Packet Acceleration via Tunnel Header Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network tunneling protocols are unable to distinguish between packets for acceleration and perform traffic shaping, leading to inefficiencies in satellite network communication.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for implementing packet acceleration through a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel, which establishes a tunnel between network endpoints, removes and stores tunnel headers, performs acceleration, and replaces headers to maintain packet integrity and enable traffic shaping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If packet encapsulation protocol tunnel is used to transmit packets, then network connectivity and security are improved, but acceleration techniques cannot distinguish between packets and traffic shaping is not possible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the tunnel header from the encapsulated packet, processes the inner packet through acceleration techniques, then re-encapsulates it with the original tunnel header. This separation allows acceleration to work on the inner packet while preserving the tunneling protocol's reliability functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing step where the tunnel header is temporarily removed, allowing acceleration mechanisms to access and process the inner packet. This intermediary approach enables both tunneling reliability and packet acceleration to coexist.
2Adaptability or versatility
If packet encapsulation protocol tunnel is used, then network security and routing flexibility are improved, but traffic shaping on packets within the tunnel is not possible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the inner packet from the tunnel encapsulation, applies traffic shaping to the extracted packet, and then re-encapsulates it with the original tunnel header. This enables traffic shaping functionality while maintaining the routing flexibility provided by the tunneling protocol.
3Productivity
If tunnel headers are removed for acceleration processing, then packet processing efficiency is improved, but packet integrity and header preservation must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by extracting and preserving the tunnel header before removing it for acceleration processing. The preserved header is then used to re-encapsulate the processed packet, ensuring packet integrity is maintained throughout the acceleration process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent temporarily discards the tunnel header during acceleration processing but recovers it afterward by retrieving the preserved header and re-encapsulating the processed packet. This ensures that the header is not permanently lost and packet integrity is maintained.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for implementing acceleration through a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel, are described. The method includes establishing a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel between a first network endpoint and a second network endpoint, sending packets with a packet encapsulation protocol tunnel header from the first network endpoint to the second network endpoint, and removing the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel headers from the packets. The method further includes storing the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel headers in a storage memory, performing acceleration on the packets, and retrieving the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel headers from the storage memory. Further, the method includes replacing the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel headers on the packets, and sending the packets with the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel headers through the packet encapsulation protocol tunnel to the second endpoint.