Segmentation protocol that supports compressed segmentation headers
AssigneeTelefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
InventorLARS WESTBERG
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Abstract
The per-node delay for transfer of a datagram that is segmented into datagram segments is reduced by a header compression based segmentation and link layer switching. For each datagram segment, the segmentation header includes a unique segmentation context identifier (CID). Based on the segmentation CID, the datagram segments are forwarded between intervening nodes of source and destination, without being reassembled at each node. The segmented data gram is reassembled at the destination node based on sequence numbers assigned to the datagram segments during segmentation.
Claims12
A method for communicating a datagram through intervening nodes between a source node and a destination node having a destination address comprising:
- forwarding a datagram through the intervening nodes, based on CID values inserted at a header of the datagram as the datagram is forwarded through the intervening nodes, wherein an inserted CID value at an intervening node correlates the destination address with a corresponding output port address of the intervening node, until the datagram is received at the destination node.
In a data communications system where a data packet is segmented to into a plurality of datagram segments such that each datagram segment has a corresponding segmentation header, a method for communicating the datagram segments between at least two nodes using a link layer protocol comprising:
- receiving a datagram segment;
- determining whether a header of the received datagram has a compressed header or a full header;
- analyzing an IP address received with the full header to identify a corresponding output port number and indexing the identified output port number with a segmentation CID value received with the full header;
- analyzing an incoming segmentation CID value received with a compressed header to determine a corresponding output port number and replacing the incoming CID value by an outgoing CID value that corresponds to the determined output port number;
- and
- forwarding the datagram segment on an output port that corresponds to the determined output port number.
In a data communications system where a datagram having headers and an associated data portion is communicated between at least two nodes using a link layer protocol, a method comprising:
- segmenting the datagram into a plurality of datagram segments such that each datagram segment has a corresponding header and data portion;
- inserting a unique segmentation context identification (CID) value in the segmentation header;
- forwarding the datagram segments with the unique CID value from one node to another using the link layer protocol without reassembling the datagram segments at an intervening nodes between source and destination nodes;
- and
- reassembling the datagram segments at the destination node based on a segmentation sequence number.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.