Method and apparatus for buffering data

• US 9,866,495 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2015
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Han, Guanglin, Cao, Mingrong, Zhu, Zhiming
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Chandrahas
• Application Number:
  US14/811,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20150334037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/17 Interaction among intermediate nodes, e.g. hop by hop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/22 Traffic shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6215 Individual queue per QOS, rate or priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for buffering data, which can perform highly reliable buffering processing on a received first data packet and further improve user experience. The method includes: receiving a first data packet; determining whether to perform accelerated transmission on data in the first data packet; and if it is determined not to perform accelerated transmission on the data in the first data packet, using a first manner to buffer the first data packet; and if it is determined to perform accelerated transmission on the data in the first data packet, using a second manner to buffer the first data packet, where a buffer duration in the second manner is greater than a buffer duration in the first manner. The present invention is applicable to the communications field.

Claims

1. An apparatus for buffering data, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a first data packet;

a processor configured to receive the first data packet from the receiver, and determine whether to perform accelerated transmission on data in the first data packet;

a memory configured to;

if it is determined not to perform accelerated transmission on the data in the first data packet, start a packet discard timer of a first time length for the first data packet, and buffer the first data packet; and

if it is determined to perform accelerated transmission on the data in the first data packet, start a packet discard timer of a second time length for the first data packet, and buffer the first data packet, wherein the second time length is greater than the first time length.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

detect whether the first data packet carries an acceleration indication; and

if the first data packet carries the acceleration indication, determine to perform accelerated transmission on the data in the first data packet;

or

if the first data packet does not carry the acceleration indication, determine not to perform accelerated transmission on the data in the first data packet.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the receiver is further configured to:

before the processor detects whether the first data packet carries the acceleration indication, receive a start data packet detection command, and send the start data packet detection command to the processor, wherein the start data packet detection command is used to instruct to detect whether a data packet carries the acceleration indication.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the receiver is further configured to:

after receiving the start data packet detection command, receive a stop data packet detection command, wherein the stop data packet detection command is used to instruct to stop detection on whether a data packet carries the acceleration indication.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the receiver is further configured to;

before receiving the first data packet, receive a start acceleration command, wherein the start acceleration command carries characteristic information of a data packet that needs acceleration; and

in the event of determining whether to perform accelerated transmission on data in the first data packet, the processor is configured to;

detect whether characteristic information of the first data packet matches with the characteristic information, carried in the start acceleration command, of the data packet that needs acceleration, and

if the characteristic information of the first data packet matches with the characteristic information, carried in the start acceleration command, of the data packet that needs acceleration, determine to perform accelerated transmission on the data in the first data packet, or

if the characteristic information of the first data packet does not match with the characteristic information, carried in the start acceleration command, of the data packet that needs acceleration, determine not to perform accelerated transmission on the data in the first data packet.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the receiver is further configured to:

after receiving the start acceleration command, receive a stop acceleration command, wherein the stop acceleration command carries characteristic information of a data packet for which acceleration needs to be stopped.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

a sender configured to;

if accelerated transmission of a data packet is supported, send in an interface establishment process a message indicating that accelerated transmission of a data packet is supported;

or

the receiver is configured to;

receive an acceleration capability query message, wherein the acceleration capability query message is used to query whether accelerated transmission of a data packet is supported, and the sender is configured to;

if accelerated transmission of a data packet is supported, send a message indicating that accelerated transmission of a data packet is supported.

8. A method for buffering data, the method comprising:

receiving a first data packet;

determining whether to perform accelerated transmission on data in the first data packet;

if it is determined not to perform accelerated transmission on the data in the first data packet, starting a packet discard timer of a first time length for the first data packet, and buffering the first data packet; and

if it is determined to perform accelerated transmission on the data in the first data packet, starting a packet discard timer of a second time length for the first data packet, and buffering the first data packet, wherein the second time length is greater than the first time length.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein before receiving the first data packet, the method further comprises:

receiving a start acceleration command, wherein the start acceleration command carries characteristic information of a data packet that needs acceleration; and

determining whether to perform accelerated transmission on data in the first data packet comprises;

detecting whether characteristic information of the first data packet matches with the characteristic information, carried in the start acceleration command, of the data packet that needs acceleration, and

if the characteristic information of the first data packet matches with the characteristic information, carried in the start acceleration command, of the data packet that needs acceleration, determining to perform accelerated transmission on the data in the first data packet, or

if the characteristic information of the first data packet does not match with the characteristic information, carried in the start acceleration command, of the data packet that needs acceleration, determining not to perform accelerated transmission on the data in the first data packet.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein after receiving the start acceleration command, the method further comprises:

receiving a stop acceleration command, wherein the stop acceleration command carries characteristic information of a data packet for which acceleration needs to be stopped.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein determining whether to perform accelerated transmission on data in the first data packet comprises:

detecting whether the first data packet carries an acceleration indication; and

if the first data packet carries the acceleration indication, determining to perform accelerated transmission on the data in the first data packet;

or

if the first data packet does not carry the acceleration indication, determining not to perform accelerated transmission on the data in the first data packet.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein before detecting whether the first data packet carries an acceleration indication, the method further comprises:

receiving a start data packet detection command, wherein the start data packet detection command is used to instruct to detect whether a data packet carries the acceleration indication.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein after receiving the start data packet detection command, the method further comprises:

receiving a stop data packet detection command, wherein the stop data packet detection command is used to instruct to stop detection on whether a data packet carries the acceleration indication.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

when accelerated transmission of a data packet is supported, sending in an interface establishment process a message indicating that accelerated transmission of a data packet is supported;

or

receiving an acceleration capability query message, wherein the acceleration capability query message is used to query whether accelerated transmission of a data packet is supported, and if accelerated transmission of a data packet is supported, sending a message indicating that accelerated transmission of a data packet is supported.