Ethernet Repeater Frame Distribution via Communication Speed
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Ethernet network repeaters experience traffic congestion when multiple frames with the same destination address are received simultaneously, leading to inefficient communication and transfer of frames to the destination node.
Innovation Solution
A repeater with a port section, memory, and repeat processor that stores communication efficiency and connection information, allowing it to select the broadest path with high communication efficiency for frame distribution among multiple paths when multiple frames have the same destination address, thereby reducing congestion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If all frames with the same destination address are transmitted through the same shortest path, then the path selection is simple and deterministic, but traffic congestion occurs on that specific path
Solution Approach 1:
The repeater dynamically selects communication paths based on real-time communication efficiency information rather than using a fixed shortest path. When multiple frames with the same destination address are received, the system evaluates current path conditions and distributes frames across different paths to avoid congestion, making the path selection adaptive to changing network conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the selection criterion from purely topological (shortest path) to performance-based (communication efficiency). By incorporating communication efficiency information that reflects actual path conditions, the repeater can adjust its path selection to avoid congested paths while maintaining simple operation through automated parameter-based decisions
2Productivity
If multiple frames with the same destination address are transmitted simultaneously through different paths, then traffic congestion is reduced, but the device complexity increases due to path selection logic
Solution Approach 1:
The repeater pre-acquires communication efficiency information for multiple paths before actual frame transmission occurs. This preliminary gathering of path condition data allows the system to make informed distribution decisions without complex real-time analysis, reducing the operational complexity while maintaining high communication efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces communication efficiency information as an intermediary that mediates between the simple frame reception and the path selection decision. This intermediary data structure simplifies the selection logic by providing pre-evaluated path quality metrics, allowing the repeater to distribute frames efficiently without complex real-time path analysis
Data Source
AI summary
A repeater efficiently transfers frames addressed to the same destination address when the frames are received at the same time by a plurality of ports, by performing a distribute-transfer process, when a difference between a size of each of the frames received by a normal port and an average size of those frames is within a preset range for all the frames, or an actual-measured communication speed of each of two ring ports is greater than a threshold. The distribute-transfer process distributes and transmits the frames to two communication paths from the two ring ports after receiving the frames at the two normal ports. The highest actual-measured communication speed of a ring port among other ring ports of the repeaters is considered as a communication efficiency parameter for selecting a broadest communication path for transmitting the frame. The frame(s) having the highest communication speed is/are distributed to the ring port connected to the broadest path.