Method and apparatus to provide data streaming over a network connection in a wireless MAC processor

• US 7,835,371 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2005
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Krischer, Mark, Webb, Michael J., Ryan, Philip J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar; Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): SWEET, LONNIE V
• Application Number:
  US11/218,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20060023685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,902 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/338, 370/401, 370/396, 704/270.1, 710/5
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9021 Plurality of buffers per packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A method of wirelessly transmitting or receiving a packet of information, and an apparatus to wirelessly transmit or receive a packet of information. In the case of transmitting, the method includes streaming a data element, including at least some of the contents of the packet, over a network link during transmit time. In the case of receiving, the method includes streaming a data element, including at least some of the contents of the received packet, over a network link during receive time. The transmitting or receiving is by a station of a wireless network and the streaming is to or from the station from or to a network device coupled to the station by the network link.

Claims

1. A method of wirelessly transmitting a wireless network MAC packet of information by a wireless transmitter coupled to a network device by a packetized network link that is packetized using network packets that are different than the wireless network MAC packet, the method comprising:

setting up data transfer of one or more data elements from the network device over the packetized network link, the data elements being for inclusion in the contents of a wireless network MAC packet for transmission by the wireless transmitter, the setting up of forming one or more packets of information each encapsulating a respective data element of the data elements;

receiving one or more packets of information from the network device over the packetized network link, each received packet encapsulating a respective data element included in the contents of a wireless network MAC packet; and

removing the encapsulated data elements, forming the wireless network MAC packet of information using the removed data elements, and wirelessly transmitting the wireless network MAC packet of information while receiving the one or more packets of information over the packetized network link,

such that the wirelessly transmitting of the wireless network MAC packet occurs while the encapsulated data elements that are included in the contents of the wireless network MAC packet are being formed into packets of information in the network device and received encapsulated in the packets of information over the packetized network link without necessarily requiring queuing in the transmitting wireless transmitter.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the forming and wirelessly transmitting is by a station of a wireless network that includes the wireless transmitter and the receiving is to the station from the network device coupled to the station by the network link.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the station is an access point of the wireless network.

4. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the wireless network conforms to one of the IEEE 802.11 standards or derivatives thereof.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the wireless network MAC packet is an 802.11 MAC packet.

6. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the network device is a network switch that includes a memory wherefrom data is received during the wireless transmitting.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the packetized network link is a Gigabit Ethernet link or an Ethernet link at least as fast as a Gigabit Ethernet link.

8. A method of wirelessly receiving a wireless network MAC packet of information in a wireless receiver, the method comprising:

wirelessly receiving a wireless network MAC packet of information by the wireless receiver;

setting up data transfer of one or more data elements from the wireless receiver to the network device over the packetized network link, the data elements being in the contents of the received wireless network MAC packet, the setting up of forming one or more packets of information each encapsulating a respective data element of the data elements; and

forming and sending one or more packets of information from the wireless receiver to the network device over the packetized network link, each sent packet encapsulating a respective data element included in the contents of the wireless network MAC packet, the packetized network link packetized using network packets that are different than the wireless network MAC packet, the forming and sending of the one or more packets being during receive time of wirelessly receiving the wireless network MAC packet,

such that the wirelessly receiving of the wireless network MAC packet occurs while the encapsulated data elements that are included in the contents of the wireless network MAC packet are being formed into packets of information and received in the network device encapsulated in the packets of information over the packetized network link without necessarily requiring queuing in the receiving wireless receiver.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the wirelessly receiving is by a station of a wireless network, the station including the wireless receiver, and the forming and sending is from the station to the network device coupled to the station by the packetized network link.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the station is an access point of the wireless network.

11. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the wireless network conforms to one of the IEEE 802.11 standards or derivatives thereof.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the wireless network MAC packet is an 802.11 MAC packet.

13. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the network device is a network switch that includes a memory whereto the one or more packets of information are sent during the wireless receiving.

14. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the network device includes a memory whereto data is sent during the wirelessly receiving, the method further comprising:

forming a direct memory access (DMA) request for writing said data element;

converting the formed direct memory access request into at least one packet of a first type for transport over the packetized network link;

sending the packet of the first type to the network device over the network link;

encapsulating said data element into a packet of a second type for transport over the network link to the network device; and

sending the packet of the second type over the network link to the network device for writing into the memory of the network device according to the formed direct memory access request,

such that the streaming of said data element of the data uses the packet of the second type.

15. An apparatus to wirelessly transmit a wireless network MAC packet, the apparatus coupled to a network device by a packetized network link that is packetized using network packets that are different than the wireless network MAC packet, the apparatus comprising:

means for setting up data transfer of one or more data elements from the network device over the packetized network link, the data elements being for inclusion in the contents of a wireless network MAC packet for transmission by the wireless transmitter, the setting up of forming one or more packets of information each encapsulating a respective data element of the data elements;

means for forming and wirelessly transmitting a wireless network packet ; and

means for receiving one or more packets of information from the network device over the packetized network link,

wherein each packet received by the means for receiving encapsulates a respective data element included in the contents of the wireless network MAC packet, and

wherein the means for forming and wirelessly transmitting includes means for removing the encapsulated data elements, forms the wireless network MAC packet of information using the removed data elements and wirelessly transmits the wireless network MAC packet of information while the means for receiving receives the one or more packets of information over the packetized network link,

such that the wirelessly transmitting of the wireless network MAC packet occurs while the encapsulated data elements that are included in the contents of the wireless network MAC packet are being formed into packets of information in the network device and received encapsulated in the packets of information over the packetized network link without necessarily requiring queuing in the means for forming and wirelessly transmitting.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the forming and wirelessly transmitting is in a station of a wireless network that includes the means for forming and wirelessly transmitting, and wherein the receiving one or more packets is from the network device coupled to the wireless station by the network link.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a set of machine readable instructions that when executed by one or more processors of a processing system in a wireless transmitter cause the wireless transmitter to carry out a method of wirelessly transmitting a wireless network MAC packet of information, the method including:

