Encapsulation Intermediary for Selective Packet Sequencing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional networking approaches often underutilize available bandwidth in high-volume data transfers due to imbalanced network traffic, leading to suboptimal application performance and reduced return on investment in high-bandwidth interconnect infrastructure.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an encapsulation technique that adds specially constructed header field values to packets to distribute network traffic across multiple physical paths, using a virtualization layer to manage and balance traffic across a service provider network, ensuring that packets are delivered in order while allowing for buffering and retransmission as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional networking approaches are used, then network traffic is transmitted through available paths, but bandwidth utilization is underutilized and network performance is suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an encapsulation intermediary that adds header fields to packets to enable path distribution across multiple physical paths. This intermediary mechanism allows the network to utilize available bandwidth more effectively without requiring complex changes to the underlying network infrastructure or existing protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies packet structure by adding encapsulation headers with specific field values that encode path selection information. This parameter change enables the network to distribute traffic across multiple paths while maintaining compatibility with existing network protocols and infrastructure.
2Productivity
If packets are distributed across multiple physical paths, then bandwidth utilization increases, but packet delivery order may be disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary sequencing actions by adding sequence number fields to encapsulated packets before transmission. This allows the receiving end to reorder packets correctly even when they arrive out of sequence from different paths, ensuring reliable data reconstruction without sacrificing the benefits of multi-path transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms through acknowledgment packets that track sequence numbers and verify successful delivery. This feedback loop ensures that packets are delivered in the correct order and allows for retransmission of any lost or out-of-order packets, maintaining reliability while utilizing multiple paths.
3Reliability
If sequencing is enabled for all network traffic, then packet delivery order is maintained, but latency increases in latency-sensitive applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies sequencing selectively rather than universally - enabling it only for specific applications or traffic types that require ordered delivery. This local quality approach allows latency-sensitive applications to bypass sequencing overhead while other applications benefit from guaranteed packet order, optimizing performance for each use case.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic sequencing control where the sequencing mechanism can be enabled or disabled based on application requirements, traffic conditions, and performance needs. This dynamic approach allows the system to adapt to different scenarios, providing sequencing only when necessary to maintain packet order without unnecessarily increasing latency.
Data Source
AI summary
Encapsulated packets including sequencing information may be generated for packets to be transmitted between a source instance and destination instance. The source instance and destination instance may be implemented by different physical hosts linked by multiple network paths. Each encapsulated packet comprises contents of a corresponding packet, and one or more data values selected in accordance with whether sequencing is enable. Sequencing for network transmissions may be selective based at least in part one or more attributes of the source instance or destination instance.