Data network acknowledgement arrangement

• US 4,654,654 A
• Filed: 03/31/1986
• Issued: 03/31/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT&T, Inc.
• Inventors: Lu, Priscilla M., Butler, Thomas T., Lindquist, Wayne V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weldon, Ulysses
• Application Number:
  US06/846,478
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.5-825.53, 364/200, 179/179.20 R, 179/175.20 C, 179/175.30 R, 370/85, 370/60, 370/91-94, 371/48
• US Class Current: 370/463
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/128 for dedicated transfers to a network for protocol converters G06F13/387
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/901 using storage descriptor, e.g. read or write pointers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9078 using an external memory or storage device
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass networks security protocols H04L9/40; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and apparatus for flexibly interconnecting the nodes of a local data network to achieve reliable internodal data transmission while minimizing the extra data processing load on the host processors of each node. An interface processor is provided at each node which controls transmission and reception of data packets and the communication of data from and to the location in node storage associated with the program processes which generate and receive the data. Different protocols are provided for different types of messages and are controlled by the interface processor in order to provide high reliability data transmission where needed. Destination addresses are associated with each data packet to provide flexible routing of data.

Claims

1. A local data network, comprising:

a transmission medium;

a first node connected to said medium, for generating and transmitting on said medium data packet signals representing a data packet, said data packet signals comprising acknowledgment request signals representing acknowledgment request data; and

a second node connected to said medium, comprising;

receive circuit interface means connected to said medium for receiving said data packet signals;

buffer storage means, connected to said receive circuit interface means, for storing said data packet signals;

first means connected to said buffer storage means and responsive to the contents of said buffer storage means representing said acknowledgment request data for selectively assembling an acknowledgment packet; and

second means connected to said medium for generating acknowledgment packet signals representing said acknowledgment packet assmebled by said first means for transmission over said medium;

in which said first means comprises program-controlled interface processor means responsive to contents of said buffer storage means for assembling said acknowledgment packets;

in which said second node comprises means for storing a master indicator having a positive and negative state, wherein said second node is responsive to the contents of the buffer storage means in said second node to generate said acknowledgment packet signals if said master indicator has a positive state.

2. A local data network, comprising:

a transmission medium;

a first node connected to said medium, for generating and transmitting on said medium data packet signals representing a data packet, said data packet signals comprising acknowledgment request signals representing acknowledgment request data; and

a second node connected to said medium, comprising;

receive circuit interface means connected to said medium for receiving said data packet signals;

buffer storage means, connected to said receive circuit interface means, for storing said data packet signals;

first means connected to said buffer storage means and responsive in the contents of said buffer storage means representing said acknowledgment request data for selectively assembling an acknowledgment packet; and

second means connected to said medium for generating acknowledgment packet signals representing said acknowledgment packet assembled by said first means for transmission over said medium;

in which said first means comprises program-controlled interface processor means responsive to contents of said buffer storage means for assembling said acknowledgment packets;

wherein said acknowledgment request data comprises data having a first set of values for requesting that said acknowledgment packet be transmitted and a second set of values for requesting that said acknowledgment packet not be transmitted.

3. In a local data network comprising a transmission medium and a plurality of nodes connected to said medium, each of said nodes comprising buffer storage means, a method of transmitting an acknowledgment packet over said medium, comprising the steps of:

transmitting from a first of said nodes data packet signals representing a data packet, said data packet signals comprising acknowledgment request signals representing acknowledgment request data;

receiving and storing said data signals comprising said acknowledgment request signals in the buffer storage means of a second of said nodes; and

selectively generating and transmitting acknowledgment packet signals representing an acknowledgment packet from said second node over said data network medium in response to said acknowledgment request signals stored in said buffer storage means; and

storing initialization data in said second node for making said second node responsive to selected values of said acknowledgment request data signals stored in said buffer storage means to selectively generate and transmit said acknowledgment packet signals on said transmission medium.

4. The invention of claim 3 further comprising the step of:

allocating and initializing data blocks for a transmit port and a transmit protocol channel in said first node;

wherein said step of storing initializing data comprises the steps of allocating and initializing data blocks for a receive port and receive protocol channel in said second node; and

wherein said acknowledgment packets are transmitted over said medium from said receive protocol channel to said transmit protocol channel.

5. The invention of claim 4 in which said transmit protocol channel has an associated transmit protocol channel number and wherein said acknowledgment request data comprises said transmit protocol channel number.

6. In a local data network comprising a transmission medium and a plurality of nodes connected to said medium, each of said nodes comprising buffer storage means, a method of transmitting an acknowledgment packet over said medium, comprising the steps of:

transmitting from a first of said nodes data packet signals representing a data packet, said data packet signals comprising acknowledgment request signals representing acknowledgment request data;

receiving and storing said data packet signals comprising said acknowledgment request signals in the buffer storage means of a second of said nodes; and

selectively generating and transmitting acknowledgment packet signals representing an acknowledgment packet from said second node over said data network medium in response to said acknowledgment request signals stored in said buffer storage means;

wherein said acknowledgment request data comprises data having a first set of values for requesting that said acknowledgment packet be transmitted and a second set of values for requesting that said acknowledgment packet not be transmitted.

7. A local network comprising:

a transmission medium;

first node means for transmitting on said medium signals representing a data packet and comprising acknowledgment request data signals; and

second node means comprising;

buffer storage means for storing said data packet signals received from said medium;

means responsive to acknowledgment request data signals stored in said buffer storage means for selectively assembling an acknowledgment packet; and

means responsive to the assembled acknowledgment packet for transmitting acknowledgment packet signals representing said assembled acknowledgment packet over said medium;

wherein said assembling means comprises program-controlled means responsive to said stored acknowledgment request data signals for assembling said acknowledgment packet; and

wherein said second node means further comprises means for storing control signals having a positive and negative state, wherein said assembling means is responsive to said stored acknowledgment request data signals to assemble said acknowledgment packet if said control signals have a positive state.

8. In a local data network comprising a transmission medium and a plurality of nodes connected to said medium, each of said nodes comprising buffer storage means, a method of transmitting an acknowledgment packet over said medium comprising the steps of:

transmitting signals representing a data packet from a first node, said signals comprising signals representing acknowledgment request data;

storing said signals representing a data packet in the buffer storage means of a second node;

selectively transmitting signals representing an acknowledgment packet from said second node over said medium in response to said stored signals representing acknowledgment request data; and

storing initialization data in said second node for making said second node responsive, to selected values of said stored signals representing acknowledgment request data, selectively to transmit said acknowledgment packet signals on said transmission medium.