Method and apparatus for transmitting packets in the network

• US 8,392,448 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: H3C Technologies Co., Limited (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Ge, Changzhong
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALLEN, NICHOLAS E
• Application Number:
  US12/646,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20100174740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 707/769, 707/622, 707/966, 707/967
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/741 Routing in networks with a plurality of addressing schemes, e.g. with both IPv4 and IPv6
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/108 characterised by resources being split in blocks or fragments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for packet transmission in the network. When the network device receives data packets from the first user, the network device extracts and saves the data encapsulated in the data packets and then forwards the packets according to the destination addresses of the data packets. When it receives the request from a second user for the data mentioned above, it encapsulates the saved data in data packets and sends the data packets to the second user. With the present invention deployed, the uploaded data packets are saved on network devices and can be directly transmitted to users requesting them. In this way, the present invention avoids repeated traffic upload, reduces upload traffic in the network, decreases network bandwidth occupied by traffic, and thus improves the overall network performance.

Claims

1. A method for processing data download messages in a peer-to-peer network using a network device comprising:

receiving, at a network device, a data download request message from a download requester, the data download request message comprising a download requester identifier, a download provider identifier and a first data segment identifier;

determining whether a first data segment corresponding to the first data segment identifier is stored in a segment table in a storage unit of the network device; and

if the first data segment is stored in the segment table, with the network device, sending the download requester a response message comprising the first data segment corresponding to the first data segment identifier, and not forwarding the download request to the download provider;

in which, if the first data segment is not stored in the segment table, forwarding, with the network device, the download request to the download provider.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the data download request message to a download provider corresponding to the download provider identifier in the data download request message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the network device, a data download response message from a download provider, the data download response message comprising the download requester identifier, the download provider identifier, a second data segment identifier, and a second data segment corresponding to the second data segment identifier;

determining whether the second data segment is stored in the segment table;

storing the second segment identifier and the second data segment into the segment table if the segment table does not contain the second data segment; and

forwarding the data download response message to the download requester corresponding to the download requester identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a number of data download response messages, each data download response message comprising the download requester identifier, the download provider identifier, the second data segment identifier, a data sub-segment identifier, and a data sub-segment corresponding to the data sub-segment identifier in which the second data segment includes a number of data sub-segments, each of the data sub-segments corresponding to one data sub-segment identifier;

buffering each data sub-segment contained in each corresponding data download response message; and

combining the buffered data sub-segments into the second data segment.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising storing a latest visit time of the second data segment in the segment table, in which the latest visit time of the second data segment in the segment table is the time of receiving the data download response message.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

configuring a segment aging time and a segment table traversal period threshold;

comparing the segment aging time to the difference between a current time and the latest visit time when the set traversal period reaches a value equal to the segment table traversal period threshold; and

deleting the second data segment from the segment table when the difference between a current time and the latest visit time is greater than the segment aging time.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

configuring a storage capacity threshold for the segment table in which the segment table comprises a number of stored data segments, each stored data segment comprising a corresponding latest visit time;

comparing current storage capacity to the storage capacity threshold;

selecting an oldest stored data segment from the stored data segments based on the latest arrival time for each stored data segment if the current storage capacity is greater than the storage capacity threshold; and

deleting the oldest stored data segment from the segment table.

8. The method of claim 1, in which the network device is a switch or a router.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising dropping the data download request message if the first data segment is stored in the segment table.

