AVOIDING UNWANTED TCP RETRANSMISSIONS USING OPTIMISTIC WINDOW ADJUSTMENTS

• US 20130339543A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Fall, Kevin Roland
• Granted Patent: US 10,009,445 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/233
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1825 Adaptation of specific ARQ protocol parameters according to transmission conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1832 Details of sliding window management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1838 for semi-reliable protocols, e.g. for less sensitive applications such as streaming video buffer level management for video bitstream receiver H04N21/44004
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]

Abstract

A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for communicating data via the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) are provided. The apparatus receives from a sender a plurality of data segments according to a sequential order, infers at least one missing data segment in the sequential order, and acknowledges to the sender receipt of a highest byte sequence number of a received data segment plus one based on the inference of the at least one missing data segment. The apparatus also adjusts a receive window based on at least one of: the inference of the at least one missing data segment, or a round-trip-time of a TCP connection, wherein the receive window indicates a buffer capacity for receiving data segments. The apparatus further advertises the adjusted receive window to the sender.

Claims

1. A method of communicating data via the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), comprising:

receiving from a sender a plurality of data segments according to a sequential order;

inferring at least one missing data segment in the sequential order; and

acknowledging to the sender receipt of a highest byte sequence number of a received data segment plus one based on the inference of the at least one missing data segment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the acknowledgment is further based on knowledge of missing byte sequence numbers in the sequential order, the missing byte sequence numbers corresponding to missing data segments.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting a receive window based on at least one of;

the inference of the at least one missing data segment, or

a round-trip-time of a TCP connection,

the receive window indicating a buffer capacity for receiving data segments; and

advertising the adjusted receive window to the sender.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at least one additional data segment from the sender at an adjusted transmission rate based on the advertised adjusted receive window.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the highest byte sequence number plus one corresponds to a latest received data segment ordered sequentially before the at least one missing data segment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the highest byte sequence number plus one corresponds to a latest received data segment ordered sequentially after the at least one missing data segment.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the received plurality of data segments have a byte sequence number,

the at least one missing data segment corresponds to at least one missing byte sequence number in the sequential order, and

the highest byte sequence number plus one corresponding to the latest received data segment is greater than the at least one missing byte sequence number.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the contents of data segments received at any arbitrary time to an application without waiting to receive the at least one missing data segment.

9. A method of communicating data via the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), comprising:

transmitting to a receiver a plurality of data segments according to a sequential order;

receiving at a sender acknowledgment from the receiver acknowledging receipt of a highest sequence number of a data segment plus one received at the receiver;

receiving an advertised receive window from the receiver, the advertised receive window indicating a buffer capacity for receiving data segments at the receiver; and

sending at least one additional data segment to the receiver at an adjusted transmission rate based on the advertised receive window.

10. An apparatus for communicating data via the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), comprising:

means for receiving from a sender a plurality of data segments according to a sequential order;

means for inferring at least one missing data segment in the sequential order; and

means for acknowledging to the sender receipt of a highest byte sequence number of a received data segment plus one based on the inference of the at least one missing data segment.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the acknowledgment is further based on knowledge of missing byte sequence numbers in the sequential order, the missing byte sequence numbers corresponding to missing data segments.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

means for adjusting a receive window based on at least one of;

the inference of the at least one missing data segment, or

a round-trip-time of a TCP connection,

the receive window indicating a buffer capacity for receiving data segments; and

means for advertising the adjusted receive window to the sender.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising means for receiving at least one additional data segment from the sender at an adjusted transmission rate based on the advertised adjusted receive window.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the highest byte sequence number plus one corresponds to a latest received data segment ordered sequentially before the at least one missing data segment.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the highest byte sequence number plus one corresponds to a latest received data segment ordered sequentially after the at least one missing data segment.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the received plurality of data segments have a byte sequence number,

the at least one missing data segment corresponds to at least one missing byte sequence number in the sequential order, and

the highest byte sequence number plus one corresponding to the latest received data segment is greater than the at least one missing byte sequence number.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising means for sending the contents of data segments received at any arbitrary time to an application without waiting to receive the at least one missing data segment.

18. An apparatus for communicating data via the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), comprising:

means for transmitting to a receiver a plurality of data segments according to a sequential order;

means for receiving at a sender acknowledgment from the receiver acknowledging receipt of a highest sequence number of a data segment plus one received at the receiver;

means for receiving an advertised receive window from the receiver, the advertised receive window indicating a buffer capacity for receiving data segments at the receiver; and

means for sending at least one additional data segment to the receiver at an adjusted transmission rate based on the advertised receive window.

19. An apparatus for communicating data via the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), comprising:

a processing system configured to;

receive from a sender a plurality of data segments according to a sequential order;

infer at least one missing data segment in the sequential order; and

acknowledge to the sender receipt of a highest byte sequence number of a received data segment plus one based on the inference of the at least one missing data segment.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the acknowledgment is further based on knowledge of missing byte sequence numbers in the sequential order, the missing byte sequence numbers corresponding to missing data segments.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, the processing system further configured to:

adjust a receive window based on at least one of;

the inference of the at least one missing data segment, or

a round-trip-time of a TCP connection,

the receive window indicating a buffer capacity for receiving data segments; and

advertise the adjusted receive window to the sender.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, the processing system further configured to receive at least one additional data segment from the sender at an adjusted transmission rate based on the advertised adjusted receive window.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the highest byte sequence number plus one corresponds to a latest received data segment ordered sequentially before the at least one missing data segment.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the highest byte sequence number plus one corresponds to a latest received data segment ordered sequentially after the at least one missing data segment.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein each of the received plurality of data segments have a byte sequence number,

the at least one missing data segment corresponds to at least one missing byte sequence number in the sequential order, and

the highest byte sequence number plus one corresponding to the latest received data segment is greater than the at least one missing byte sequence number.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, the processing system further configured to send the contents of data segments received at any arbitrary time to an application without waiting to receive the at least one missing data segment.

27. An apparatus for communicating data via the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), comprising:

a processing system configured to;

transmit to a receiver a plurality of data segments according to a sequential order;

receive at a sender acknowledgment from the receiver acknowledging receipt of a highest sequence number of a data segment plus one received at the receiver;

receive an advertised receive window from the receiver, the advertised receive window indicating a buffer capacity for receiving data segments at the receiver; and

send at least one additional data segment to the receiver at an adjusted transmission rate based on the advertised receive window.

28. A computer program product for communicating data via the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising code for;

receiving from a sender a plurality of data segments according to a sequential order;

inferring at least one missing data segment in the sequential order; and

acknowledging to the sender receipt of a highest byte sequence number of a received data segment plus one based on the inference of the at least one missing data segment.

29. A computer program product for communicating data via the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising code for;

transmitting to a receiver a plurality of data segments according to a sequential order;

receiving at a sender acknowledgment from the receiver acknowledging receipt of a highest sequence number of a data segment plus one received at the receiver;

receiving an advertised receive window from the receiver, the advertised receive window indicating a buffer capacity for receiving data segments at the receiver; and

sending at least one additional data segment to the receiver at an adjusted transmission rate based on the advertised receive window.