Partitioning data sets for transmission on multiple physical links

• US 9,635,148 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2014
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Aruba Networks Incorporated (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Tewari, Claudius, Raman, Gopalakrishnan, Mirukula, Rajesh, Damodaran, Sathish, Dunsbergen, Berend, Jiang, Jie, Siraj, Mohd
• Primary Examiner(s): O CONNOR, BRIAN T
• Application Number:
  US14/530,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20160127520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/00 Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00; network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorised activity G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/321 Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/323 in the physical layer [OSI layer 1]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a method and a network device for partitioning data sets for transmission on multiple physical links in a network. Specifically, a network device receives a particular data set addressed to a client device. The network device partitions the particular data set into at least a first subset of data and a second subset of data. Then, the network device encapsulates the first subset of data using a first header and encapsulating the second subset of data using a second header that results in (a) data with the first header being transmitted on a first physical link and (b) data with the second header being transmitted on a second physical link different than the first physical link. Finally, the network device transmits the first subset of data with the first header and the second subset of data with the second header.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more hardware processors, causes performance of operations comprising to:

receive, by a first network device, a particular data set addressed to a client device;

partition, by the first network device, the particular data set into at least a first subset of data and a second subset of data;

encapsulate, by the first network device, the first subset of data and the second subset of data each with a unique sequence number, wherein each unique sequence number is based at least in part on a first set of sequence numbers specified in an outer header of the particular data set prior to receipt by the first network device and a second set of sequence numbers specified in an inner header of the particular data set prior to receipt by the first network device;

encapsulate the first subset of data using a first header assigned by the first network device;

encapsulate the second subset of data using a second header assigned by the first network device, wherein the first header is different from the second header;

determine, based on the difference between the first header and the second header, that data with the first header is transmitted on a first physical link and data with the second header is transmitted on a second physical link different than the first physical link; and

transmit the first subset of data with the first header and the second subset of data with the second header.

2. The medium of claim 1, wherein:

the operations to transmit on the first physical link and to transmit on the second physical link are performed by a second network device different than the first network device; and

the second network device selects the first physical link for the first subset of data based on the corresponding first header and selects the second physical link for the second subset of data based on the corresponding second header.

3. The medium of claim 1, wherein the operations to transmit on the first physical link and to transmit on the second physical link are performed by the first network device.

4. The medium of claim 1, wherein a size of the first subset of data to be encapsulated with the first header and/or a size of the second subset of data to be encapsulated with the second header is based at least on a load expected on the first physical link and/or a load expected on the second physical link.

5. The medium of claim 1, wherein:

a source IP address for the first header is different than a source IP address for the second header; and

both the first IP address and the second IP address correspond to the first network device.

6. The medium of claim 1, wherein:

at least one value is different between a network tuple corresponding to the first subset of data and a network tuple corresponding to the second subset of data; and

the difference in the at least one value results in transmission of the first subset of data on the first physical link and the transmission of the second subset of data on the second physical link.

7. The medium of claim 1, wherein the particular data set addressed to the client device is associated with a single flow.

8. The medium of claim 1, wherein the particular data set addressed to the client device is associated with two or more flows.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more hardware processors, causes performance of operations comprising to:

receive, by a first network device, a particular data set addressed to a client device;

partition, by the first network device, the particular data set into a plurality of data sets;

encapsulate, by the first network device, each of the plurality of data sets with a unique sequence number, wherein each unique sequence number is based at least in part on a first set of sequence numbers specified in an outer header of the particular data set prior to receipt by the first network device and a second set of sequence numbers specified in an inner header of the particular data set prior to receipt by the first network device;

further encapsulate a first subset of data using a first header assigned by the first network device;

further encapsulate a second subset of data using a second header assigned by the first network device, wherein the first header is different from the second header;

determine, based on the difference between the first header and the second header, that data with the first header is transmitted on a first physical link and data with the second header is transmitted on a second physical link different than the first physical link;

transmit, by the first network device, the encapsulated plurality of data sets;

receive, by an access point, the encapsulated plurality of data sets using at least two physical links; and

wirelessly transmit, by the access point to the client device, the encapsulated plurality of data sets in the order of the sequence numbers added by the first network device.

