Acceleration through a network tunnel

• US 8,274,981 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2010
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ViaSat Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ViaSat Incorporated
• Inventors: Foxworthy, Michael, Chandran, Girish, Lau, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Blanche
• Application Number:
  US12/761,996
• Publication Number:
  US 20100265950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/602 Multilayer or multiprotocol switching, e.g. IP switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

Methods and systems for implementing acceleration through a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel, are described. The method includes establishing a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel between a first network endpoint and a second network endpoint, sending packets with a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header from the first network endpoint to the second network endpoint, and removing the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel headers from the packets. The method further includes storing the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel headers in a storage memory, performing acceleration on the packets, and retrieving the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel headers from the storage memory. Further, the method includes replacing the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel headers on the packets, and sending the packets with the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel headers through the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel to the second endpoint.

Claims

1. A method of implementing acceleration through a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel between a satellite modem termination system (SMTS) and a network gateway, the method comprising:

receiving, at an acceleration module in communication with the SMTS and the network gateway, a first packet through the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel, the first packet comprising a payload accelerated by a user terminal using an acceleration protocol and transmitted to the SMTS via satellite, the accelerated first packet encapsulated by the SMTS using a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header;

removing the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header from the encapsulated first packet;

storing the removed packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header;

retrieving the payload from the acceleration protocol of the accelerated first packet;

retrieving the stored packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header;

re-encapsulating the payload in a second packet using the retrieved packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header; and

sending the encapsulated second packet through the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel to the network gateway.

2. A method of implementing acceleration through a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel as in claim 1, wherein the packet encapsulation protocol comprises a Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) protocol or an IP in IP (IP-IP) protocol.

3. A method of implementing acceleration through a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel as in claim 1, further comprising performing prefetching at the acceleration module responsive to receiving the accelerated first packet.

4. A method of implementing acceleration through a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel as in claim 1, further comprising performing byte caching at the acceleration module responsive to receiving the accelerated first packet.

5. A method of implementing acceleration through a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel as in claim 1, wherein the retrieving the payload from the accelerated first packet comprises performing compression.

6. A method of implementing acceleration through a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel as in claim 1, wherein the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header is preserved upon removal from the encapsulated accelerated first packet such that a packet source and a packet destination are traceable.

7. A method of implementing acceleration through a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel as in claim 1, wherein the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel headers are stored using a hash table.

8. A system for implementing acceleration through a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel, the system comprising:

a customer premises device (CPE) configured to transmit a first packet to a destination, wherein the first packet includes a header and a payload;

a user terminal (UT) in communication with the CPE, the UT configured to receive the first packet and transmit an accelerated packet via a satellite;

a satellite modem termination system (SMTS) in communication with the satellite, the SMTS configured to receive the accelerated packet, establish a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel between the SMTS and a gateway module, and encapsulate the accelerated packet using a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header; and

a core node in communication with the SMTS, the core node including an acceleration module and the gateway module, the acceleration module configured to receive the encapsulated accelerated packet, remove the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header, store the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header retrieve the payload from the accelerated packet, retrieve the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header re-encapsulate the payload in a second packet using the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header, and transmit the encapsulated second packet to the gateway module, the gateway module configured to receive the encapsulated second packet, remove the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header, and transmit the second packet to the destination.

9. A system for implementing acceleration through a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel as in claim 8, wherein the first packet comprises a web request.

10. A system for implementing acceleration through a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel as in claim 8, wherein the first packet comprises a request for web content.

11. A system for implementing acceleration through a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel as in claim 8, wherein the first packet header includes one or more of the following:

a MAC portion, an IP portion, and a UDP portion.

12. A system for implementing acceleration through a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel as in claim 8, wherein the first packet comprises one or more of the following:

a TCP request, a Mail request, an FTP request, an SMB request, and an RPC request.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for implementing acceleration through a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel between a satellite modem termination system (SMTS) and a network gateway, having sets of instructions which, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to:

receive, at an acceleration module in communication with the SMTS and the network gateway, a first packet through the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel, the first packet comprising a payload accelerated by a user terminal using an acceleration protocol and transmitted to the SMTS via satellite, the accelerated first packet encapsulated by the SMTS using a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header;

remove the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header from the encapsulated accelerated first packet;

store the removed packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header;

retrieve the payload from the acceleration protocol of the accelerated first packets;

retrieve the stored packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header;

re-encapsulate the payload in a second packet using the retrieved packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header; and

send the encapsulated second packet through the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel to the network gateway.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium as in claim 13, wherein the packet encapsulation protocol comprises a Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) protocol or an IP in IP (IP-IP) protocol.

15. A computer readable medium as in claim 13, further comprising instructions to cause the one or more computers to perform prefetching at the acceleration module responsive to receiving the accelerated first packet.

16. A computer readable medium as in claim 13, further comprising instructions to cause the one or more computers to perform byte caching at the acceleration module responsive to receiving the accelerated first packet.