TCP Header Restoration Information for Multi-Connection Data Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication methods that distribute data across multiple connections face inefficiencies due to increased header sizes, segmentation issues, and processing loads, leading to reduced communication performance and inability to handle external devices outside control management ranges.
Innovation Solution
A communication device and method that store data restoration information within the TCP header, allowing for efficient data distribution and restoration across multiple connections without increasing header size, using timestamp options or other header fields for storing restoration information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If data is distributed to multiple connections using Multipath TCP with new headers added for restoration information, then data can be divided and restored across multiple communication flows, but the header size increases reducing communication efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The invention reuses the existing TCP header structure to serve multiple functions: it carries both standard TCP control information and data restoration information (sequence numbers, block identifiers) needed for multi-flow communication. By making the TCP header multi-functional rather than adding separate restoration headers, the patent avoids header size expansion while enabling distributed data transmission across multiple connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the usage of existing TCP header parameters (such as sequence numbers and offset fields) to encode data restoration information. By changing how these existing parameters are interpreted and utilized, the system can convey block identification and restoration data without introducing new header fields, thus maintaining header size efficiency while enabling multi-flow data distribution.
2Adaptability or versatility
If new headers are added to packets for data division and restoration, then data can be segmented and restored across multiple flows, but the number of write instructions increases leading to higher processing load
Solution Approach 1:
The TCP connection processing structure is designed to handle multiple functions simultaneously: it manages both standard TCP data transmission and distributed data restoration using the same processing pathways. By reusing existing TCP connection processing mechanisms rather than creating separate processing streams, the patent reduces the number of write instructions and processing steps required while maintaining the capability to divide and restore data across multiple flows.
3Productivity
If data segmentation is changed to accommodate multiple connections, then parallel transmission is enabled, but applications not designed for changed segmentation fail to communicate normally
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs data division and adds restoration information to packets before transmission begins. By pre-processing the data and embedding all necessary restoration metadata (sequence numbers, block identifiers) in the TCP headers beforehand, the system enables parallel transmission while ensuring that receiving applications can reconstruct the original data stream without needing to be aware of or adapted to the segmentation changes. The segmentation is transparent to applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The TCP connection processing acts as an intermediary that handles the complexity of data segmentation and restoration. It divides data into blocks, adds restoration information to TCP headers, manages parallel transmission across multiple flows, and reconstructs the original data stream at the receiving end. This intermediary layer shields applications from segmentation details, maintaining compatibility while enabling parallel transmission.
Data Source
AI summary
In a communication device (1) which realizes communication with data distributed to a plurality of connections, a data division restoration processing unit (1-2), when transmitting data, receives data from an application processing unit (1-1), divides the data into an arbitrary number of blocks, stores information for restoring the block to original data within a TCP header and sends the data to a network processing unit (1-3) by using an arbitrary number of TCP connections, and when receiving data, refers to restoration information stored within the TCP header with respect to data of the plurality of TCP connections received from the network processing unit (1-3), identifies a divisional block, combines the blocks to restore data as of before division and sends the data to the application processing unit (1-1).