Method and system for bundling data in a data-over-cable system

• US 6,331,987 B1
• Filed: 05/27/1998
• Issued: 12/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Beser, Nurettin B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US09/085,586
• Time in Patent Office: 1,301 Days
• Field of Search: 370/351, 370/352, 370/395, 370/431, 370/468, 370/486, 370/487, 375/222, 455/3.1, 455/3.2, 455/5.1, 348/6, 348/8, 348/12, 725/63, 725/64, 725/74, 725/86, 725/91, 725/105, 725/143, 725/144, 725/111
• US Class Current: 370/486
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/72 using reservation actions during connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/788 Autonomous allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/1739 the upstream communication being transmitted via a separate link, e.g. telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A method and system for specifying channels for data sent upstream in a data-over-cable system, including data leaving the data-over-cable system is provided. The data sent upstream from an application has a corresponding group-identification parameter, also referred to as a flow-identification parameter. This parameter specifies a particular channel on which the data is to be forwarded. This specification is based on a correspondence between the data-identification parameter and a channel-identification parameter assigned to the channels over which data-packets are transmitted. The data-over-cable system may use the data-identification parameter to allocate access to a channel as part of a Quality-of-Service request. This parameter also allows sorting of data-packets for further transmission upstream, including possible bundling to form groups of data-packets and subsequent transmission upstream.

Claims

1. A method for bundling data in a data-over-cable system having a plurality of network devices, the data-over-cable system having a plurality of channels, where at least one channel connects the data-over-cable system to a network outside of the data-over-cable system, the method comprising the steps of:

defining a data-identification parameter associated with a data-packet;

receiving one or more data-packets with an associated data-identification parameter on a first network device from a plurality of second network devices, said first network device having a plurality of channels where at least one of said channels is labeled by a channel-identification parameter;

determining a first channel on said first network device labeled by a first-channel-value with a channel-identification parameter corresponding to said data-identification parameter of said data-packet; and

transmitting said data-packets on said first channel from the first network device to a network outside of the data-over-cable system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network device is a cable-modem-termination system and the second network device is a cable modem.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a first channel is established by the data-over-cable system following a request by the second network device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein substantially all data-packets from a port on said second network device are pre-assigned a particular data-identification parameter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second network device requests said first-value of said data-identification parameter assigned to the port.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said data-over-cable system allocates a bandwidth in said first channel of the first network device to a second network device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said first channel of the first network device is a virtual channel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data-over-cable system provides quality-of-service by reserving bandwidth for use by the second network device on a channel on the first network device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said first channel connects the first network device to a plurality of networks outside the data-over-cable system.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

establishing said first channel by negotiating a protocol with a network device at the other end of the channel.

11. A computer readable media having stored therein instructions to cause a central processing unit to execute the steps of the method of claim 1.

12. A method for bundling data in a data-over-cable system, said data-over-cable system having at least one cable-modem-termination system with a plurality of channels, and at least one of said channels having a channel-identification parameter, the method comprising:

receiving data-packets on the cable-modem-termination system in said data-over-cable system from a plurality of cable modems, said data-packets labeled by a data-identification parameter;

sorting said data-packets according to the data-identification parameter to generate sorted data-packets; and

transmitting said sorted data-packets on one of said channels to a network outside of the data-over-cable system, wherein the channel-identification parameter of said channel corresponds to the data-identification parameter of said sorted data-packets.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein substantially all of said data are transmitted upstream on a port for said cable modem with a pre-assigned value of the data-identification parameter.

14. A computer readable media having stored therein instructions to cause a central processing unit to execute the steps of claim 12.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein a bandwidth in said cable-modem-termination system is allocated to said cable modem for a path connecting the cable modem to the cable-modem-termination system.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein said channels include virtual channels.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein said data-over-cable system provides quality-of-service to the cable-modem-termination system and the cable modems.

18. A data-over-cable system for bundling data, the system comprising:

a plurality of cable modems;

a cable-modem-termination system, where said plurality of cable modems transmit data to the cable-modem-termination system, said data having a plurality of data-packets with at least one of said data-packets corresponding to a data-identification parameter; and

a plurality of labeled channels;

where at least one of said labeled channels is labeled by a channel identification parameter, said channels are connected to the cable-modem-termination system and to at least one network outside the data-over-cable system,

where furthermore the cable-modem-termination system transmits said data-packet on one of said labeled channels for transmitting data, wherein said labeled channel has the channel identification parameter corresponding to the data-identification parameter of the data-packet.

19. The data-over-cable system of claim 18, wherein said labeled channels for transmitting data include virtual channels.

20. The data-over-cable system of claim 18, wherein said data-over-cable system provides quality-of-service.

21. The data-over-cable system of claim 18, wherein said cable-modem termination system establishes the channel corresponding to the data-identification parameter of the data-packet.