Method and device for controlling data connections in a data network having a plurality of data network nodes

Abstract

A method and a device for controlling data connections in a data network including a plurality of data network nodes. The quality of a first data connection is evaluated on the basis of the adaptations of at least one coding used for the first data connection, and a second data connection is established according to the evaluation and used as a replacement for the first data connection.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 559,071, issuing as U.S. Pat. No. 7,580,421, which was the national stage of PCT / DE2004 / 001037 filed on May 17, 2004, which claimed priority to German Patent Application No. DE 10324470.0 filed on May 30, 2003, each of which is expressly incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a method for controlling data connections in a data network having a plurality of data network nodes.BACKGROUND INFORMATION[0003]In data networks having a plurality of data network nodes, a data connection takes place from a source to a destination via a route, link, or path, in the data network which includes a certain number of data network nodes. In an end-to-end connection in such a data network, therefore, data packets run from the source to the destination via a plurality of data network nodes. These dat...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]Embodiments of the present invention may provide a method and a device for controlling data connections in a data network having a plurality of data network nodes, which are able to ensure an end-to-end data connection that is as free of interruptions as possible.

[0012]Embodiments of the present invention may detect the breakdown of a data connection, or a threatening interruption in the data connection, in timely fashion, and ensure that an alternative data connection is searched for and found. In some embodiments of the present invention, at the moment of a disconnection of the first data connection, or even earlier, it may be possible to change to a second data connection without any delay. This leads to a reduction of the control signals in the data network, especially of connection search messages which, up to now, were sent out by a source after the disconnection of a data connection for the purpose of finding a new data connection. In addition, packet losses are minimized or considerably reduced, if not really completely eliminated. Finally, data or data packets are also prevented from having to be transmitted again in response to a disconnection of the data connection.

[0017]In embodiments of the present invention, the message is sent with a different coding than the coding(s) used in the first data connection. Because of this, only those data network nodes which are able to receive and decode the differently encoded messages, are able to process the message. For example, data network nodes are not able to process the message if they are outside the reception range of the coding used. This procedure can effectively prevent data network nodes of the first data connection from becoming a part of the second data network connection.

[0018]In embodiments of the present invention, the new coding may be a higher coding than the coding(s) used in the first data connection, which means the message is not able to be transmitted over connections between data network nodes that have a bad transmission quality. This avoids routes that are not considered stable.

Problems solved by technology

In addition, the network capacity required for the “flooding” is not available to other network connections.

Moreover, upon breaking a data connection, no data transport is possible any longer between source and destination.

Data packets which were already sent from the source to the destination, but which could not pass the breaking point in time, are lost.

Thus, such data packets must be sent again by the source to the destination, resulting in an increase in packet delay as well as a waste of capacity in packet-oriented data networks.

In transport protocols, such as TCP (transport control protocol) used on the Internet, these great delays lower the throughput of a data connection, and therewith of the entire data network.

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