US 7,072,973 B1 · Data transmission using common sliding window

Abstract

A networking protocol that supports the sending of reliable and non-reliable data in a common sliding window. Data to be transmitted according to the protocol is packaged into packets, where each packet has a header. Each packet carries a sequence number in the header, where the sequence numbers are successively assigned to each outgoing packet. As the packets are received, the recipient of the packets keeps track of the sequence numbers of received packets to determine whether any packets are missing and selectively acknowledges those packets that have been received. The selective acknowledgment is performed using a mask, where each bit in the mask indicates the presence or absence of a packet as an offset from a reference value. Based on the mask, the sender re-sends non-received reliable packets, and creates a second mask which indicates non-reliable non-received packets that will not be re-sent.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A method of sending first and second data from a first computing device to a second computing device remote from the first computing device, the first computing device and second computing device being communicatively connected by a network, the method comprising:

at said first computing device, creating a first packet which includes the first data and a first flag which indicates that said first packet is to be sent reliably;
at said first computing device, creating a second packet which includes the second data and a second flag which indicates that said second packet is to be sent non-reliably;
sending said first packet from the first computing device to the second computing device using the network;
determining that a first number of packets that have been sent from the first computing device to the second computing device and for which acknowledgement has not been received by the first computing device does not exceed a second number;
and
sending said second packet from the first computing device to the second computing device using the network.

3 more elements

A device for communicating data in a computer network which connects the device to one or more remote devices, the device comprising:

a processor which executes computer-executable instructions;
a memory communicatively coupled to said processor, said memory storing:
first logic executable on said processor which receives (a) first data, (b) an indication of whether said first data is to be transmitted reliably or non-reliably, and (c) an identifier of a first one of the remote devices to which said first data is to be sent;
a sequence counter;
second logic executable on said processor which creates a package including (a) said first data, (b) second data indicative of said indication, and (c) a current value of said sequence counter, and which increments said sequence counter upon creation of said package;
a network interface which communicates said package to said first one of the remote devices over the computer network and which receives from said first one of the remote devices a selective acknowledgment indicative of whether said package has been received by said first one of the remote devices, said network interface being communicatively coupled to said memory and to the computer network;
said memory further storing:
third logic executable on said processor which creates a response that includes either (a) said first data, or (b) a message that said first data will not be re-sent, according to whether indication indicates reliable or non-reliable transmission of said first data.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Data transmission using common sliding window

Life of this patent

Data transmission using common sliding window

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22