Method of communicating between layers of a protocol stack and apparatus therefor

• US 20060277315A1
• Filed: 04/07/2006
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keysight Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Gardner, Robert, Garcia, Francisco Javier
• Granted Patent: US 8,135,033 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/230
• 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 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/167 Adaptation for transition between two IP versions, e.g. between IPv4 and IPv6 translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses H04L61/2503
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/321 Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

In a method of communicating between layers of a protocol stack, message data are generated for communicating between a first layer and a second layer of the protocol stack. The message data are incorporated into a data unit by providing an opaque object within the data unit, conforming to a data structure definition supporting extendible schemas, the opaque object comprising the message data.

Claims

1. A method of communicating between layers of a protocol stack, the method comprising:

generating message data for communicating between a first layer and a second layer of the protocol stack;

incorporating the message data into a data unit by providing an opaque object within the data unit, the data unit conforming to a data structure definition supporting extendible schemas;

wherein

the opaque object comprises the message data.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

inserting the data unit into the first layer of the protocol stack.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data unit is a protocol data unit.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the protocol data unit is an Internet Protocol (IP) packet.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the opaque object is an extendible header.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

forming the data unit in accordance with the data structure definition expressly for an inter-layer communication of the message data.

7. A method of supporting a virtual channel for communicating data between layers of a protocol stack, the method comprising the method of communicating between layers of a protocol stack as claimed in claim 1.

8. A method of communicating between layers of a protocol stack, the method comprising:

receiving a data unit formed in accordance with a data structure definition supporting an extendible schema;

identifying an opaque object in the data unit relating to an inter-layer communication; and

extracting data from the opaque object.

9. An apparatus for communicating between layers of a protocol stack, the apparatus comprising:

a processing resource arranged to generate message data for communication between layers of the protocol stack;

wherein

the processing resource is arranged to incorporate the message data into a data unit by providing an opaque object within the data unit, the data unit conforming to a data structure definition supporting an extendible schema; and

the opaque object comprises the message data.

10. A virtual channel to support communication of data between layers of a protocol stack, the virtual channel being supported by opaque objects within data units conforming to a data structure definition, the data structure definition supporting extendible schemas.

11. A use of an extendible schema supported by a data structure definition for data units to serve as a medium for communicating data constituting content of an inter-layer communication between layers of a protocol stack.