Systems and methods for predicting fields in a data packet

• US 6,961,777 B1
• Filed: 08/04/2000
• Issued: 11/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shrikumar Hariharasubrahmanian
• Original Assignee: Shrikumar Hariharasubrahmanian
• Inventors: Hariharasubrahmanian, Shrikumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Edelman, Bradley
• Application Number:
  US09/632,846
• Time in Patent Office: 1,915 Days
• Field of Search: 709230-233, 709/236, 709/237, 370/389, 370/392, 370/498
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/00 Packet switching elements
• 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 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level

Abstract

A system predicts one or more fields of a packet that includes multiple fields. Each of the fields stores a value. The system receives one or more of the fields of the packet and determines the value of at least one of the received fields (710). The system predicts a value of at least one other one of the fields of the packet based on the value of the received field before the other field is received (715). The system then processes the packet based on the received fields and the predicted field(s) (720).

Claims

1. A method for predicting one or more fields of a packet having a plurality of fields, each of the fields storing data representing a value, the method comprising:

receiving one or more of the fields of the packet;

analyzing the value of at least one of the received fields;

predicting how the packet will be processed by upper level protocols, application protocols or both based on the value of the at least one received field and further predicting a value of at least one other field of the packet not yet received, based on the value of the at least one received field; and

processing the packet based on the one or more received fields and the predicted at least one other field.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing includes:

generating a reply packet based on the one or more received fields and the predicted at least one other field.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the at least one other field.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the processing includes:

determining whether a value of the received at least one other field matches the predicted value of the predicted at least one other field.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

aborting processing of the packet when the value of the received at least one other field fails to match the predicted value.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

preventing transmission of reply information corresponding to the packet when the value of the received at least one other field fails to match the predicted value.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

causing reply information already transmitted in response to the packet to be discarded when the value of the received at least one other field fails to match the predicted value.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

continuing processing of the packet based on the one or more received fields and the received at least one other field when the value of the received at least one other field matches the predicted value.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the processing includes:

determining whether a value of the received at least one other field substantially matches the predicted value of the predicted at least one other field.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one received field includes a total length field and the predicted at least one other field includes a protocol field.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one received field includes a total length field and the predicted at least one other field includes a flags field.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one received field includes a total length field and the predicted at least one other field includes a protocol field and a flags field.

13. A method for predicting one or more fields of a packet having a plurality of fields, each of the fields storing data representing a value, the method comprising:

receiving one or more of the fields of the packet;

analyzing the value of at least one of the received fields;

predicting a value of at least one other field of the packet not yet received, based on the value of the at least one received field;

processing the packet based on the one or more received fields and the predicted at least one other field;

receiving the at least one other field;

receiving one or more additional fields of the packet after receiving the at least one other field; and

rechecking the predicted value using the one or more additional fields.

14. A method for predicting one or more fields of a packet having a plurality of fields, each of the fields storing data representing a value, the method comprising:

receiving one or more of the fields of the packet;

analyzing the value of at least one of the received fields;

predicting a value of at least one other field of the packet not yet received, based on the value of the at least one received field; and

processing the packet based on the one or more received fields and the predicted at least one other field;

analyzing the value of at least one additional one of the received fields; and

confirming the predicted value using the value of the at least one additional field.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the confirming includes:

predicting another value of the at least one other field using the value of the at least one additional field, and

comparing the predicted value and the other predicted value.

16. A system for predicting one or more fields of a packet having a plurality of fields, each of the fields storing data representing a value, the system comprising:

means for obtaining one of the fields of the packet;

means for determining the value of the obtained field;

means for predicting how the packet will be processed by upper level protocols, application protocols or both based on the value of the obtained field and further predicting a value of at least one other field of the packet not vet received based on the prediction of how the packet will be processed; and

means for processing the packet based on at least the obtained field and the predicted at least one other fields.

