System and method for implementing quality of service in a backhaul communications environment

• US 7,477,651 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bordonaro, Frank G., Pearce, Bernie P., Sellentin, Uwe, Schmidt, Paul A., Fussell, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Addy; Anthony S
• Application Number:
  US11/173,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20070002788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 370/521, 370/328, 370/401, 370/389, 370/230.1, 370/231, 370/235, 370/395.21, 370/395.42, 370/395.43, 370/465, 370/468, 370/470, 370/471, 370/472, 370/474, 370/476, 370/477, 370/338, 370/395.4, 370493-495, 455/423, 455/446, 455/422.1, 455/424, 455/432.1, 455/435.1, 455/436, 455/445, 455/452.2, 455/453, 455/454, 455/525, 455/561
• US Class Current: 370/412
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/12 between access points and access point controllers

Abstract

A method for communicating data is provided that includes receiving a plurality of bits associated with a communications flow and determining whether one or more samples included in the flow should be suppressed. The method further includes suppressing a selected one or more of the samples if the selected samples are similar to previously received samples and interleaving one or more voice data segments associated with a voice call into outgoing Internet protocol (IP) traffic flows. In more particular embodiments, packets that do not come in from a GSM port on the cell site element are designated as default best effort (BE) traffic.

Claims

1. An apparatus for communicating data, comprising:

a cell site element associated with a base transceiver station and operable to;

receive a plurality of bits of a plurality of packets of a communications flow;

suppress a selected one or more of the bits that are similar to previously received bits;

place the other bits in a low latency queue to yield a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) packet; and

generate a plurality of interrupt signals at a plurality of interrupt time intervals at which GSM packets are to be sent, the cell site element being further operable to interleave one or more voice data segments associated with a voice call into outgoing Internet protocol (IP) traffic flows by;

determining that one or more packets of the flow that do not come in from a GSM port on the cell site element are default best effort (BE) traffic;

placing the BE traffic in a queue for subsequent transmission;

when an interrupt signal occurs, determining when there is a GSM packet in the low latency queue;

when there is a GSM packet, sending the GSM packet over a backhaul link; and

when there is no GSM packet, sending a first piece of a large packet of the BE traffic over backhaul link.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein traffic flows on the backhaul link are associated with GSM, UMTS, web browsing, WAN access, Telnet, video camera traffic, or other IP-based protocols.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cell site element includes an Internet operating system (IOS) element, which can be leveraged in order to provide quality of service parameters for the voice call.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cell site element includes an Internet operating system (IOS) element, wherein the IOS element provides for low-latency queuing, which allows for a fragmentation of packets such that segments of packets can be sent over multiple links and then reassembled on a far end of the backhaul link.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the low-latency queuing may be combined with multilink interleaving such that GSM packets are interleaved in between large IP packets.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when an interrupt signal occurs, a next piece of an IP packet is retrieved and a low-latency queue is also checked for voice data such that if the voice data is present, then a selected voice fragment is included in a next transmission across the backhaul link.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an aggregation node associated with a base station controller and operable to communicate with the cell site element and to receive a super-frame generated by the cell site element.

8. A method for communicating data, comprising:

receiving a plurality of bits of a plurality of packets of a communications flow;

suppressing a selected one or more of the bits that are similar to previously received bits;

placing the other bits in a low latency queue to yield a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) packet

generating a plurality of interrupt signals at a plurality of interrupt time intervals at which GSM packets are to be sent; and

interleaving one or more voice data segments associated with a voice call into outgoing Internet protocol (IP) traffic flows by;

determining that one or more packets of the flow that do not come in from a GSM port on the cell site element are default best effort (BE) traffic;

placing the BE traffic in a queue for subsequent transmission;

when an interrupt signal occurs, determining when there is a GSM packet in the low latency queue;

when there is a GSM packet, sending the GSM packet over a backhaul link; and

when there is no GSM packet, sending a first piece of a large packet of the BE traffic over the backhaul link.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein traffic flows on the backhaul link are associated with GSM, UMTS, web browsing, WAN access, Telnet, video camera traffic, or other IP-based protocols.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing for low-latency queuing, which allows for a fragmentation of packets such that segments of packets can be sent over multiple links and then reassembled on a far end of the backhaul link.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

retrieving, when an interrupt signal occurs, a next piece of an IP packet; and

checking a low-latency queue for voice data such that if the voice data is present, then a selected voice fragment is included in a next transmission across the backhaul link.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving the voice data segments at a far end of the backhaul link.

13. Software for communicating data, the software being embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer code such that when executed is operable to:

receive a plurality of bits of a plurality of packets of a communications flow;

suppress a selected one or more of the bits that are similar to previously received bits;

place the other bits in a low latency queue to yield a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) packet; and

generate a plurality of interrupt signals at a plurality of interrupt time intervals at which GSM packets are to be sent, and

interleave one or more voice data segments associated with a voice call into outgoing Internet protocol (IP) traffic flows by;

determining that one or more packets of the flow that do not come in from a GSM port on the cell site element are default best effort (BE) traffic;

placing the BE traffic in a queue for subsequent transmission;

when an interrupt signal occurs, determining when there is a GSM packet in the low latency queue;

when there is a GSM packet, sending the GSM packet over a backhaul link; and

when there is no GSM packet, sending a first piece of a large packet of the BE traffic over the backhaul link.

14. The medium of claim 13, wherein the code is further operable to;

provide for low-latency queuing, which allows for a fragmentation of packets such that segments of packets can be sent over multiple links and then reassembled on a far end of the backhaul link.

15. The medium of claim 13, wherein the code is further operable to:

retrieve, when an interrupt signal occurs, a next piece of an IP packet; and

check a low-latency queue for voice data such that if the voice data is present, then a selected voice fragment is included in a next transmission across the backhaul link.

16. A system for communicating data, comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of bits of a plurality of packets of a communications flow;

means for suppressing a selected one or more of the bits that are similar to previously received bits;

means for placing the other bits in a low latency queue to yield a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) packet;

means for generating a plurality of interrupt signals at a plurality of interrupt time intervals at which GSM packets are to be sent; and

means for interleaving one or more voice data segments associated with a voice call into outgoing Internet protocol (IP) traffic flows by;

determining that one or more packets of the flow that do not come in from a GSM port on the cell site element are default best effort (BE) traffic;

placing the BE traffic in a queue for subsequent transmission; and

when an interrupt signal occurs, determining when there is a GSM packet in the low latency queue;

when there is a GSM packet, sending the GSM packet over a backhaul link; and

when there is no GSM packet, sending a first piece of a large packet of the BE traffic over the backhaul link.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for providing low-latency queuing, which allows for a fragmentation of packets such that segments of packets can be sent over multiple links and then reassembled on a far end of the backhaul link.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for retrieving, when an interrupt signal occurs, a next piece of an IP packet; and

means for checking a low-latency queue for voice data such that if the voice data is present, then a selected voice fragment is included in a next transmission across the backhaul link.