at least a subset of the second plurality of packets of the first stream may duplicate packets transmitted on the first transmission medium, wherein the buffer-begin marker packet comprises information identifying an index marker packet and indicating a position of the buffer-begin marker packet in the first stream relative to the identified index marker packet;

compare the stored information indicating the last index marker received in the first stream and the number of packets of the first stream received since the last index marker on the first transmission medium to the information indicating a position of the buffer-begin marker packet in the first stream relative to a most recent index marker;

wherein said determining that one or more of the first plurality of packets received on the first transmission medium or the second plurality of packets received on the second transmission medium are duplicate packets is based on said comparing.

21. The device of claim 19, wherein the logic is further configured to:

receive a buffer-end marker packet on the second transmission medium, wherein the buffer-end marker packet indicates that subsequent packets of the first stream received on the second transmission medium do not duplicate packets of the first stream received on the first transmission medium.

22. The device of claim 19, wherein a portion of the first plurality of packets are received on the first transmission medium after the buffer-begin marker packet is received on the second transmission medium, wherein the logic is further configured to:

discard the portion of the first plurality of packets received after the buffer-begin marker packet is received.

23. A system for a receiving device to remove duplicate packets received from a transmitting device, wherein the receiving device is coupled to the transmitting device via a plurality of transmission media, the system comprising:

means for receiving a first plurality of packets of a first stream on a first transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media, wherein the first plurality of packets comprises one or more index marker packets;

means for receiving a second plurality of packets of the first stream on a second transmission medium, wherein the second plurality of packets comprises at least a subset of the first plurality of packets, wherein the second plurality of packets further comprise at least a subset of the one or more index marker packets;

means for determining, based on the one or more index marker packets comprised in the first plurality of packets and the second plurality of packets, that one or more of the first plurality of packets received on the first transmission medium or the second plurality of packets received on the second transmission medium are duplicate packets;

means for discarding the determined duplicate packets.

24. A computer-readable memory medium comprising program instructions for detecting and removing received duplicate packets, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

receive a first plurality of packets of a first stream via a first transmission medium of a plurality of transmission media, wherein the first plurality of packets comprises one or more index marker packets;

receive a second plurality of packets of the first stream via a second transmission medium, wherein the second plurality of packets comprises at least a subset of the first plurality of packets, wherein the second plurality of packets further comprise at least a subset of the one or more index marker packets;

determine, based on the one or more index marker packets comprised in the first plurality of packets and the second plurality of packets, that one or more of the first plurality of packets received on the first transmission medium or the second plurality of packets received on the second transmission medium are duplicate packets;

discard the determined duplicate packets.

25. A method for minimizing packet loss when switching a stream to a new transmission medium, the method comprising:

transmitting a first plurality of packets of a first stream to a receiver on a first transmission medium;

storing a first portion of the first plurality of packets of the first stream in a buffer;

determining that some of the first plurality of packets may not have been received by the receiver;

re-transmitting the first portion of the first plurality of packets stored in the buffer to the receiver on a second transmission medium.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises updating the buffer, wherein said updating comprises one or more of:

removing one or more successfully transmitted packets from the buffer;

removing one or more packets that are older than an age threshold from the buffer;

removing one or more packets from the buffer based on a fullness of the buffer;

or

adding a packet scheduled for transmission to the buffer.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the buffer comprises a head end and a tail end, the method further comprising:

receiving an additional packet of the first stream for transmission to the receiver;

storing the additional packet of the first stream at the tail end of the buffer;

re-transmitting a preselected number of packets from the head end of the buffer on the second transmission medium based on receiving the additional packet of the first stream for transmission to the receiver.

28. A method for re-ordering out-of-order packets of a first stream received via a plurality of transmission media, the method comprising:

receiving and processing a first portion of a first plurality of packets of a first stream on a first transmission medium;

receiving a beginning-of-stream marker packet of the first stream on a second transmission medium;

receiving and buffering a first portion of a second plurality of packets of the first stream on the second transmission medium, wherein the first plurality of packets are prior to the second plurality of packets in first stream packet ordering;

receiving and processing a second portion of the first plurality of packets of the first stream on the first transmission medium, wherein the second portion of the first plurality of packets is received after the beginning-of-stream marker packet is received;

receiving an end-of-stream marker packet on the first transmission medium, wherein the end-of-stream marker packet is received after the first portion of the second plurality of packets is received;

processing the buffered first portion of the second plurality of packets after receiving the end-of-stream marker packet on the first transmission medium based on receiving the end-of-stream marker packet on the first transmission medium;

receiving and processing a second portion of the second plurality of packets of the first stream on the second transmission medium, wherein said processing the second portion of the second plurality of packets is performed after said processing the buffered first portion of the second plurality of packets.

29. A method for a receiver to self-throttle, the method comprising:

receiving a first plurality of packets of a first stream on a first transmission medium;

storing the first plurality of packets of the first stream in a buffer, wherein the buffer comprises a head end and a tail end;

receiving an additional packet of the first stream on the first transmission medium;

storing the additional packet of the first stream at the tail end of the buffer;

processing a pre-selected number of packets from the head end of the buffer based on said receiving the additional packet of the first stream on the first transmission medium;

removing the processed pre-selected number of packets from the head end of the buffer.