MECHANISMS TO IMPROVE THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL PROTOCOL PERFORMANCE IN WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20120201136A1
• Filed: 02/07/2011
• Published: 08/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adaptiv Networks Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ipeak Networks Incorporated (Adaptiv Networks Inc.)
• Inventors: Williams, Matthew Robert, Vemulapali, Mohan Krishna
• Granted Patent: US 8,717,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/18 End to end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2466 using signalling traffic
• 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 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0273 adapting protocols for flow control or congestion control to wireless environment, e.g. adapting transmission control protocol [TCP] wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation, e.g. wireless application protocol H04W80/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16

Abstract

A system located on either side of a wireless network for reducing the amount of collisions in the wireless network comprises a TCP server in communication with a TCP client using TCP protocols that use client acknowledgements, and an acknowledgement-summarizing device adapted to summarize at least one client acknowledgement from the TCP protocols in a summarizing acknowledgement, and to transmit the summarizing acknowledgement into the wireless network. The acknowledgement-summarizing device may be replaced or combined with an acknowledgement-aggregating device located on either side of the wireless network and adapted to aggregate one or more client acknowledgements from the TCP protocols into an encoded packet and to transmit the encoded packet into the wireless network. A device located between the TCP server and the TCP client is adapted to derive one or more client acknowledgements from a single acknowledgement flowing between the TCP server and the TCP client, and to transmit all the derived client acknowledgements into the network.

Claims

1. A system located on either side of a network for reducing the bandwidth usage of said network, said system comprising:

a TCP server in communication with a TCP client using TCP protocols that use client acknowledgements, and

an acknowledgement-summarizing device adapted to summarize at least one client acknowledgement from the TCP protocols in a summarizing acknowledgement, and to transmit said summarizing acknowledgement into said network. The system of claim 1 in which said acknowledgement-summarizing device is adapted to limit the number of client acknowledgements allowed to be summarized into a summarizing acknowledgement.

3. The system of claim 1 in which said network is a half-duplex network and said summarizing of acknowledgements reduces the number of collisions in said half-duplex network.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said half-duplex network is a power line network.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein said half-duplex network is a wireless network.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said acknowledgement-summarizing device is adapted to summarize a plurality of client acknowledgements from the TCP protocol.

7. The system of claim 1 in which said acknowledgement-summarizing device is adapted to wait a specified amount of time for client acknowledgements before generating the summarizing acknowledgement.

10. The system of claim 7 in which said acknowledgement-summarizing device is adapted to allow said specified amount of time to be adjusted based upon the wireless network type or performance.

11. The system of claim 1 in which each client acknowledgement includes an IP header, and said acknowledgement-summarizing device is adapted to set the TOS/DSCP in the IP header of an acknowledgement to influence how the summarizing acknowledgment is carried over a Wi-Fi network using IEEE 801.11e.

20. The device of claim 7 in which said acknowledgement-aggregating device is adapted to aggregate TCP acknowledgements traveling over a wireless network from multiple TCP servers and TCP clients.

8. The system of claim 2 in which said acknowledgement-summarizing device is adapted to wait a specified amount of time for client acknowledgements before generating the summarizing acknowledgement.

9. The system of claim 2 in which said acknowledgement-summarizing device is adapted to allow said limit to be adjusted based upon the wireless network type or performance.

12. A system for reducing the amount of collisions in a network, said system comprising:

a TCP server in communication with a TCP client using TCP protocols that include client acknowledgements; and

an acknowledgement-aggregating device located on either side of the wireless network and adapted to aggregate one or more client acknowledgements from the TCP protocols into an encoded packet and to transmit said encoded packet into the wireless network.

13. The system of claim 12 in which said acknowledgement-aggregating device is adapted to limit the number of client acknowledgements allowed to be aggregated into the encoded packet.

14. The system of claim 12 in which said acknowledgement-aggregating device is adapted to wait a specified amount of time for client acknowledgements before generating the encoded packet.

15. The system of claim 13 in which said acknowledgement-aggregating device is adapted to wait a specified amount of time for client acknowledgements before generating the encoded packet.

