Packet Aggregation Timing Preservation in Transport Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
In high-speed packet transport networks, the aggregation of packets into larger containers leads to high burstiness at the egress node, causing timing issues and temporary overload in downstream networks, especially during low traffic loads, as the original packet timing is lost and not preserved.
Innovation Solution
A method that aggregates multiple packets into larger containers at the ingress node while transmitting timing information to the egress node to restore the original packet timing, reducing header processing effort and avoiding burstiness by using a modified Generic Framing Procedure (GFP) and ensuring constant waiting times for packets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If packets are aggregated into larger containers at the ingress node, then header processing effort is reduced, but packet timing information is lost causing high burstiness at the egress node
Solution Approach 1:
A timing information field is introduced as an intermediary element within the container structure. This field carries timing information about the packets being aggregated, allowing the egress node to reconstruct original packet timing despite the aggregation operation. The timing information field acts as a mediator between the ingress node's aggregation function and the egress node's timing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Timing information is captured and stored in advance at the ingress node before packet aggregation occurs. By preliminarily recording the timing characteristics of individual packets and embedding this information in the container, the system prepares the necessary data for timing reconstruction at the egress node, preventing timing loss before it can occur.
2Productivity
If packets are aggregated into containers, then the number of packets to be processed is reduced, but burstiness and temporary overload occur at the egress node during low traffic loads
Solution Approach 1:
The timing information field provides feedback about the original packet timing characteristics to the egress node. This feedback mechanism allows the egress node to adjust its packet release timing to match the original timing pattern, preventing burstiness and ensuring consistent packet transmission even when traffic load varies during aggregation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of packet timing by using the timing information field to reconstruct original timing parameters at the egress node. By modifying the timing parameters based on stored information, the system maintains packet transmission consistency and avoids burstiness while benefiting from the productivity gains of packet aggregation.
3Ease of operation
If 1:1 encapsulation is used in the core network, then packet forwarding is simplified, but header processing remains power-consuming for small packets at high line rates
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple small packets are merged into a single larger container at the ingress node, reducing the total number of packets that need header processing in the core network. This merging operation consolidates multiple individual packet processing tasks into fewer container processing tasks, significantly reducing header processing power consumption while maintaining forwarding simplicity through the opaque container approach.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for transmitting one or more client signals via a packet transport network. According to the method, packets of the one or more client signals are received at an ingress node of the network. Timing information characterizing the timing of the received packets is determined and the received packets are mapped into a container. The container and the timing information are transmitted via the network. At an egress node of the network, the packets are extracted from the container and the packets are timed for further transmission based on the transmitted timing information.