Communication stack

• US 7,020,075 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2001
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Greens, Ronald Maria Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAN, CLEMENCE S
• Application Number:
  US09/879,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20010053131A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,749 Days
• Field of Search: 370/216, 370/469, 709/227, 709/228, 709/237, 709/224, 714/1, 714/2, 714/4
• US Class Current: 370/216
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention relates to a communications stack, for connection management in a communications system. The communications system consists of at least two communicating application programs. Both application programs communicate over a connection via the communications stack. The communication stack comprises a connection resetting means that is adapted to reset the connection by closing all connection involved elements, a signal reception means that is able to receive at least one signal for managing said connection and a connection persisting means that is adapted to keep the connection persistent. The communications stack additionally contains a decision means that is adapted to delay the reset of the connection if a terminated application signal is received via the signal reception means. If the communication stack subsequently, via the signal reception means, receives a successful application restart signal, the decision means decides to persist the connection if the application restart signal is received before expiration of said delay.

Claims

1. A Communications stack for connection management, which is used in a communications system comprising at least two communicating application programs, one of said application programs communicating to the other of said application programs over a connection via said communications stack, said communications stack comprising:

connection resetting means for resetting said connection by closing all connection involved elements for said one application program;

signal reception means for receiving at least one signal for managing said connection;

connection persisting means coupled to said connection resetting means and for keeping said connection persistent; and

decision means coupled to said signal reception means and to said connection resetting means and for delaying said reset of said connection if said at least one signal is a terminated application signal and subsequently for deciding to persist said connection if a further said at least one signal is a successful application restart signal and said application restart signal is received before expiration of said delay.

2. The Communications stack according to claim 1, wherein said decision means is adapted to change said delay based on a restart time of said application program.

3. A network comprising at least one Communication Network Element, said Communication Network Element comprising at least one communication stack as claimed in claim 1.

4. The network according to claim 3, wherein said at least one Communication Network Element is a Border Gateway Protocol Router.

5. The network according to claim 3, wherein said communication stack comprises an IP socket configured for persistency.

6. A communications stack for connection management, which is used in a communications system comprising at least two communicating application programs, each of said application programs communicating with each other over a connection, each of said applications programs executing its own communications stack, said communications stack comprising:

connection resetting means for resetting said connection by closing all connection involved elements for its application program;

signal reception means for receiving at least one signal for managing said connection for its application program;

connection persisting means coupled to said connection resetting means and for keeping said connection persistent; and

decision means coupled to said signal reception means and to said connection resetting means and for delaying said reset of said connection if said at least one signal is a terminated application signal and subsequently for deciding to persist said connection if a further said at least one signal is a successful application restart signal and said application restart signal is received before expiration of said delay.

7. The communications stack according to claim 6, wherein said decision means is adapted to change said delay based on a restart time of said application program.

8. A network comprising at least one communication network element, said communication network element comprising at least one communication stack as claimed in claim 6.

9. The network according to claim 8, wherein said at least one Communication Network Element is a Border Gateway Protocol Router.

10. The network according to claim 8, wherein said communication stack comprises an IP socket configured for persistency.