Masked Packet Checksums to Avoid Retransmission Overhead
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing computer network communication systems face inefficiencies due to retransmissions caused by errors in packet transmission, especially when error detection is applied to the entire packet, leading to reduced throughput.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a masked packet checksum that selectively applies error detection and correction to specific, discrete portions of a packet, using a bitmask to identify protected and excluded areas, thereby avoiding unnecessary retransmissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If error detection is applied to the entire packet, then reliability of data transmission is improved, but throughput is reduced due to retransmissions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the packet into multiple portions and applies error detection selectively to only those portions that require high reliability. This is achieved through a bitmask that identifies which packet portions should have error detection applied, allowing the system to maintain reliability for critical data while avoiding retransmissions for non-critical portions, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different error detection policies to different portions of the packet based on their importance. Critical portions are protected with error detection while non-critical portions are excluded, creating local quality variations in error protection. This selective approach maintains high reliability where needed while improving overall throughput by avoiding unnecessary retransmissions.
2Reliability
If error detection is applied to the entire packet, then error detection capability is improved, but communication efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the packet into multiple portions and applies error detection only to specific segments identified by a bitmask. This segmentation allows the system to maintain strong error detection capability for critical portions while avoiding the overhead of applying error detection to entire packets, thereby improving communication efficiency without sacrificing essential error detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies error detection partially rather than completely to the entire packet. By using a bitmask to identify only the portions requiring error detection, the system performs partial action that is sufficient for maintaining communication efficiency while still providing adequate error detection capability for the most important data portions.
3Manufacturing precision
If complete error detection and correction is applied, then data accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the packet processing into multiple portions with different error detection requirements. By using a bitmask to identify which portions need error detection, the system achieves high data accuracy for critical portions without the complexity of applying complete error detection to the entire packet, thus reducing overall system complexity while maintaining necessary accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies high-quality error detection locally to only those packet portions that require it, rather than uniformly across the entire packet. This local quality approach maintains high data accuracy where needed while avoiding the unnecessary complexity of applying the same level of error detection to all portions, thereby reducing system complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A masked packet checksum is utilized to provide error detection and/or error correction for only discrete portions of a packet, to the exclusion of other portions, thereby avoiding retransmission if transmission errors appear only in portions excluded by the masked packet checksum. A bitmask identifies packet portions whose data is to be protected with error detection and/or error correction schemes, packet portions whose data is to be excluded from such error detection and/or error correction schemes, or combinations thereof. A bitmask can be a per-packet specification, incorporated into one or more fields of individual packets, or a single bitmask can apply equally to multiple packets, which can be delineated in numerous ways, and can be separately transmitted or derived. Bitmasks can be generated at higher layers with lower layer mechanisms deactivated, or can be generated lower layers based upon data passed down.