Optimizing packet/frame forwarding or routing in a wireless backhaul transport system

A system for enabling communication between nodes, the system comprising:

• a first wireless communication module configured to
• utilize beamforming to communicate with other wireless communication modules;
• and
• a second wireless communication module configured to
• utilize beamforming to communicate with the first wireless communication module;
• wherein the first wireless communication module is further configured to:
• receive, at a physical layer, a frame to be transmitted;
• determine that a destination address for the frame is not equal to a receiving address for the frame;
• identify a beam identifier associated with the destination address;
• modify a header of the frame by replacing a transmitter address with a MAC address associated with the first wireless communication module;
• re-compute a header check sequence;
• and
• transmit the frame with modified header via a communication link established based on the beam identifier.

A system for enabling communication between nodes, the system comprising:

• a first wireless communication module configured to
• utilize beamforming to communicate with other wireless communication modules;
• and
• a second wireless communication module configured to
• utilize beamforming to communicate with the first wireless communication module;
• wherein the first wireless communication module is further configured to:
• receive, at a physical layer via a beamformed wireless link associated with a receiving beam identifier, a frame to be transmitted;
• identify a receiving address associated with a node associated with the receiving beam identifier;
• transmit an acknowledgment of the frame to the receiving address;
• identify a destination address associated with the frame;
• determine that the destination address for the frame does not correspond to the first wireless communication module;
• identify a beam identifier associated with the destination address, wherein the beam identifier identifies a particular beam;
• transmit the frame via a communication link established based on the beam identifier associated with the destination address;
• determine whether a source address associated with the frame is associated with a beam identifier in a forwarding table;
• and
• when the source address is not associated with a beam identifier in the forwarding table, add the receiving beam identifier to the forwarding table in association with the source address.

A method for forwarding a frame from a first wireless communication module to a second wireless communication module, wherein the first and the second wireless communication modules utilize beamforming, the method performed by the first wireless communication module, the method comprising:

• receiving a frame to be transmitted;
• determining that a destination address for the frame is not equal to a receiving address for the frame;
• looking up a next hop receiving address for the frame in a table associated with forwarding frames;
• modifying a header of the frame to include the next hop receiving address in a receiving address field and an identifier associated with the first wireless communication module in a transmitter address field;
• identifying a beam vector associated with the next hop receiving address;
• and
• transmitting the frame according to the beam vector associated with the next hop receiving address.

A method for forwarding a frame from a first wireless communication module to a second wireless communication module, wherein the first and the second wireless communication modules utilize beamforming, the method performed by the first wireless communication module, the method comprising:

• receiving, at a physical layer, a frame to be transmitted;
• determining that a destination address for the frame is not equal to a receiving address for the frame;
• identifying a beam identifier associated with the destination address;
• modifying a header of the frame by replacing a transmitter address with a MAC address associated with the first wireless communication module;
• re-computing a header check sequence;
• and
• transmitting the frame with modified header via a communication link established based on the beam identifier.

A method for forwarding a frame from a first wireless communication module to a second wireless communication module, wherein the first and the second wireless communication modules utilize beamforming, the method performed by the first wireless communication module, the method comprising:

• receiving, at a physical layer via a beamformed wireless link associated with a receiving beam identifier, a frame to be transmitted;
• identifying a receiving address associated with a node associated with the receiving beam identifier;
• transmitting an acknowledgment of the frame to the receiving address;
• identifying a destination address associated with the frame;
• determining that the destination address for the frame does not correspond to the first wireless communication module;
• identifying a beam identifier associated with the destination address, wherein the beam identifier identifies a particular beam;
• transmitting the frame via a communication link established based on the beam identifier associated with the destination address;
• and
• wherein identifying the receiving address comprises identifying the receiving address in a scheduling table based at least in part on a time that the frame was received.

A method for forwarding a frame from a first wireless communication module to a second wireless communication module, wherein the first and the second wireless communication modules utilize beamforming, the method performed by a first wireless communication module, the method comprising:

• receiving, at a physical layer via a beamformed wireless link associated with a receiving beam identifier, a frame to be transmitted;
• identifying a receiving address associated with a node associated with the receiving beam identifier;
• transmitting an acknowledgment of the frame to the receiving address;
• identifying a destination address associated with the frame;
• determining that the destination address for the frame does not correspond to the first wireless communication module;
• identifying a beam identifier associated with the destination address, wherein the beam identifier identifies a particular beam;
• transmitting the frame via a communication link established based on the beam identifier associated with the destination address;
• determining whether a source address associated with the frame is associated with a beam identifier in a forwarding table;
• and
• when the source address is not associated with a beam identifier in the forwarding table, adding the receiving beam identifier to the forwarding table in association with the source address.