Mobile ad hoc extensions for the internet

• US 6,845,091 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2000
• Issued: 01/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SRI International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SRI International, Inc.
• Inventors: Woodworth, Carla Peccolo, Templin, Fred Lambert, Bellur, Bhargav R., Arnold, James A., Seaton, D. Scott, Frandsen, Michael W., Williams, Nathan W., Gellrich, Christian A, Ogier, Richard G.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUNKULH, BOB A
• Application Number:
  US09/728,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20020012320A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/329, 370/338, 370/345, 370/349, 370/465, 370/466, 370/467, 709/201, 709/238, 709/239, 709/242, 709/243
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1614 using bitmaps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/26 Route discovery packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/48 Routing tree calculation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/488 using root node determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/251 between different IP versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/167 Adaptation for transition between two IP versions, e.g. between IPv4 and IPv6 translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses H04L61/2503
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 : Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/34 : Modification of an existing route
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 : Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/045 : involving different protocol versions, e.g. MIPv4 and MIPv6
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Described is an internetworking system having various mobile ad hoc extensions to the Internet that are particularly suited to the dynamic environment of mobile ad hoc networks. The internetworking system includes any combination of a link-state routing protocol for disseminating topology and link-state information over a multi-hop network comprised of nodes, a neighbor discovery protocol that can detect the appearance and disappearance of new neighbor nodes, an address format that facilitates deployment of IPv6 nodes in a predominantly IPv4 network infrastructure, a queuing mechanism that can update information upon resuming interrupted communications between nodes, and dynamic network measurement techniques for adaptively using wireless bandwidth when establishing and maintaining connections between nodes and a server.

Claims

1. A wireless mobile network comprising:

a mobile client in communication with a server over a first wireless route through the network;

routing nodes communicating with each other according to a protocol by which each routing node disseminates link-related information to zero or more neighbor nodes based on a tree developed and maintained by that routing node, the routing nodes determining that a link-state change in the first wireless route has interrupted communications between the mobile client and the server, and that the mobile client has selected an alternative wireless route through the network; and

a queue storing communications affected by the interruption and transmitting such communications to the client and the server to resume communications between the client and the server over the alternative wireless route from the point of interruption.

2. The wireless mobile network of claim 1 further comprising a processing system measuring at least one network parameter during network operation for use in adapting communications between the client and the server to current network conditions.

3. The wireless mobile network of claim 2 wherein the measured network parameter is packet loss, and the processing system adjusts a length of packets transmitted between the client and the server in response to the measured packet loss.

4. The wireless mobile network of claim 2 wherein the measured network parameter is a round-trip time for a transmitted packet, and in response to the measured round-trip time the processing unit adjusts a time-out period for which a sender of a transmitted packet awaits a corresponding acknowledgment.

5. The wireless mobile network of claim 2 wherein the processing unit determines a number of retransmissions of an unacknowledged packet before an attempt is made to reestablish a connection between the client and the server in response to the measured network parameter.

6. The wireless mobile network of claim 5 wherein the processing unit determines a number of attempts to reestablish a connection between the client and the server if the transmitted packet remains unacknowledged packet after the number of retransmissions.

7. The wireless mobile network of claim 1 further comprising a node generating an IPv6 packet for transmission to a destination node, the IPv6 packet including an address having a globally aggregatable IPv6 address prefix and an IPv6-compatible interface identifier that contains an embedded IPv4 address associated with the destination node.

8. A wireless mobile network comprising:

a first node generating an IPv6 packet for transmission to a destination node, the IPv6 packet including an address of the destination node, the address having a globally aggregatable IPv6 address prefix and an IPv6-compatible interface identifier that contains an embedded IPv4 address associated with the destination node; and

routing nodes communicating with each other according to a protocol by which each routing node disseminates routing information to zero or more neighbor nodes based on a broadcast tree maintained in part by that routing node, the routing nodes determining a path to the destination node based on the routing information, the IPv6 address prefix, and the IPv4 address embedded within the IPv6-compatible interface identifier.

9. The wireless mobile network of claim 8 further comprising a processing system measuring at least one network parameter during network operation for use in adapting communications of the first node to current network conditions.

10. The wireless mobile network of claim 9 wherein the measured network parameter is packet loss, and the processing system adjusts a length of packets transmitted by the first node in response to the measured packet loss.

11. The wireless mobile network of claim 9 wherein the measured network parameter is a round-trip time for a transmitted packet, and in response to the measured round-trip time the processing unit adjusts a time-out period for which the first node awaits an acknowledgment for a transmitted packet.

12. The wireless mobile network of claim 9 wherein the processing unit in response to the measured network parameter determines a number of retransmissions of an unacknowledged packet before an attempt is made to reestablish a connection to the first node.

13. The wireless mobile network of claim 12 wherein the processing unit determines a number of attempts to establish a connection with the first node if the transmitted packet remains unacknowledged after the number of retransmissions.