System and method for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet through network elements

• US 8,358,580 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2009
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ray, Amar N., Bugenhagen, Michael K., Morrill, Robert J., Chakravarthy, Cadathur V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blanton, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Jay P
• Application Number:
  US12/633,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20100085887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/231, 370/252
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/245 Link aggregation, e.g. trunking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/27 Evaluation or update of window size, e.g. using information derived from acknowledged [ACK] packets
• 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

Abstract

A system for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network including a sending network element in communication with a receiving network element for transmitting and receiving data packets between the sending network element and the receiving network element on the packet network, wherein at least one of the sending network element and the receiving network element is configured to determine network performance information of the packet network; concatenate the network performance information into the data packets; and adjust the window size of the TCP packet based on the network performance information. A method for adjusting the window size of a TCP packet on a packet network is also included.

Claims

1. A system for adjusting the window size of a TCP session on a packet network, the system comprising:

a sending network element;

a receiving network element in communication with the sending network element and operable to receive packets communicated by the sending network element, wherein the receiving network element communicates with the sending network element using Ethernet protocol and wherein the receiving network element determines network performance information associated with a path of the network between the sending network element and the receiving network element and communicates the network performance information to the sending network element, the path allowing communication from the sending network element to the receiving element, wherein the network performance information includes data indicative of a total number of data packets communicated over the path in at least one direction and data indicative of a total amount of bandwidth of data communicated over the path; and

wherein the sending network element is operable to adjust the window size of the TCP session in response to the received network performance information, wherein said adjusting said window size increases a transmit versus wait for an acknowledgement data packet to accommodate packet network link lengths, wherein said adjust said window size includes a decrease or an increase in the window size.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network performance information includes first network performance information associated with packets that each include data for real-time applications and second network performance information associated with both the packets that include data for real-time applications and packets that include data for non-real time applications.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the network performance information includes data indicative of a total number of data packets that each include data for real-time applications communicated over the path in at least one direction and data indicative of a total amount of bandwidth of data for real-time applications communicated over the path.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one of said sending network element and said receiving network element is configured to:

determine whether at least one network performance information value of said packet network exceeds a predetermined threshold value;

communicate an instruction to said at least one of said sending network element and said receiving network element to adjust the TCP window in an acknowledgement packet to be sent to the other of said at least one of said sending network element and said receiving network element.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one of said sending network element and said receiving network element includes a ITU-T Y.1731 module configured to separately count total data packets and data packets including real-time content.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said network performance information includes load condition and traffic congestion.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said adjust said window size includes a decrease or an increase in a timer value, said timer value relating to the re-transmission of a portion of said data packets.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising an intermediate network element configured to:

determine network performance information of said packet network; and

concatenate said network performance information into said data packets.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said intermediate network element is further configured to:

adjust the window size of said TCP session based on said network performance information.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said adjust the window size includes increasing or decreasing the number of octets contained in said data packets said receiving network element is prepared to accept.

11. A method of adjusting the window size of a TCP communications session on a packet network, the method comprising:

determining network performance information associated with a communications path between a sending network element and a receiving network element wherein communications over the communications path are conducted using an Ethernet protocol, wherein determining the network performance information includes determining data indicative of a total number of data packets communicated over the path in at least one direction and data indicative of a total amount of bandwidth of data communicated over the path;

storing the network performance information in a packet;

communicating the packet to the sending element; and

adjusting the window size of the TCP communications session in response to the communicated packet, wherein adjusting said window size increases a transmit versus wait for an acknowledgement data packet to accommodate packet network link lengths.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining network performance information includes determining first network performance information associated with packets that each include data for real-time applications and second network performance information associated with both the packets that include data for real-time applications and packets that include data for non-real time applications.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the network performance information includes determining data indicative of a total number of data packets that each include data for real-time applications communicated over the path in at least one direction and data indicative of a total amount of bandwidth of data for real-time applications communicated over the path.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

determining whether at least one network performance information value of said packet network exceeds a predetermined threshold value;

communicating an instruction in an acknowledgement data packet to said receiving network element to adjust said window size of said data packet.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein one of said sending network element and receiving network element includes a ITU-T Y.1731 module configured to separately count total data packets and data packets including real-time content.

16. A system for adjusting the window size of a TCP communications session on a packet network, the system comprising:

means for determining network performance information associated with communications path between a sending network element and a receiving network element, wherein communications over the communications path are conducted using an Ethernet protocol, wherein determining the network performance information includes determining data indicative of a total number of data packets communicated over the path in at least one direction and data indicative of a total amount of bandwidth of data communicated over the path;

means for storing the network performance information in a packets;

means for communicating the packet to the sending element; and

means for adjusting the window size of the TCP communications session in response to the communicated packet, wherein said means for adjusting said window size increases a transmit versus wait for an acknowledgement data packet to accommodate packet network link lengths.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for determining network performance information includes means for determining first network performance information associated with packets that each include data for real-time applications and second network performance information associated with both the packets that include data for real-time applications and packets that include data for non-real time applications.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for determining the network performance information includes means for determining data indicative of a total number of data packets that each include data for real-time applications communicated over the path in at least one direction and data indicative of a total amount of bandwidth of data for real-time applications communicated over the path.

19. The system of claim 16 further comprising:

means for determining whether at least one network performance information value of said packet network exceeds a predetermined threshold value;

means for communicating an instruction in an acknowledgement data packet to said receiving network element to adjust said window size of said data packet.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein one of said sending network element and receiving network element includes a ITU-T Y.1731 module configured to separately count total data packets and data packets including real-time content.