17. A system for predicting one or more fields of a packet having a plurality of fields, each of the fields storing data representing a value, the system comprising:

a memory configured to store instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions to receive one or more fields of the packet, determine the value of at least one of the received fields, predict how the packet will be processed by upper level protocols, application protocols or both based on the value of the obtained field and further predict a value of one or more other fields not yet received based on the value of the at least one received field, and process the packet based on the one or more received fields and the predicted one or more other fields.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein when processing the packet, the processor is configured to generate a reply packet based on the one or more received fields and the predicted one or more other fields.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to receive the one or more other fields.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein when processing, the processor is configured to determine whether a value of the received one or more other fields matches the predicted value.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to abort processing of the packet when the value of the received one or more other fields fails to match the predicted value.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to prevent transmission of reply information in response to the packet when the value of the received one or more other fields fails to match the predicted value.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to cause reply information already transmitted in response to the packet to be discarded when the value of the received one or more other fields fails to match the predicted value.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to continue processing of the packet based on the one or more received fields and the received one or more other fields when the value of the received one or more other fields matches the predicted value.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein when processing, the processor is configured to determine whether a value of the received one or more other fields substantially matches the predicted value.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one received field includes a total length field and the predicted one or more other fields include a protocol field and a flags field.

27. A system for predicting one or more fields of a packet having a plurality of fields, each of the fields storing data representing a value, the system comprising:

a memory configured to store instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions to receive one or more fields of the packet, determine the value of at least one of the received fields, predict a value of one or more other fields not yet received based on the value of the at least one received field, and process the packet based on the one or more received fields and the predicted one or more other fields,

the processor further configured to receive one or more additional fields of the packet after receiving the one or more other fields and recheck the predicted value using the one or more additional fields.

28. A system for predicting one or more fields of a packet having a plurality of fields, each of the fields storing data representing a value, the system comprising:

a memory configured to store instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions to receive one or more fields of the packet, determine the value of at least one of the received fields, predict a value of one or more other fields not yet received based on the value of the at least one received field, and process the packet based on the one or more received fields and the predicted one or more other fields;

the processor further configured to analyze the value of at least one additional one of the received fields and confirm the predicted value using the value of the at least one additional field.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein when confirming, the processor is configured to predict another value of the one or more additional fields using the value of the at least one additional field and compare the predicted value and the other predicted value.

30. A computer-readable medium embodied in a tangible form that stores instructions executable by one or more processors to perform a method for predicting at least one field of a packet, the packet including a plurality of fields, the computer-readable medium comprising:

instructions for obtaining one or more of the fields of the packet;

instructions for predicting how the packet will be processed by upper level protocols, application protocols or both based on the value of the obtained field and further predicting at least one other field based on at least one of the one or more obtained fields before the at least one other field is received; and

instructions for processing the packet based on the one or more obtained fields and the predicted at least one other field.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the instructions for processing include:

instructions for generating a reply packet based on the one or more obtained fields and the predicted at least one other field.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising:

instructions for obtaining the at least one other field.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the instructions for processing include:

instructions for determining whether the obtained at least one other field matches the predicted at least one other field.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, further comprising:

instructions for aborting processing of the packet when the obtained at least one field fails to match the predicted at least one other field.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, further comprising:

instructions for preventing transmission of reply information in response to the packet when the obtained at least one field fails to match the predicted at least one other field; and

instructions for causing reply information already transmitted in response to the packet to be discarded when the obtained at least one field fails to match the predicted at least one other field.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, further comprising:

instructions for causing reply information already transmitted in response to the packet to be discarded when the obtained at least one field fails to match the predicted at least one other field.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, further comprising:

instructions for continuing processing of the packet based on the one or more obtained fields and the predicted at least one other field when the obtained at least one other field matches the predicted at least one other field.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the at least one obtained field includes a total length field and the predicted at least one other field includes a protocol field.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the at least one obtained field includes a total length field and the predicted at least one other field includes a flags field.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the at least one obtained field includes a total length field and the predicted at least one other field includes a protocol field and a flags field.

41. A computer-readable medium embodied in a tangible form that stores instructions executable by one or more processors to perform a method for predicting at least one field of a packet, the packet including a plurality of fields, the computer-readable medium comprising:

instructions for obtaining one or more of the fields of the packet;

instructions for predicting at least one other field based on at least one of the one or more obtained fields before the at least one other field is received;

instructions for processing the packet based on the one or more obtained fields and the predicted at least one other field;

instructions for obtaining one or more additional fields of the packet after obtaining the at least one other field; and

instructions for rechecking the predicted at least one other field using the one or more additional fields.

