Adaptive wait in data communications

A device operable in a communications network and having circuitry configured to perform a method for controlling retry of unicast data packet transmission from a transmitter node to a receiver node, the method comprising:

• selecting said receiver node from a set of receiver nodes having different processing delays;
• transmitting a first unicast data packet to said receiver node;
• determining, at said transmitter node, whether or not wait data of said receiver node is present in a neighbor table;
• responsive to a determination that said wait data of said receiver node is present in said neighbor table, setting an expected acknowledgement wait duration based at least in part on said wait data;
• responsive to a determination that said wait data of said receiver node is not present in said neighbor table, setting said expected acknowledgement wait duration based at least in part on system and network characteristics;
• receiving, at said transmitter node, an acknowledgement packet from said receiver node after an actual acknowledgement wait duration;
• responsive to the actual acknowledgement wait duration being less than said expected acknowledgement wait duration, setting said expected acknowledgement wait duration to a new expected acknowledgement wait duration comprising at least said actual acknowledgement wait duration;
• storing said new expected acknowledgement wait duration in said neighbor table;
• transmitting a second unicast data packet to said receiver node;
• setting a retry count threshold;
• responsive to no receipt of an acknowledgement of said second packet within said new expected acknowledgement wait duration, retrying transmitting the second unicast data packet without having received the acknowledgement;
• and
• responsive to a crossing of said retry count threshold, resetting said new expected acknowledgement wait duration to said expected acknowledgement wait duration.

A non-transitory computer readable medium containing a computer program product, said computer program product being executed in a processor of a computer system configured to perform a method for controlling retry of unicast data packet transmission from a transmitter node to a receiver node, comprising:

• selecting said receiver node from a set of receiver nodes having different processing delays;
• transmitting a first unicast data packet to said receiver node;
• determining, at said transmitter node, whether or not wait data of said receiver node is present in a neighbor table;
• responsive to a determination that said wait data of said receiver node is present in said neighbor table, setting an expected acknowledgement wait duration based at least in part on said wait data;
• responsive to a determination that said wait data of said receiver node is not present in said neighbor table, setting said expected acknowledgement wait duration based at least in part on system and network characteristics;
• receiving, at said transmitter node, an acknowledgement packet from said receiver node after an actual acknowledgement wait duration;
• responsive to the actual acknowledgement wait duration being less than said expected acknowledgement wait duration, setting said expected acknowledgement wait duration to a new expected acknowledgement wait duration comprising at least said actual acknowledgement wait duration;
• storing said new expected acknowledgement wait duration in said neighbor table;
• transmitting a second unicast data packet to said receiver node;
• setting a retry count threshold;
• responsive to no receipt of an acknowledgement of the second packet within said new expected acknowledgement wait duration, retrying transmitting the second unicast data packet without having received the acknowledgement;
• and
• responsive to a crossing of said retry count threshold, resetting said new expected acknowledgement wait duration to said expected acknowledgement wait duration.