setting up data transfer of one or more data elements from the network device over the packetized network link, the data elements being for inclusion in the contents of a wireless network MAC packet for transmission by the wireless transmitter, the setting up of forming one or more packets of information each encapsulating a respective data element of the data elements;

receiving one or more packets of information from the network device over the packetized network link, each received packet encapsulating a respective data element, included in the contents of the wireless network MAC packet, the packetized network link packetized using network packets that are different than the wireless network packet; and

removing the encapsulated data elements, forming the wireless network MAC packet of information using the removed data elements, and wirelessly transmitting the wireless network MAC packet of information while receiving the one or more packets of information over the packetized network link,

such that the wirelessly transmitting of the wireless network MAC packet occurs while the encapsulated data elements that are included in the contents of the wireless network MAC packet is being formed into packets of information in the network device and received encapsulated in the packets of information over the packetized network link without necessarily requiring queuing in the transmitting wireless transmitter.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the forming and transmitting is in a station of a wireless network, and wherein the receiving the one or more packets is from a network device coupled to the wireless station by the network link.

19. An apparatus for wirelessly receiving a wireless network MAC packet, the apparatus including:

means for wirelessly receiving a wireless network MAC packet, the means for wirelessly receiving coupled to a network device by a packetized network link that is packetized using network packets that are different than the wireless network packet; and

means for setting up data transfer of one or more data elements from the means for wirelessly receiving to the network device over the packetized network link, the data elements being in the contents of the received wireless network MAC packet, the setting up of forming one or more packets of information each encapsulating a respective data element of the data elements; and

means for forming and sending one or more packets of information from the means for wirelessly receiving to the network device over the packetized network link, each sent packet encapsulating a respective data element included in the contents of the wireless network MAC packet received by the means for wirelessly receiving, the forming and sending by the means for forming and sending being over the packetized network link during wireless receive time of the wireless network MAC packet by the means for wirelessly receiving,

such that the wirelessly receiving of the wireless network MAC packet by the means for wirelessly receiving occurs while the encapsulated data elements that are included in the contents of the wireless network MAC packet are being formed into packets of information and received in the network device encapsulated in the packets of information over the packetized network link without necessarily requiring queuing in the receiving for wirelessly receiving.

20. An apparatus as recited in claim 19, wherein the means for wirelessly receiving is in a station of a wireless network, and wherein the forming and sending by the means for forming and sending is to the network device coupled to the wireless station by the packetized network link.

21. An apparatus as recited in claim 19,

wherein the means for wirelessly receiving is in a station of a wireless network,

wherein the forming and sending by the means for forming and sending is to the network device coupled to the wireless station by the packetized network link,

wherein the network device includes a memory whereto data is sent during the wirelessly receiving by the means for wirelessly receiving,

the apparatus further comprising:

means for forming a direct memory access (DMA) request for writing said data element;

means for converting the formed DMA request into at least one packet of a first type for transport over the packetized network link;

means for sending the packet of the first type to the network device over the packetized network link;

means for encapsulating said data element into a packet of a second type for transport over the network link to the network device; and

means for sending the packet of the second type over the network link to the network device for DMA transfer into the memory of the network device according to the formed DMA instruction,

such that the means for forming and sending of said data element of the data uses the packet of the second type.

22. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a set of machine readable instructions that when executed by one or more processors of a processing system in a wireless receiver to cause a wireless receiver to carry out a method of wirelessly receiving a wireless network MAC packet, the wireless receiver coupled to a network device by a packetized network, the method including, as a result of the wireless receiver wirelessly receiving a wireless network MAC packet:

setting up data transfer of one or more data elements from the wireless receiver to the network device over the packetized network link, the data elements being in the contents of the received wireless network MAC packet, the setting up of forming one or more packets of information each encapsulating a respective data element of the data elements; and

forming and sending one or more packets of information from the wireless receiver to the network device over the packetized network link, each sent packet encapsulating a respective data element, included in the contents of the wirelessly received wireless network MAC packet the forming and sending of the one or more packets being during wireless receive time of wirelessly receiving the wireless network MAC packet,

such that the wirelessly receiving of the wireless network MAC packet occurs while the encapsulated data elements that are included in the contents of the wireless network MAC packet are being formed into packets of information and received in the network device encapsulated in the packets of information over the packetized network link without necessarily requiring queuing in the receiving wireless receiver.

23. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 22, wherein the wirelessly receiving is in a station of a wireless network, the station including the wireless receiver, and wherein the forming and sending is to the network device coupled to the wireless station by the packetized network link.

24. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 22, wherein the wirelessly receiving is in a station of a wireless network, the station including the wireless transmitter, wherein the forming and sending is to the network device coupled to the wireless station by the packetized network link, wherein the network device includes a memory whereto data is sent during the wireless receiving, and wherein the method further comprises:

forming a direct memory access request for writing said data element;

converting the formed direct memory access request to at least one packet of a first type for transport over the network link;

sending the packet of the first type to the network device over the network link;

encapsulating said data element into a packet of a second type for transport over the packetized network link to the network device; and

sending the packet of the second type over the packetized network link to the network device for writing into the memory of the network device according to the formed direct memory access request.

25. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving from the network device information regarding where wirelessly received data is to be written in the memory of the network device,

such that the forming of the DMA request uses the received information.

26. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving from the network device information regarding where wirelessly received data is to be written in the memory of the network device,

such that the forming of the DMA request uses the received information.