42. A computer-readable medium embodied in a tangible form that stores instructions executable by one or more processors to perform a method for predicting at least one field of a packet, the packet including a plurality of fields, the computer-readable medium comprising:

instructions for obtaining one or more of the fields of the packet;

instructions for predicting at least one other field based on at least one of the one or more obtained fields before the at least one other field is received;

instructions for processing the packet based on the one or more obtained fields and the predicted at least one other field;

instructions for analyzing at least one additional one of the obtained fields; and

instructions for confirming the predicted at least one other field using the at least one additional field.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 42, wherein the instructions for confirming include:

instructions for predicting again the at least one other field using the at least one additional field, and

instructions for comparing the at least one other field predicted using the at least one additional field to the at least one other field predicted based on the at least one obtained field.

44. A method for replying to packets that have a plurality of fields, before the packets are entirely received, comprising:

receiving one or more fields of a packet;

predicting how the packet will be processed by upper level protocols, application protocols or both based on the value of at least one of the received fields and further predicting one or more other fields of the packet before the one or more other fields are received;

generating a reply packet based on the one or more received fields and the predicted one or more other fields; and

transmitting the reply packet.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the predicting includes:

predicting the one or more other fields using at least one of the one or more received fields.

46. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

receiving the one or more other fields; and

determining whether the received one or more other fields match the predicted one or more other fields.

47. The method of claim 46, further comprising:

preventing further transmission of the reply packet when the received one or more other fields fail to match the predicted one or more other fields.

48. The method of claim 46, further comprising:

causing the transmitted reply packet to be discarded when the received one or more other fields fail to match the predicted one or more other fields.

49. A system for replying to packets that have a plurality of fields, before the packets are completely received, comprising:

a memory configured to store instructions for obtaining one or more fields of a packet, predicting how the packet will be processed by upper level protocols, application protocols or both based on the value of at least one of the obtained fields and further predicting one or more other fields of the packet before the one or more other fields are obtained, generating a reply packet based on the one or more obtained fields and the predicted one or more other fields, and transmitting the reply packet; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions in the memory.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the instructions for predicting include:

instructions for predicting the one or more other fields using at least one of the one or more obtained fields.

51. The system of claim 49, wherein the memory is further configured to store instructions for obtaining the one or more other fields and determining whether the obtained one or more other fields substantially match the predicted one or more other fields.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein the memory is further configured to store instructions for preventing further transmission of the reply packet when the obtained one or more other fields fail to substantially match the predicted one or more other fields.

53. The system of claim 51, wherein the memory is further configured to store instructions for causing the transmitted reply packet to be discarded when the obtained one or more other fields fail to substantially match the predicted one or more other fields.

54. A computer-readable medium embodied in a tangible form that stores instructions executable by one or more processors to perform a method for generating responses to packets having a plurality of fields, before the packets are entirely received, the method comprising:

receiving one or more fields of a packet;

predicting how the packet will be processed by upper level protocols, application protocols or both based on the value of at least one of the received fields and further predicting one or more other fields of the packet before the one or more other fields are received; and

generating a reply packet based on the one or more received fields and the predicted one or more other fields.

55. A method for processing packets having a plurality of fields, comprising:

receiving one or more fields of a packet;

determining a value associated with at least one of the received fields;

predicting how the packet will be processed by upper level protocols, application protocols or both based on the value of the at least one received fields and further predicting a value of one or more other fields of the packet based on the value of the at least one received field before the one or more other fields are received; and

generating a reply packet based on the one or more received fields and the predicted one or more other fields.

56. A method for predicting a protocol field or a flags field of a packet, comprising:

receiving a plurality of fields of the packet, one of the fields including a total length field;

analyzing a value of data stored in the total length field;

predicting a value of data stored in the protocol field or the flags field based on the value of the total length field before the protocol field or flags field is received; and

processing the packet based on the received fields and the predicted protocol field or flags field.

57. A device that predicts one or more fields of a packet having a plurality of fields, each of the fields storing data representing a value, the device comprising:

logic configured to receive one or more fields of the packet;

logic configured to determine the value of at least one of the received fields;

logic configured to predict how the packet will be processed by upper level protocols, application protocols or both based on the value of the at least one of the received fields and further predict a value of one or more other fields based on the value of the at least one received field before the one or more other fields are received; and

logic configured to process the packet based on the one or more received fields and the predicted one or more other fields.