Optimization of a transfer layer protocol connection

• US 8,169,909 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2006
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kakani, Naveen Kumar, Maheshwari, Shashikant, Huomo, Miikka
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, ANDREW CHUNG CHEUNG
• Application Number:
  US11/345,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20060140121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,280 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/230, 370/230.1, 370/232, 370/235, 370/255, 370/315, 370/389, 370/395, 370/21, 370/42, 370/401
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2458 Modification of priorities while in transit
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/37 Slow start
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16

Abstract

In the preferred embodiments, it is first determined whether or not a TCP connection from a sending device to a receiving device in the wireless communications network is in a slow start phase. If the TCP connection is in a slow start phase, then the data to be sent in the TCP connection that is allocated a priority that is higher than the priority allocated to other data to be sent by the sending device. The sending device may be a mobile terminal, a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN), a device in a WiMAX environment or other network device, and the method of the preferred embodiments may be implemented by software installed and executed on the network device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining whether a transfer layer protocol connection from a sending device to a receiving device is in a slow start phase; and

in an instance in which the transfer layer protocol connection is in a slow start phase, then allocating priority in the sending device to data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection that is higher than the priority allocated to other data to be sent by the sending device, wherein the priority of the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is allocated based at least in part upon an amount of data sent for the transfer layer protocol connection and a predetermined amount of data sufficient for the transfer layer protocol connection to adapt to network conditions.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the priority of the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is gradually decreased.

3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein the priority of the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is gradually decreased based on the amount of data sent for the transfer layer protocol connection.

4. The method recited in claim 3, wherein the priority of the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is determined according to the equation X=Xi/Xmax, where Xi is the amount of data sent in the slow start phase of the transfer layer protocol connection and Xmax is a predetermined amount of data sufficient for the transfer layer protocol connection to adapt to network conditions and X has a maximum value of ‘

1’

.

5. The method recited in claim 4, wherein the value of X is divided into a plurality of different tiers and a unique priority is assigned to each one of the plurality of tiers.

6. The method recited in claim 2, wherein the priority comprises a quality of service (QoS) class.

7. The method recited in claim 6, wherein higher weights within a QoS are assigned to data being sent in a slow start phase of the transfer layer protocol connection.

8. The method recited in claim 2, wherein a service time is assigned to the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection based on the priority.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the transfer layer protocol connection from the sending device to the receiving device comprises a transfer layer protocol connection over a wireless communication network, and wherein the wireless communication network utilizes a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) wireless connection between the sending device and receiving device.

10. The method recited in claim 9, wherein the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is allocated a higher priority by setting up and/or using multiple connections that are used only during the slow start phase and have a higher priority than the transfer layer protocol connection.

11. The method recited in claim 10, wherein the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is allocated a higher priority by causing a parameter to be sent with a primitive from the convergence sublayer to a traffic scheduler in the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer.

12. The method recited in claim 1, wherein allocating priority in the sending device to data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection comprises allocating priority in response to determining that the transfer layer protocol connection is in a slow start phase.

13. An apparatus, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least:

cause data to be sent over a transfer layer protocol connection to a receiving device;

determine whether the transfer layer protocol connection is in a slow start phase; and

in an instance in which the transfer layer protocol connection is in a slow start phase, then allocate priority to data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection that is higher than the priority allocated to other data to be sent, wherein the priority of the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is allocated based at least in part upon an amount of data sent for the transfer layer protocol connection and a predetermined amount of data sufficient for the transfer layer protocol connection to adapt to network conditions.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the priority of the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is gradually decreased.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the priority of the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is gradually decreased based on the amount of data sent for the transfer layer protocol connection.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the priority of the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is determined according to the equation X=Xi/Xmax, where Xi is the amount of data sent in the slow start phase of the transfer layer protocol connection and Xmax is a predetermined amount of data sufficient for the transfer layer protocol connection to adapt to network conditions and X has a maximum value of ‘

1’

.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the value of X is divided into a plurality of different tiers and a unique priority is assigned to each one of the plurality of tiers.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the priority comprises a quality of service (QoS) class.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein higher weights within a QoS are assigned to data being sent in a slow start phase of the transfer layer protocol connection.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein a service time is assigned to the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection based on the priority.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is a Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node.

22. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute communications software, wherein the communications software comprises a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) protocol stack.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the convergence sublayer in the WiMAX protocol stack includes manageable queues which may be controlled to allocate a higher priority to the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is allocated a higher priority by setting up and/or using multiple connections during the slow start phase and has higher priority than the connection that was set up for the transfer layer protocol connection.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is allocated a higher priority by causing a parameter to be sent with a primitive from the convergence sublayer to a traffic scheduler in the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer.

26. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is also configured to perform as a receiving device.

27. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions stored thereon, which, when performed by a sending device, cause the sending device to carry out a method comprising:

determining whether a transfer layer protocol connection from the sending device to a receiving device is in a slow start phase; and

in an instance in which the transfer layer protocol connection is in a slow start phase, then allocating priority in the sending device to data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection that is higher than the priority allocated to other data to be sent by the sending device, wherein the priority of the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is allocated based at least in part upon an amount of data sent for the transfer layer protocol connection and a predetermined amount of data sufficient for the transfer layer protocol connection to adapt to network conditions.

28. The computer program product recited in claim 27, wherein the priority of the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is gradually decreased.

29. The computer program product recited in claim 28, wherein the priority of the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is gradually decreased based on the amount of data sent for the transfer layer protocol connection.

30. The computer program product recited in claim 29, wherein the priority of the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is determined according to the equation X=Xi/Xmax, where Xi is the amount of data sent in the slow start phase of the transfer layer protocol connection and Xmax is a predetermined amount of data sufficient for the transfer layer protocol connection to adapt to network conditions and X has a maximum value of ‘

1’

.

31. The computer program product recited in claim 30, wherein the value of X is divided into a plurality of different tiers and a unique priority is assigned to each one of the plurality of tiers.

32. The computer program product recited in claim 28, wherein the priority comprises a quality of service (QoS) class.

33. The computer program product recited in claim 32, wherein higher weights within a QoS are assigned to data being sent in a slow start phase of the transfer layer protocol connection.

34. The computer program product recited in claim 28, wherein a service time is assigned to the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection based on the priority.

35. The computer program product recited in claim 27, wherein the transfer layer protocol connection from the sending device to the receiving device comprises a transfer layer protocol connection over a wireless communication network, and wherein the sending device utilizes a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) wireless connection on the wireless communication network.

36. The computer program product recited in claim 35, wherein the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is allocated a higher priority by setting up and/or using multiple connections only during the slow start phase and have higher priority than the transfer layer protocol connection.

37. The computer program product recited in claim 35, wherein the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is allocated a higher priority by causing a parameter to be sent with a primitive from the convergence sublayer to a traffic scheduler in the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer.

38. A communications network comprising:

a sending device configured to send data in a transfer layer protocol connection to other devices in said communications network; and

a receiving device, said receiving device configured to receive data in a transfer layer protocol connection,

wherein it is determined whether the transfer layer protocol connection is in a slow start phase, and in an instance in which the transfer layer protocol connection is in a slow start phase, then allocating priority in the sending device to data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection that is higher than the priority allocated to other data to be sent by the sending device, wherein the priority of the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is allocated based at least in part upon an amount of data sent for the transfer layer protocol connection and a predetermined amount of data sufficient for the transfer layer protocol connection to adapt to network conditions.

39. The communications network recited in claim 38, wherein the priority of data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is gradually decreased.

40. The communications network recited in claim 39, wherein the priority of the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is gradually decreased based on the amount of data sent for the transfer layer protocol connection.

41. The communications network recited in claim 38, wherein the sending device comprises a Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node.

42. The communications network recited in claim 38, wherein the sending device is also configured to perform as a receiving device.

43. The communications network recited in claim 38, wherein the communications network comprises a wireless communications network, and wherein the sending device utilizes a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) wireless connection on the wireless communication network.

44. The communications network recited in claim 43, wherein the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is allocated a higher priority by setting up and/or using multiple connections that are used only during the slow start phase and have higher priority than the connection set up for the transfer layer protocol connection.

45. The communications network recited in claim 43, wherein the data to be sent in the transfer layer protocol connection is allocated a higher priority by causing a parameter to be sent with a primitive from the convergence sublayer to a traffic scheduler in the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer.