Masked packet checksums for more efficient digital communication

A method of generating a packet, for transmitting digital data across a network, where only a portion of a payload of the packet is protected against transmission errors, the method comprising:

• generating, at a transmitting computing device, a first bitmask indicating that a first contiguous range of data of one or more packets associated with the first bitmask is to be included in the generation of a packet error detection code and that a second contiguous range of data of the one or more packets associated with the first bitmask is to be excluded from the generation of the packet error detection code, the second contiguous range of data being closer to a beginning of the one or more packets associated with the first bitmask than the first contiguous range, wherein each packet of the one or more packets associated with the first bitmask has only a single corresponding packet error detection code generated in accordance with the first bitmask;
• generating, at the transmitting computing device, for a first packet, a first packet error detection code based on data of the first packet that is within the first contiguous range of data, to the exclusion of data of the first packet that is within the second contiguous range of data, the first packet being one of the packets associated with the first bitmask;
• and
• transmitting, from the transmitting computing device, the first bitmask, the first packet and the first packet error detection code across the network.

A method of receiving a packet, transporting digital data across a network, where only a portion of a payload of the packet is checked for transmission errors, the method comprising:

• receiving, at a receiving computing device, a first bitmask, a first packet and a first packet error detection code, the first packet error detection code being an only error detection code received for the first packet, the first packet being associated with the first bitmask, the first bitmask indicating that a first contiguous range of data of the first packet was included in the generation of the first packet error detection code and that a second contiguous range of data of the first packet was excluded from the generation of the first packet error detection code, the second contiguous range of data being closer to a beginning of the first packet than the first contiguous range;
• generating, at the receiving computing device, another instance of the first packet error detection code based on data of the received first packet that is within the first contiguous range of data, to the exclusion of data of the received first packet that is within the second contiguous range of data;
• and
• discarding, from the receiving computing device, the received first packet if the generated instance of the first packet error detection code differs from the received first packet error detection code;
• wherein the received first packet is retained as correctly received even though there are differences between the first packet as transmitted and the first packet as received, if the differences are within the second contiguous range of data.