Local Area Network Bandwidth Conservation via Adaptive Time to Live
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Solution Overview
Problem
In local area networks, looping message packets can significantly degrade network performance by consuming bandwidth, as the traditional 'time to live' values used are often too high, allowing packets to linger in loops for extended periods.
Innovation Solution
A device generates message packets with an initial 'time to live' value set as a function of the maximum path length within the local area network, and a firewall adjusts this value for packets entering or leaving the network, reducing the time packets remain in loops and thus conserving bandwidth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If traditional high 'time to live' values are used in message packets, then message packets can traverse longer paths in the network, but looping message packets remain in the network for extended periods consuming bandwidth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the time-to-live parameter value based on the network type. For LAN packets, it uses a lower initial TTL value (e.g., 10-30 seconds) compared to WAN packets (e.g., 60-120 seconds). This parameter adjustment ensures that looping packets in LANs are discarded after a reasonable time, preventing indefinite bandwidth consumption while still allowing sufficient traversal time for legitimate packets.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality settings for different network environments. It recognizes that LANs have different characteristics than WANs and applies locally optimized TTL values. The system adjusts the time-to-live parameter according to the specific network context (LAN vs. WAN), ensuring optimal performance for each environment rather than using a uniform approach.
2Loss of energy
If low 'time to live' values are used to quickly discard looping packets, then bandwidth is conserved, but legitimate message packets may be discarded before reaching their destination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adjusts the time-to-live parameter based on network type to balance bandwidth conservation and reliable delivery. For LANs, it uses lower TTL values (10-30 seconds) to quickly discard loops, while for WANs it uses higher values (60-120 seconds) to ensure reliable delivery across longer paths. This contextual parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction by adapting to network-specific requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the time-to-live value based on the network environment and packet characteristics. Rather than using a static TTL value, the system adapts the parameter to match the specific network conditions, ensuring that legitimate packets have sufficient time to reach their destination while looping packets are eventually discarded.
3Device complexity
If uniform 'time to live' values are used for all message packets, then implementation is simple, but looping packets in LANs consume excessive bandwidth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by applying different TTL management strategies for different network types. Instead of a uniform approach, it recognizes that LANs require different handling than WANs and applies locally optimized values. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining simplicity through context-based differentiation rather than complex universal logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the time-to-live parameter based on the network environment detected for each packet. By adjusting this key parameter according to whether the packet is traversing a LAN or WAN, the system effectively prevents bandwidth waste in LANs without requiring complex management mechanisms, achieving both simplicity and effectiveness.
4Length of moving object
If high 'time to live' values are used to ensure packet delivery, then message packets can reach distant destinations, but network bandwidth is depleted by looping packets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adjusts the time-to-live parameter to match the expected path length in different network types. For LANs with shorter paths, it uses lower TTL values (10-30 seconds), while for WANs with longer paths, it uses higher values (60-120 seconds). This parameter adaptation ensures that packets have sufficient time to traverse their intended path without allowing excessive time for looping packets to consume bandwidth.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies locally optimized quality settings for different network environments. It recognizes that path length requirements differ between LANs and WANs and applies appropriate TTL values accordingly. This local adaptation resolves the contradiction by matching the time-to-live parameter to the actual network characteristics rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.
Data Source
AI summary
A local area network includes a plurality of devices and a firewall for interfacing the LAN to a wide area network. In the LAN, each device generates a message packets for transmission over the network in which a time to live field contains an initial value that is preferably selected to be a function of the maximum path length for transfer of message packets within the local area network. Similarly, the firewall, when it receives message packets from the WAN for transmission to a device on the LAN provides in the time to live field an initial value that is preferably selected to be a function of the maximum path length for transfer of message packets within the local area network. When the firewall received a message packet from the LAN for transmission over the WAN, it provides a default initial value that is selected for use for message packets transmitted over the WAN in the time to live field, which typically will be significantly higher than the initial value that is used in the local area network. Since the initial time to live value used in the local area network is preferably selected to be a function of the maximum path length for transfer of message packets within the local area network, it can be much lower than the value that is typically used. This can reduce the bandwidth taken up by message packets that are in a loop in the local area network, which, in turn, can allow for increased bandwidth available for message packets that are being transferred through a portion of the loop but which are not themselves looping through the entire loop.