System and method for providing an adaptive streaming flow control mechanism between the TCP and IP layers of the TCP/IP suite of protocols

• US 6,880,017 B1
• Filed: 08/01/2000
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Denecheau, Lionel, Marce, Jean-Pierre, Thubert, Pascal, Esteve, Denis
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhong, Chad
• Application Number:
  US09/629,663
• Time in Patent Office: 1,715 Days
• Field of Search: 370/400, 370/338, 370/229, 709/249, 709/232, 345/765, 719/321
• US Class Current: 709/232
• 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 69/325 in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence

Abstract

In a data communication network operated under the TCP/IP suite of protocols the invention adds an adaptive streaming (AS) layer, inserted between the IP and the TCP protocol layers, in which the received data packets of each open TCP connection are temporarily queued and from where they are first reordered then, delivered to the TCP layer at a pace matching the optimal receiving rate of TCP connections. Thus, the invention adds a rate-based transmission mechanism to the TCP layer for the received data packets so as to better adapt to higher-speed communication lines and to reduce drastically the burstiness of the TCP flow control.

Claims

1. A method for receiving data packets, in a data communication network operated under a TCP/IP suite of protocols, comprising a TCP protocol layer and an IP protocol layer, wherein said each open TCP connection has an optimal receiving rate, said method comprising, for said each open TCP connection, the steps of:

receiving said data packets from said IP protocol layer;

temporarily storing said data packets in a queue dedicated to each said open TCP connection, wherein the queue is in an adaptive streaming (AS) protocol layer inserted between the IP protocol layer and the TCP protocol layers of said TCP/IP suite of protocols;

reordering said data packets in the queue; and

delivering from said AS protocol layer, to said TCP protocol layer, said data packets at said optimal receiving rate of said TCP connection.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said optimal receiving rate is a predefined known rate for said open TCP connection.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said optimal receiving rate is deduced from an observation of filling of said queue, further including the steps of:

increasing the delivery rate from said AS protocol layer, to said TCP protocol layer, when the filling of said queue goes below an upper threshold; and

decreasing said delivery rate from said AS protocol layer, to said TCP protocol layer, when the filling of said queue goes above a lower threshold.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein data packets are sent by a source, said optimal receiving rate being adjusted by the source from the observation of the filling of said queue in said AS layer, further comprising the steps of:

sending back, to the source of packets, an indication of having to decrease the rate at which data packets are sent when the filling of said queue exceeds said upper threshold; and

sending back, to the source of packets, an indication of having to increase the rate at which data packets are sent when the filling of said queue goes below said lower threshold.

5. A data communications network operated under a TC/IP suite of protocols comprising a TCP protocol layer and an IP protocol layer, wherein said each open TCP connection has an optimal receiving rate, said data communications network comprising, for said each open TCP connection:

means for receiving said data packets from said IP protocol layer;

means for temporarily storing said data packets in a queue dedicated to each said open TCP connection, wherein the queue is in an adaptive streaming (AS) protocol layer inserted between the IP protocol layer and the TCP protocol layers of said TCP/IP suite of protocols;

means for reordering said data packets in the queue; and

means for delivering from said AS protocol layer, to said TCP protocol layer, said data packets at said optimal receiving rate of said TCP connection.

6. The data communications network according to claim 5 wherein said optimal receiving rate is a predefined known rate for said open TCP connection.

7. The data communications network according to claim 5 wherein said optimal receiving rate is deduced from an observation of filling of said queue, further comprising:

means for increasing the delivery rate from said AS protocol layer, to said TCP protocol layer, when the filling of said queue goes below an upper threshold; and

means for decreasing said delivery rate from said AS protocol layer, to said TCP protocol layer, when the filling of said queue goes above a lower threshold.

8. The data communications network according to claim 5 wherein data packets are sent by a source, said optimal receiving rate being adjusted by the source from the observation of the filling of said queue in said AS layer, further, comprising:

means for sending back, to the source of packets, an indication of having to decrease the rate at which data packets are sent when the filling of said queue exceeds said upper threshold; and

means for sending back, to the source of packets, an indication of having to increase the rate at which data packets are sent when the filling of said queue goes below said lower threshold.

9. A computer program product for use with a data communications network operated under a TCP/IP suite of protocols, comprising a TCP protocol layer and an IP protocol layer, wherein said each open TCP connection has an optimal receiving rate, said computer program product comprising, for said each open TCP connection:

computer readable code means for receiving said data packets from said IP protocol layer;

computer readable code means for temporarily storing said data packets in a queue dedicated to each said open TCP connection, wherein the queue is in an adaptive streaming (AS) protocol layer inserted between the IP protocol layer and the TCP protocol layers of said TCP/IP suite of protocols;

computer readable code means for reordering said data packets in the queue; and

computer readable code means for delivering from said AS protocol layer, to said TCP protocol layer, said data packets at said optimal receiving rate of said TCP connection.

10. The computer program product according to claim 9 wherein said optimal receiving rate is a predefined known rate for said open TCP connection.

11. The computer program product according to claim 9 wherein said optimal receiving rate is deduced from an observation of filling of said queue, further comprising:

computer readable code means for increasing the delivery rate from said AS protocol layer, to said TCP protocol layer, when the filling of said queue goes below an upper threshold; and

computer readable code means for decreasing said delivery rate from said AS protocol layer, to said TCP protocol layer, when the filling of said queue goes above a lower threshold.

12. The computer program product according to claim 9 wherein data packets are sent by a source, said optimal receiving rate being adjusted by the source from the observation of the filling of said queue in said AS layer, further comprising:

computer readable code means for sending back, to the source of packets, an indication of having to decrease the rate at which data packets are sent when the filling of said queue exceeds said upper threshold; and

computer readable code means for sending back, to the source of packets, an indication of having to increase the rate at which data packets are sent when the filling of said queue goes below said lower threshold.