Minimal delay transmission of short messages

• US 7,613,115 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Carmeli, Boaz, Nelken, Haim, Satran, Julian, Gershinsky, Gidon, Duigenan, John Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEW, KEVIN D
• Application Number:
  US10/699,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20050097158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,195 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/230.1, 370/231, 370/232, 370/233, 370/234, 370/235, 370/236, 370/516, 370/537, 370/538, 370/540
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6489 Buffer Management, Threshold setting, Scheduling, Shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/522 Dynamic queue service slot or variable bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6255 queue load conditions, e.g. longest queue first
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9094 Arrangements for simultaneous transmit and receive, e.g. simultaneous reading/writing from/to the storage element

Abstract

A transmission method adjusts the size of aggregated packets based at least on the congestion of a transmitting network device. The adjusting comprises includes aggregating at least two small messages, received from an upper layer, into a packet, providing the packet to a pending queue, passing packets to a network device and selecting packets from the pending queue or the buffer depending on whether or not the pending queue is empty.

Claims

1. A method for a transmitting network device to minimally delay transmission of short messages, the method comprising:

adjusting the size of aggregated data packets based at least on the congestion of said transmitting network device, and

transmitting partially aggregated data packets when said transmitting network device has no fully aggregated packets waiting to be transmitted and wherein said adjusting comprises;

aggregating in a buffer at least two small messages received from an upper layer into a packet;

providing fully aggregated packets from said buffer to a pending queue;

selecting fully aggregated packets from said pending queue or partially aggregated packets from said buffer depending on whether or not said pending queue is empty; and

passing said selected packets to said network device.

2. A method according to claim 1 and also comprising indicating a reception status for said packets.

3. A method according to claim 1 and wherein said passing operates at a rate related to network congestion.

4. A method according to claim 3 and wherein said activity of said network device is affected by any one of the following:

transmitter congestion, receiver congestion and congestion of network elements.

5. A method for a transmitting network device to minimally delay transmission of short messages, the method comprising:

aggregating in a buffer at least two small messages received from an upper layer of said transmitting network device into a packet;

providing fully aggregated packets from said buffer to a pending queue;

selecting fully aggregated packets from said pending queue or partially aggregated packets from said buffer depending on whether or not said pending queue is empty; and

passing said selected packets to a network interface for transmission.

6. A method according to claim 5 and also comprising indicating a reception status for said packets.

7. A method according to claim 5 and wherein said activity of said network device is affected by any one of the following:

transmitter congestion, receiver congestion and congestion of network elements.