16. The system of claim 12 in which said acknowledgement-aggregating device is adapted to ensure that the MTU of the encoded packet does not exceed the capability of the lower layer transport technology.

17. The system of claim 13 in which said acknowledgement-aggregating device is adapted to allow said limit to be adjusted based upon the network type, network performance or signaling.

18. The system of claim 14 in which said acknowledgement-aggregating device is adapted to allow said specified amount of time to be adjusted based upon the network type, network performance or signaling.

19. The system of claim 12 in which each client acknowledgement includes and IP header, and said acknowledgement-aggregating device is adapted to set the TOS/DSCP in the IP header of an acknowledgement to influence how the encoded packet is carried over a Wi-Fi network using IEEE 801.11e.

21. A system for increasing the rate at which a TCP congestion window opens in a network, said system comprising:

a TCP server in communication with a TCP client using TCP protocols that use client acknowledgements, and

a device located between the TCP server and the TCP client and adapted to derive one or more client acknowledgements from a single acknowledgement flowing between the TCP server and the TCP client, and to transmit all the derived client acknowledgements into the network.

22. The system of claim 21 in which said device defines a duty cycle for enabling and disabling the derivation of client acknowledgements.

23. The system of claim 21 in which said device limits the number of client acknowledgements that can be derived.

24. The system of claim 21 in which said device ensures a minimum segment size for each client acknowledgement derived.

25. The system of claim 21 in which said device is enabled to operate in a wireless network to optimize wireless LAN performance while also increasing the rate at which the TCP congestion window is opened.

26. The system of claim 23 in which said device is adapted to allow said limit to be adjusted based upon the network type, network performance or signaling.

27. The system of claim 21 in which each client acknowledgement includes an IP header, and said device is adapted to set the TOS/DSCP in the IP header of an acknowledgement to influence how the summarizing acknowledgment is carried over a Wi-Fi network using IEEE 801.11e.

28. A method of reducing the bandwidth usage of a network, said method comprising:

intercepting traffic between a TCP server and a TCP client using TCP protocols that use client acknowledgements;

identifying client acknowledgements from the TCP protocols;

summarizing at least one TCP acknowledgement into a summarizing acknowledgement; and

transmitting said summarizing acknowledgement into said network.

29. The method of claim 28 which includes limiting the number of client acknowledgements allowed to be summarized into a summarizing acknowledgement.

30. The method of claim 28 which includes waiting a specified amount of time for client acknowledgements before generating the summarizing acknowledgement.

31. A method of reducing the bandwidth usage of a network, said method comprising:

intercepting traffic between a TCP server in communication with a TCP client,

identifying acknowledgements from the TCP protocols,

aggregating one or more acknowledgements from the TCP protocols into an encoded packet, and

transmitting said encoded packet into the network.

32. The method of claim 31 which includes limiting the number of TCP acknowledgements allowed to be aggregated into the encoded packet.

33. The method of claim 31 which includes waiting a specified amount of time for TCP acknowledgements before generating the encoded packet.

34. The method of claim 31 which includes aggregating TCP acknowledgements from multiple TCP servers and TCP clients traveling over said network.

35. A method for increasing the rate at which a TCP congestion window opens in a network, said method comprising:

intercepting traffic between a TCP server in communication with a TCP client using TCP protocols that use client acknowledgements,

identifying client acknowledgements from the TCP protocols,

deriving one or more client acknowledgements from the TCP protocols from a single acknowledgement flowing between the IP server and the IP client, and

transmitting all the derived client acknowledgements into the network.

36. The method of claim 35 which includes defining a duty cycle for enabling and disabling the derivation of client acknowledgements.

37. The method of claim 35 which includes limiting the number of client acknowledgements that can be derived.

38. The method of claim 35 which includes ensuring a minimum segment size for each derived client acknowledgement derived.

39. The method of claim 35 which includes enabling operation in a wireless network to optimize wireless LAN performance while also increasing the rate in which the TCP congestion window is opened.