10. An apparatus for processing data download messages in a peer-to-peer network comprising:

a storage unit to store a segment table, in which the segment table comprises a number of data segment identifiers, a number of data segments each corresponding to one data segment identifier from the data segment identifiers, and a mapping between the data segment identifiers and the data segments;

a processing unit to;

receive a data download request message from a download requester, the data download request message comprising a download requester identifier, a download provider identifier, and a first data segment identifier,

determine whether a first data segment corresponding to the first data segment identifier is stored in the segment table stored in the storage unit; and

if the first data segment is stored in the segment table, send a first response message comprising the download requester identifier, the download provider identifier, the first data segment identifier, and the first data segment to the data requester, and not forward the download request to a download provider.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, in which the processing unit further:

receives, at the network device, a data download response message from a download provider, the data download response message comprising the download requester identifier, the download provider identifier, a second data segment identifier, and a second data segment;

determines whether the second data segment is stored in the segment table; and

stores the second data segment into the segment table if the segment table does not contain the second data segment.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a message tracing unit to;

receive the data download request message;

send a first query request to a segment table maintaining unit, the query request comprising the first data segment identifier,

send the first data segment to a segment transmitting unit if the message tracing unit receives a first query success message comprising the first data segment corresponding to the first data segment identifier from the segment table maintaining unit, and

drop the data download request message.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, in which the segment table maintaining unit:

receives the first query request from the message tracing unit, the first query request comprising the first data segment identifier,

determines whether the first data segment corresponding to the first data segment identifier is stored in the segment table;

sends the first query success message to the message tracing unit if the first data segment is stored in the segment table, the first query success message comprising the first data segment; and

sends a first query failure message to the message tracing unit if the first data segment is not stored in the segment table.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the message tracing unit further sends the data download request message to the download provider corresponding to the data download provider identifier if the segment table maintaining unit sends the first query failure message to the message tracing unit.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a message tracing unit to:

receive the data download response message;

send a second query request to a segment table maintaining unit, the query request comprising the second data segment identifier,

send the data download response message to the download requester if the message tracing unit receives a second query success message from the segment table maintaining unit, and send a first add request to the segment table maintaining unit, the add request comprising the second data segment identifier and the second data segment if the message tracing unit receives a second query failure message from the segment table maintaining unit.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a segment table maintaining unit to:

receive the second query request from the message tracing unit, the query request comprising the second data segment identifier,

determine whether the second data segment corresponding to the second data segment identifier is stored in the segment table;

send the second query success message to the message tracing unit if the second data segment is stored in the segment table, the second query success message comprising the second data segment; and

send the second query failure message to the message tracing unit if the second data segment is not stored in the segment table;

receive the first add request from the message tracing unit, the add request comprising the second data segment identifier and the request data segment; and

store the second data segment identifier and the second data segment in the segment table.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, in which the segment transmitting unit receives the first data segment from the message tracing unit and sends the first response message comprising the first data segment to the download requester corresponding to the download requester identifier.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, in which the message tracing unit further:

receives a number of data download response messages, each data download response message comprising the download requester identifier, the download provider identifier, the second data segment identifier, a data sub-segment identifier, and a data sub-segment corresponding to the data sub-segment identifier in which the second data segment comprises a number of data sub-segments, each of the data sub-segments corresponds to one data sub-segment identifier;

buffers each data sub-segment contained in each corresponding data download response message;

combines the one or more buffered data sub-segments into the second data segment; and

sends the third add request comprising the second data segment identifier and the second data segment to the segment table maintaining unit.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, in which the message tracing unit further:

receives the data download request message from the download requester, the data download request message further comprising a first data sub-segment identifier; and

sends a transmit request to the segment transmitting unit, the transmit request comprising the first data sub-segment identifier.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, in which the segment transmitting unit further:

receives the transmit request from the message tracing unit, the transmit request comprising the first data sub-segment identifier;

send a second response message comprising a first data sub-segment corresponding to the first data sub-segment identifier.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, in which the segment table maintaining unit further:

stores a current time as a first latest arrival time in the segment table for the first data segment corresponding to the first data segment identifier in the data download request message if the first query success is sent to the message tracing unit; and

stores the current time as a second latest arrival time in the segment table for the second data segment corresponding to the second data segment identifier in the data download response message if the second add request is sent to the segment table.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a first segment table aging unit to:

send a time query request comprising a queried data segment identifier to the segment table maintaining unit;

