Method and system for packing management messages in a communication system

• US 7,583,623 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2001
• Issued: 09/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gamehancement LLC (Jeffrey M. Gross)
• Original Assignee: Harington Valve LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Stanwood, Kenneth L., Spinar, Brian, Zimmerman, Ofer
• Primary Examiner(s): Mattis; Jason E
• Application Number:
  US09/798,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20020122411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,105 Days
• Field of Search: 370229-290, 370310-350, 370442-444, 370458-461, 370/474, 3703951-39572
• US Class Current: 370/310.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus for packing management messages in a broadband wireless communication system. Management messages are sent across a link in packets addressed to a particular connection, where the address identifies messages which may be specially treated. Such special treatment may include recognition of an overall message conveyed in such packets as containing one or more implicit messages embedded within the overall message. Two methods are disclosed to efficiently convey such management messages. First, each packet of information sent across the link may include a message type identifier, in which case it need not be repeated in the payload of the packet, and a number of such messages may be sent within a packet. Second, a packet of information may contain mixed management messages, in which case the byte with the message type identifier should be included with each such message. In this case, an overall message may be constructed from individual management messages simply concatenated together. Using either method, the management messages are packed into packets so that messages in a first packet may be parsed and acted upon without a need for any subsequent packets which may be necessary to convey an entire message. This is accomplished by taking any message which will not fit in a first packet may be made to be ignored, such as by being replaced with a padding pattern. In this way, any subsequent packet will have management messages which begin at the start of the effective data payload. Padding may also be added before or after an end of message or trailer information which defines the end of an overall message.

Claims

1. A method of processing management messages in packets of information for conveyance across a communication link, the method comprising:

defining at a first communication station, a special connection identifier for a connection between the first communication station and a second communication station over the communication link, said first communication station being adapted to facilitate communication between said second communication station and a plurality of service connections coupled to the first communication station, the special connection identifier indicating a plurality of management messages being carried in a payload of a packet;

transmitting, from the first communication station to the second communication station, a first group of packets containing a first group of management messages, wherein at least one of the first group of packets is associated with the special connection identifier, the first group of management messages being more numerous than the first group of packets, and said management messages comprising bandwidth requests from the service connections;

receiving, by the first communication station from the second communication station, a second group of packets containing a second group of management messages, at least one of said second group of packets being associated with the special connection identifier, the second group of management messages being more numerous than the second group of packets, said second group of management messages comprising bandwidth allocations provided in response to the bandwidth requests; and

forwarding, by the first communication station, said bandwidth allocations to said service connections for transmission of information from the service connections to the second communication station via the first communication station and the communication link.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising interpreting by the first communication station, the management messages in packet(s) of said second group of packets associated with said special connection identifier by reading a message type identifier portion, determining an end of a management message from the message type identifier, and interpreting the management message in accordance with a known meaning assigned to messages with the particular message type identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the special connection identifier comprises a basic connection ID.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the special connection identifier comprises a control connection ID.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said first communication station comprises a CPE station and said second communication station comprises a base station.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the known meaning is expressed as a message type ID.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first or second groups of management messages further comprise power level change requests.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the message type ID comprises a one-byte message identifier.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the packets of the first and second groups are in a form of a fixed size packet protocol.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the fixed size packet protocol comprises an Asynchronous Transfer Mode protocol.

11. A method of packing a plurality of management messages into packets of information for conveyance across a communication link, the method comprising:

generating, by a first communication station, the plurality of management messages;

transmitting, by first communication station to a second communication station, a first group of packets containing the plurality of management messages, the management messages being more numerous than the first group of packets, and said plurality of management messages comprising bandwidth requests, and at least one of the first group of packets being associated with a special connection identifier indicating the plurality of management messages being carried in a payload of a packet;

receiving, by the first communication station from the second communication station bandwidth allocations packed in a second group of packets via said communication link at the first communication station, the bandwidth allocations being more numerous than the second group of packets, and at least one of the second group of packets being associated with the special connection identifier; and

forwarding, by the first communication station, said bandwidth allocations to a plurality of service connections coupled to the first communication station, for transmission of information from the service connections to the second communication station via the first communication station and said communication link.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the packets of the first and second groups are fixed size packets.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the packets of the first and second groups comprise an Asynchronous Transfer Mode cell.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of management messages includes like management messages.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of management messages includes unlike management messages.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the unlike management messages comprise at least one power level change request.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the special connection identifier comprises a single header, and wherein the single header identifies a type of management message within said at least one of the first group of packets or said at least one of the second group of packets.

