Selectively enabling packet concatenation based on a transaction boundary

• US 8,559,313 B1
• Filed: 09/09/2011
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Mukerji, Arindum, Rothstein, Jesse Abraham
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Chirag
• Assistant Examiner(s): PERSAUD, AMARNAUTH G
• Application Number:
  US13/229,483
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/321 Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers

Abstract

A system, apparatus, and method are directed towards selectively combining data into a packet to modify a number of packets transmitted over a network based on a detection of a transaction boundary. If it is determined to concatenate the data, such concatenation may continue until an acknowledgement (ACK) is received, or a predetermined amount of data is concatenated in the packet, or a transaction boundary is detected. If at least one of these conditions is satisfied, concatenation may be inhibited, and the packet may be sent. Concatenation is then re-enabled. In one embodiment, Nagle'"'"'s algorithm is used for concatenating data into a packet. In one embodiment, an ACK may be sent based on a write completion indicator included within a packet. Receipt of the ACK may disable concatenation.

Claims

1. A network device, comprising:

memory to store data; and

one or more processors operative to perform actions, comprising;

receiving a packet of data that is a concatenation of data from at least a first packet of data and a second packet of data, the concatenation being based at least on a detection of an application layer transaction boundary;

selectively delaying sending an acknowledgement (ACK) in response to the received packet;

in response to receiving a short packet of data that is less than a determined amount of data to be concatenated, sending a delayed ACK that re-enables concatenation so that a subsequently received packet of data is to include concatenated data;

in response to receiving a write completion indicator, sending an undelayed ACK; and

in response to sending the undelayed ACK, receiving an other short packet.

2. The network device of claim 1, wherein the actions, further comprising:

receiving an other packet that is absent concatenation of data, the concatenation being inhibited based on a detection of a transaction boundary.

3. The network device of claim 1, wherein the detection of the application layer transaction boundary that is determined based on at least one of an indicator of an end of a transaction or a beginning of a transaction.

4. The network device of claim 1, wherein selectively delaying sending of an ACK further comprises delaying sending of the delayed ACK until an other packet of concatenated data is received, or until a timeout event is detected.

5. The network device of claim 1, wherein the receiving the write completion indicator further comprises receiving the write completion indicator within a selectively concatenated packet of data.

6. The network device of claim 1, wherein the write completion indicator indicates at least one of an end of a write operation, an end of a transaction, or a closing of an application.

7. A processor based method, comprising:

receiving a packet having data that is a concatenation of data from at least a first packet of data and a second packet of data, the concatenation being based at least on a detection of an application layer transaction boundary;

selectively delaying sending an acknowledgement (ACK) in response to the received packet;

in response to receiving a short packet of data that is less than a determined amount of data to be concatenated, sending a delayed acknowledgement (ACK) that re-enables concatenation so that a subsequently received packet of data includes concatenated data;

in response to receiving a write completion indicator, sending an undelayed ACK; and

in response to sending the undelayed ACK, receiving an other short packet.

8. The processor based method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving an other packet that is a concatenation of data, after receiving un-concatenated packet data, the re-enabling of concatenation being based on a timeout event or detection of an other transaction boundary.

9. The processor based method of claim 7, wherein selectively delaying sending of an ACK further comprises delaying sending of the delayed ACK until an other packet of concatenated data is received, or until a timeout event is detected.

10. The processor based method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving an other packet that is absent concatenation of data, the concatenation being inhibited based on a detection of a transaction boundary.

11. The processor based method of claim 7, wherein the detection of the application layer transaction boundary comprises at least one of an indicator of an end of a transaction or a beginning of a transaction.

12. A system, comprising:

a processor based sender that performs actions, including;

selectively concatenating data of a first packet of data with a subsequent second packet of data based, in part, on a detection of an application layer transaction boundary; and

a processor based receiver that performs actions, including;

receiving the packet of concatenated data;

selectively delaying sending an acknowledgement (ACK) in response to the received packet;

in response to receiving a short packet of data that is less than a determined amount of data to be concatenated, sending a delayed ACK that re-enables concatenation so that a subsequently received packet of data includes concatenated data;

in response to receiving a write completion indicator, sending an undelayed ACK; and

in response to sending the undelayed ACK, receiving an other short packet.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the detection of the application layer transaction boundary comprises at least one of an indicator of an end of a transaction or a beginning of a transaction.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor based sender performs further actions, including:

when an end of a transaction is detected, transmitting data in an other packet without concatenating data from a plurality of packets.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein detection of the application layer transaction boundary is based on at least one of a count of data packets, an end of file indicator, or receiving an indicator of a presence of the transaction boundary from an other processor.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein detecting the transaction boundary further comprises:

receiving a length of a transaction within a protocol header of a packet; and

when a length of a plurality of received packets by the sender equals the length of the transaction, detecting the transaction boundary.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein detecting the transaction boundary further comprises receiving an indicator of an end of a transaction from an application.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein selectively concatenating data continues until an ACK is received or a predetermined amount of data is concatenated, or the transaction boundary is detected.