receive a queried latest time arrival for the queried data segment corresponding to the queried data segment identifier from the segment table maintaining unit;

compare the segment aging time to the difference between a current time and the queried latest visit time of the data segment if a set traversal period reaches a value equal to a segment table traversal period threshold; and

send a first delete request to the segment table maintaining unit, the first delete request comprising a delete data segment identifier corresponding to the queried data segment identifier if the difference between the current time and the latest visit time is greater than the segment aging time.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, in which the segment table maintaining unit further:

receives the time query request comprising the queried data segment identifier from the first segment table aging unit;

sends the queried latest time arrival for the queried data segment corresponding to the queried data segment identifier to the first segment aging unit;

receives the first delete request comprising delete data segment identifier; and

deletes the delete data segment corresponding to the delete data segment identifier from segment table.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprises a second segment table aging unit to:

configure a storage capacity threshold for the segment table in which the segment table comprises a number of stored data segments, each stored data segment associated with the latest visit time;

compare current storage capacity to the storage capacity threshold;

select an oldest stored data segment from the stored data segments based on the latest arrival time for each stored data segment if the current storage capacity exceeds the storage capacity threshold; and

send a second delete request to the segment maintaining unit, the second delete request comprising an oldest data segment identifier corresponding to the oldest stored data segment.

25. A method for processing packet transmission on a network device comprising:

receiving, at a network device, a data packet from a first user across a network, the data packet comprising a destination address and encapsulated data, the encapsulated data comprising a first data segment;

extracting the encapsulated data from the data packet;

storing the first data segment in a storage unit on the network device;

forwarding the data packet to a destination based on the destination address using one or more communication protocols;

receiving, at the network device, a data download request message from a download requester, the data download request message comprising a download requester identifier, and a data segment identifier;

if the data identifier identifies the first data segment stored in the storage unit on the network device, sending the download requester a response message comprising the first data segment corresponding to the data identifier, and not forwarding the download request to the first user;

receiving, at the network device, a data download response message from the first user, the data download response message comprising the download requester identifier, the download provider identifier, a subsequent data segment identifier, and a subsequent data segment corresponding to the subsequent data segment identifier;

determining whether the subsequent data segment is stored in the segment table;

storing the subsequent segment identifier and the subsequent data segment in the segment table if the segment table does not contain the subsequent data segment; and

forwarding the data download response message to the download requester corresponding to the download requester identifier.

26. A network device that forwards a data packet across a network comprising:

a data processing module to extract data from a data packet sent from a download provider and forward the data packet based on a destination address, in which the data packet includes the destination address and comprises a first data segment; and

a monitoring module to monitor a plurality of data requests received by the network device from a number of users, the data requests comprising a download requester identifier, and a first data segment identifier, access data saved in a storage unit, encapsulate the first data segment into the data packet, and send the data packet to the users, and not forward the download requests to the download provider,

in which the data processing module receives, at the network device, a data download response message from the download provider, the data download response message comprising the download requester identifier, the download provider identifier, a subsequent data segment identifier, and a subsequent data segment;

determines whether the subsequent data segment is stored in the segment table; and

stores the subsequent data segment into the segment table if the segment table does not contain the subsequent data segment.

27. A method for processing data download messages in a network comprising:

receiving a download response message comprising a data segment by an access device located at an edge of the network, from a core-edge direction to a first client, in which the access device provides access service for at least two clients;

determining whether the data segment is cached in a storage unit of the access device;

caching the data segment in the storage unit of the access device if the data segment is not cached in the storage unit of the access device;

receiving a download request message from a second client from an edge-core direction to a core of the network, the download request message comprising a data segment identifier;

determining whether the data segment corresponding to the data segment identifier is cached in the storage unit of the access device;

if the first data segment is stored in the segment table, forwarding a download response message to the second client, the download response message comprising the data segment corresponding to the data segment identifier, and not forwarding the download request message to an intended recipient of the download request message.