18. A wireless communication system comprising:

a base station adapted to determine bandwidth allocations in response to bandwidth requests and send them out in one or more packets;

at least one CPE station adapted to;

transmit to the base station, a first group of packets containing management messages, the management messages being more numerous than the first group of packets, said management messages comprising bandwidth requests, and the first group of packets having a header portion indicating presence of a plurality of the management messages in at least one of the first group of packets;

receive from the base station, a plurality of bandwidth allocations packed in a second group of packets, the bandwidth allocations being more numerous than the second group of packets, and the second group of packets having a header portion indicating presence of the plurality of bandwidth allocations in at least one of the second group of packets; and

forward to a plurality service connections coupled to the CPE, said bandwidth allocations for transmission of information from the service connections to the base station via the CPE and the communication link.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the management messages within a packet are of a same type.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein at least two of the management messages are of a same message type.

21. The system. of claim 18, wherein said packets of the first or second groups further include a packet ID, and wherein the packet ID corresponds to a message type.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the packets are arranged according to an ATM Adaptation Layer 5.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein at least one packet includes complete management messages.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein at least one packet includes a body from each management message and a single message type identifier.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein at least one packet has a single packet ID for packed management messages.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein only a last packet from the first group of packets includes a trailer.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein at least one packet of the first or second groups of packets includes fill data to complete the packet.

28. A method of transmitting management messages in fixed length ATM packets for transmission across a communication link between a base station and a CPE station, wherein at least one management message includes a management message type ID field and a management message body field, and wherein at least one fixed length packet includes an ATM header and an ATM body, the method comprising:

transmitting, from the CPE station to the base station, a first group of fixed length ATM packets containing the management messages, the management messages being more numerous than the first group of packets, said management messages comprising bandwidth requests, wherein the management message type ID field is stripped and combined from the plurality of management messages for transmission in an ATM header;

receiving by the CPE station from the base station, a second group of fixed length ATM packets containing bandwidth allocations at said CPE station, said bandwidth allocations have a greater number than the second group of ATM packets; and

forwarding, by the CPE station to a plurality of service connections coupled to the CPE station, said bandwidth allocations for transmission of information from the service connections to the base station, via the CPE station and the communication link.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the fixed length ATM packets are arranged according to an ATM Adaptation Layer 5.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein each packet of the first group includes a body from each management message and a single message type.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein each ATM packet comprises a single management message type ID for the management messages.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein only a last packet from the first or second groups of packets includes a trailer.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein at least one of said first or second groups of packets includes fill data.

34. A CPE station comprising:

a receiver to receive data packets from a base station over a communication link, at least some of said received data packets being addressed to a plurality of service connections coupled to the CPE station;

a transmitter to transmit data packets to the base station and forward bandwidth allocations to the plurality of service connections; and

a computer and/or logic adapted to;

transmit to the base station a first group of packets containing management messages, the management messages being more numerous than the first group of packets, and said management messages comprising bandwidth requests, and the first group of packets having a header portion indicating presence of plurality of management messages in one packet;

receive bandwidth allocations packed in a second group of packets from the base station, the bandwidth allocations being more numerous than the second group of packets, and the second group of packets having a header portion indicating presence of plurality of bandwidth allocations in one packet; and

forward to the plurality of service connections, said bandwidth allocations for transmission of information from the service connections to the base station, via the CPE station and the communication link.

35. The CPE station of claim 34, wherein at least two of the management messages comprise a same message type.

36. The CPE station of claim 34, wherein said packets of the first or second groups further include a packet ID, and wherein the packet ID is associated with a message type.

37. The CPE station of claim 34, wherein the packets of the first or second groups are arranged according to an ATM Adaptation Layer 5.