UDP Offload Protocol Traffic Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
UDP protocol lacks mechanisms for congestion, flow, and rate control, leading to potential network and receiving end resource overloads, congestion, packet loss, and performance degradation during data transmission.
Innovation Solution
Implementing segmentation and fragmentation techniques by intelligent network adapters to subdivide UDP payload into optimal network frame sizes, along with modulation of data transmission based on desired rate characteristics using modulation event tokens and flow processors to manage traffic effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If UDP protocol is used for data transmission, then processing resources are reduced and transmission speed is improved, but network congestion and packet loss occur due to lack of flow control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary flow control mechanism between the UDP sender and receiver. This intermediary implements a sliding window protocol that regulates the flow of UDP packets, allowing the sender to transmit multiple packets ahead of time while preventing overwhelming the receiver. The window size dynamically adjusts based on receiver buffer status, thus maintaining high transmission speed while preventing packet loss due to receiver overload.
2Device complexity
If UDP protocol is used for data transmission, then processing resources are reduced and simplicity is improved, but network resource overloads occur due to lack of congestion control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback-based congestion control where the receiver sends acknowledgment packets back to the sender indicating buffer status and recommended window sizes. The sender uses this feedback to dynamically adjust its transmission rate and window size, preventing network congestion while maintaining protocol simplicity. This feedback loop allows UDP to gain congestion control capabilities without requiring full TCP complexity.
3Loss of energy
If application payload data is transmitted as single large packets, then transmission overhead is reduced, but network performance degrades due to congestion and packet loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing large application payload data into smaller manageable packets before transmission. The flow control mechanism manages these segmented packets using a sliding window approach, where multiple packets can be in flight simultaneously within the window size limit. This segmentation reduces the impact of individual packet losses and improves network performance while the flow control minimizes redundant retransmissions.
Data Source
AI summary
Transfer of data over UDP is facilitated between at least one application and at least one peer via a network. Data destined for the at least one peer is provided from the at least one application for transmission to the peer via the network. The data is encapsulated into UDP segments, which may further be fragmented according to packet size or application level framing constraints. Modulation event tokens are managed, and protocol processing of the data with the at least one peer is based in part on a result of the modulation event tokens managing such that data is caused to be transmitted to the at least one peer via the network nominally with desired data transmission rate characteristics. A result of the modulation event processing step is fed back to the to the modulation event tokens managing.