10. The medium of claim 9, wherein the inner header of the particular data set is in an encrypted form.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more hardware processors, causes performance of operations comprising to:

encapsulate a first subset of data and a second subset of data each with a unique sequence number, wherein each unique sequence number is based at least in part on a first set of sequence numbers specified in an outer header of a particular data set and a second set of sequence numbers specified in an inner header of the particular data set

encapsulate the first subset of data using a first header assigned by a first network device;

encapsulate the second subset of data using a second header assigned by the first network device, wherein the first header is different from the second header;

determine, based on the difference between the first header and the second header, that data with the first header is transmitted on a first physical link and data with the second header is transmitted on a second physical link different than the first physical link;

receive, by an access point, a plurality of encapsulated data sets on a wired interface, wherein each of the plurality of encapsulated data sets comprises a sequence number;

order, by the access point, the plurality of encapsulated data sets according to the corresponding sequence number for each respective data set; and

transmit, by the access point, the plurality of encapsulated data sets according to the order determined by the access point based on the corresponding sequence numbers.

12. A system comprising:

at least one device including a hardware processor;

the system configured to;

receive, by a first network device, a particular data set addressed to a client device;

partition, by the first network device, the particular data set into at least a first subset of data and a second subset of data;

encapsulate, by the first network device, the first subset of data and the second subset of data each with a unique sequence number, wherein each unique sequence number is based at least in part on a first set of sequence numbers specified in an outer header of the particular data set prior to receipt by the first network device and a second set of sequence numbers specified in an inner header of the particular data set prior to receipt by the first network device;

encapsulate the first subset of data using a first header assigned by the first network device;

encapsulate the second subset of data using a second header assigned by the first network device, wherein the first header is different from the second header;

determine, based on the difference between the first header and the second header, that data with the first header is transmitted on a first physical link and data with the second header is transmitted on a second physical link different than the first physical link; and

transmit the first subset of data with the first header and the second subset of data with the second header.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the operations of transmitting on the first physical link and transmitting on the second physical link are performed by a second network device different than the first network device; and

the second network device selects the first physical link for the first subset of data based on the corresponding first header and selects the second physical link for the second subset of data based on the corresponding second header.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations of transmitting on the first physical link and transmitting on the second physical link are performed by the first network device.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein a size of the first subset of data to be encapsulated with the first header and/or a size of the second subset of data to be encapsulated with the second header is based at least on a load expected on the first physical link and/or a load expected on the second physical link.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein a source IP address for the first header is different than a source IP address for the second header, and wherein both the first IP address and the second IP address correspond to the first network device.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein:

at least one value is different between a network tuple corresponding to the first subset of data and a network tuple corresponding to the second subset of data; and

the difference in the at least one value results in transmission of the first subset of data on the first physical link and the transmission of the second subset of data on the second physical link.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the particular data set addressed to the client device is associated with a single flow.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the particular data set addressed to the client device is associated with two or more flows.

20. A system comprising:

at least one device including a hardware processor;

the system configured to;

receive, by a first network device, a particular data set addressed to a client device;

partition, by the first network device, the particular data set into a plurality of data sets;

encapsulate, by the first network device, each of the plurality of data sets with a unique sequence number, wherein each unique sequence number is based at least in part on a first set of sequence numbers specified in an outer header of the particular data set prior to receipt by the first network device and a second set of sequence numbers specified in an inner header of the particular data set prior to receipt by the first network device;

further encapsulate a first subset of data using a first header assigned by the first network device;

further encapsulate a second subset of data using a second header assigned by the first network device, wherein the first header is different from the second header;

determine, based on the difference between the first header and the second header, that data with the first header is transmitted on a first physical link and data with the second header is transmitted on a second physical link different than the first physical link;

transmit, by the first network device, the encapsulated plurality of data sets;

receive, by an access point, the encapsulated plurality of data sets using at least two physical links; and

wirelessly transmit, by the access point to the client device, the encapsulated plurality of data sets in the order of the sequence numbers added by the first network device.