Packet reassembly method and apparatus
AssigneeMotorola, Inc.
InventorsRichard E. White, McGrath James D., Dale R. Buchholz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A packet switching system (100) employs packet reassembly hardware (214) in a packet switch (140) to improve overall system throughput during the handling of transmission packets (310) that require reassembly. In this manner, reassembly is accomplished with minimal processor (110) intervention and without having to duplicate the message data portion (312) of a transmission packet (310) into a different memory location prior to retransmission.
Claims13
A packet switching system for receiving and reassembling fragmented data packets as communicated via a radio frequency channel includes a microprocessor controller coupled to a data network for performing transmission control of data packets and a packet switch, coupled to the controller, for performing data packet switching, said packet switching system comprising:
- a radio receiver for receiving a packet communicated from a data packet source, said packet having a control data portion and a message data portion;
- the packet switch, coupled to the radio receiver, for determining whether the received packet is one of a plurality of associated packet fragments requiring reassembly, based upon the control data portion of the received packet;
- and
- a reassembly device, coupled to the packet switch, for combining the message data portions of said plurality of associated packet fragments into a data packet.
In a packet switching system including a microprocessor controller coupled to a data network for performing transmission control of data packets, and a packet switch coupled to the controller for performing packet switching, a method for performing reassembly of fragmented data packets as communicated over a radio frequency channel comprising the steps of:
- receiving a packet as communicated over a radio frequency channel from a packet source device, said received packet having a control data portion and a message data portion;
- determining whether the received packet is one of a plurality of packet fragments comprising a data packet requiring reassembly;
- informing the microprocessor upon receipt of a first packet fragment associated with any data packet requiring reassembly;
- determining when all of the plurality of packet fragments comprising the data packet requiring reassembly have been received;
- combining the message data portions of said plurality of packet fragments comprising the data packet requiring reassembly to recreate the data packet;
- and
- upon completion, informing the microprocessor that reassembly is complete.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.