Database for efficient calculation of aggregated data units in wireless communication

An apparatus for communication in a wireless network, the apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform one or more operations comprising:

• aggregating a plurality of media access control (MAC) protocol data units (MPDUs), each having a respective length, to update a database comprising a plurality of entries, each entry comprising a first field indicating a pointer to a respective MPDU and a second field indicating a length of the respective MPDU, wherein the aggregating comprises, for each MDPU of the plurality of MPDUs:
• determining a length of the MPDU;
• and
• generating a respective entry in the database for the MPDU, wherein the first field of the respective entry contains a pointer to a descriptor of the MPDU and the second field of the respective entry contains the length of the MPDU;
• traversing the database to determine one or more MPDUs to be transmitted based on the first fields of the plurality of entries;
• determining a total aggregated MPDU length based on respective lengths of the one or more MPDUs to be transmitted;
• determining a frame containing the one or more MPDUs to be transmitted and at least a field indicating the total aggregated MPDU length;
• and
• transmitting the frame to over the air (OTA) medium.

A method for communicating packets in a wireless communication network, the method comprising, at a device, in response to a transmission opportunity:

• traversing a database associated with a receiver device, the receiver device associated with the transmission opportunity, wherein the database comprises a plurality of entries, each entry comprising a first field indicating a pointer to a respective media access control (MAC) protocol data unit (MPDU) and a second field indicating a length of the respective MPDU, wherein the traversing comprises:
• determining one or more MPDUs to be transmitted based on the first fields of the plurality of entries in the database;
• and
• determining a total aggregated MPDU length based on respective lengths of the one or more MPDUs to be transmitted;
• determining a frame containing the one or more MPDUs to be transmitted and at least a field indicating the total aggregated MPDU length;
• and
• transmitting the frame to over the air (OTA) medium.

A method for managing data packets in a wireless communication network, the method comprising, at a device:

• receiving a plurality of media access control (MAC) service data units (MSDUs) for transmission, wherein each MSDU of the plurality of MSDUs is stored in a respective memory location and represented by a respective MSDU descriptor;
• aggregating the plurality of MSDUs to determine a plurality of MAC protocol data units (MPDUs) each comprising one or more MSDUs from the plurality of MSDUs;
• and
• updating a plurality of entries of a database each entry comprising a first field containing a pointer to a respective MPDU of the plurality of MPDUs, the pointer indicating a memory location of the MSDU descriptor of a first MSDU in the respective MPDU, wherein the MSDU descriptor of each of the plurality of MSDUs has a next field containing the memory location of the MSDU descriptor of a succeeding MSDU in the plurality of MSDUs;
• whereby the plurality of MPDUs are accessible by traversing the database in a manner in which, for each MPDU of the plurality of MPDUs:
• the first MSDU in the MPDU is accessible by the first field of a corresponding entry to the MPDU in the database;
• and
• if the MPDU has more than one MSDU, remaining MSDUs in the MPDU are accessible by the next fields in the MSDU descriptors of the one or more MSDUs in the MPDU.