Systems and methods for retransmitting packets over a network of communication channels

• US 9,554,177 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2013
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ohana, Yitshak, Klein, Philippe, Kliger, Avi
• Primary Examiner(s): HSU, ALPUS
• Application Number:
  US14/018,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20130347043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1848 Time-out mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1874 Buffer management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/413 with random access, e.g. carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection [CSMA-CD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/34 ensuring sequence integrity, e.g. using sequence numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805

Abstract

Systems and methods for transmitting packets over a network of communication channels are provide. A system according to the invention may include first and second nodes in communication with a coax backbone. The first node may further include a retransmission buffer. The system may also include a network access coordinator operative to coordinate access of the nodes to the coax backbone. In a time period at least one first packet is transmitted by the first node to the second node. The first packet may include an indication that retransmission service is applied. The first packet may also include a indication of the length corresponding to the packet. If, during the first time period the packet is not received by the second node, the second node is operative to send a retransmission request to the network access coordinator.

Claims

1. A transmitter device comprising:

a memory that is configured to store a plurality of data units, each of the plurality of data units being associated with a sequence number; and

a processor that is configured to;

initiate a first transmission, to a node and over a network that is managed by a network access coordinator, of an aggregate data unit that includes the plurality of data units stored in the memory, the aggregate data unit further includes a header comprising an indication that retransmission is supported and applied for the aggregate data unit, wherein the first transmission further includes a first sequence number that comprises a lowest sequence number associated with the plurality of data units that are stored in the memory;

receive, from the network access coordinator, a message that indicates that a first data unit of the plurality of data units was not received by the node or was not received correctly by the node, wherein the message comprises a second sequence number that is greater than or equal to the first sequence number; and

initiate a second transmission, to the node, of the first data unit of the plurality of data units from the memory.

2. The transmitter device of claim 1, wherein the message further indicates that a second data unit of the plurality of data units was received by the node.

3. The transmitter device of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to remove the second data unit of the plurality of data units from the memory, in response to the message.

4. The transmitter device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter device is further configured to remove, from the memory, at least one data unit of the plurality of data units for which the sequence number associated therewith is less than the second sequence number.

5. The transmitter device of claim 4, wherein the second transmission includes a third sequence number that is less than or equal to a largest sequence number associated with the plurality of data units that are stored in the memory subsequent to removing the at least one data unit of the plurality of data units from the memory.

6. The transmitter device of claim 1, wherein access time of the network is divided into cycles that are managed by the network access coordinator.

7. The transmitter device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

initiate the first transmission during a first cycle;

receive the message during a second cycle that is subsequent to the first cycle; and

initiate the second transmission during a third cycle that is subsequent to the second cycle.

8. The transmitter device of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises a retransmission buffer that stores the plurality of data units.

9. The transmitter device of claim 1, wherein the node is distinct from the network access coordinator.

10. The transmitter device of claim 1, wherein the indication comprised in the aggregate data unit further indicates that retransmission is applied for a flow that comprises the aggregate data unit, the flow comprising a uni-directional traffic stream that is identifiable by a source node associated with the flow, a destination node associated with the flow, and a priority of the flow.

11. The transmitter device of claim 1, wherein the aggregate data unit comprises a media access control (MAC) protocol data unit and the plurality of data units comprises a plurality of MAC service data units.

12. A method for receiving data units, the method comprising:

receiving, from a node over a network that is managed by a network access coordinator, an aggregate data unit that comprises;

a plurality of data units each being associated with a sequence number, a header comprising an indication that retransmission is supported and applied for the aggregate data unit and a first sequence number comprising a lowest sequence number of at least a portion of the plurality of data units that are available for retransmission at the node;

determining that a first data unit of the plurality of data units was received incorrectly;

initiating transmission of a message to the network access coordinator, for subsequent transmission by the network access coordinator to the node, that indicates that the first data unit of the plurality of data units should be retransmitted, wherein the message comprises a second sequence number that is greater than or equal to the first sequence number; and

receiving, from the node, the first data unit of the plurality of data units.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining that a second data unit of the plurality of data units was received correctly, wherein the message further indicates that the second data unit of the plurality of data units was received correctly.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein access time of the network is divided into cycles that are managed by the network access coordinator.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving the aggregate data unit occurs during a first cycle, initiating the transmission of the message occurs during a second cycle that is subsequent to the first cycle, and receiving, from the node, the first data unit occurs during a third cycle that is subsequent to the second cycle.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the node is distinct from the network access coordinator.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the first sequence number comprises a start sequence number, the second sequence number comprises a received sequence number that indicates a last data unit of the plurality of data units that was successfully received, and the method further comprises:

prior to initiating the transmission of the message to the network access coordinator, setting the received sequence number to the start sequence number when the received sequence number is less than the start sequence number.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the aggregate data unit comprises a media access control (MAC) protocol data unit and the plurality of data units comprises a plurality of MAC service data units.

19. A computer program product comprising instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the instructions comprising:

instructions for storing a plurality of data units in a memory, wherein each of the plurality of data units is associated with a sequence number;

instructions for initiating a first transmission, to a node and over a network that is managed by a network access coordinator, of an aggregate data unit that comprises;

the plurality of data units that are stored in the memory, a header associated with the aggregate data unit comprising an indication that retransmission is supported and applied for the plurality of data units, and a first sequence number that comprises a lowest sequence number of the plurality of data units that are stored in the memory;

instructions for receiving, from the network access coordinator, a message that indicates that a first data unit of the plurality of data units was not received by the node or was not received correctly by the node, wherein the message comprises a second sequence number that is greater than or equal to the first sequence number; and

instructions for initiating a second transmission, to the node, of the first data unit of the plurality of data units that is stored in the memory.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the message further indicates that a second data unit of the plurality of data units was received by the node.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions for removing the second data unit of the plurality of data units from the memory.

22. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions for removing, from the memory, at least one data unit of the plurality of data units for which the associated sequence number is less than the second sequence number.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the instructions for initiating the second transmission, to the node, of the first data unit of the plurality of data units that is stored in the memory further comprises:

instructions for initiating the second transmission, to the node, of the first data unit of the plurality of data units that is stored in the memory along with a third sequence number that is less than or equal to a largest sequence number associated with the plurality of data units that are stored in the memory subsequent to removing the at least one data unit of the plurality of data units from the memory.