Multiplex communications – Pathfinding or routing – Switching a message which includes an address header
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-05
2002-03-19
Chin, Wellington (Department: 2664)
Multiplex communications
Pathfinding or routing
Switching a message which includes an address header
C370S389000, C714S001000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06359888
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to control networks utilizing a network protocol, and more specifically to the use of transaction identifiers for control network packets traveling in network which utilize the network protocol.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
LonTalk™ is a well known control network communications protocol designed for Local Area Network (LAN) type environments. This protocol can also be transported in an Internet protocol (IP) environment as well.
FIG. 1
illustrates an IP network which is used to transport the LonTalk protocol. The network includes subnets
102
and
118
, each with local nodes. Local nodes on one subnet
102
are able to communicate with nodes on the remote subnet
118
over the IP network
112
. An exchange of information between nodes is carried out in a transaction. Each transaction involves at least one packet. For example, a sending node
104
on subnet
102
prepares a packet
106
addressed to the receiving node
120
on subnet
118
. The sending node
104
assigns a Transaction Identifier (TID) to all packets of a certain transaction. In LonTalk, 4-bits are used for the TID, i.e., 16 possible TIDs are available. This packet
106
is forwarded to the sending router
108
which services the sending node's subnet
102
. The packet
106
is then transmitted to the receiving router
114
which services the subnet
118
containing the receiving node
120
. The receiving router
114
then forwards the packet
106
to the receiving node
120
.
At the receiving node
120
, a transaction timer (receive timer) begins to run when a transaction begins. The receive transaction is active until the timer expires or a new transaction is started. Packets received containing the same TID while the transaction is active are assumed by the receiving node
120
to be part of the same transaction. Each time the receiving node
120
receives a packet
106
, it may send to the sending node
104
an acknowledgment packet, which informs the sending node
104
that the packet
106
was actually received by the receiving node
104
.
Occasionally, packets need to be retransmitted due to transmission errors and are given the same TID as the original packet. While the transaction is active, if the receiving node had already received the original packet, it will properly detect packets with the same TID to be duplicates. In LonTalk, the length of the transaction timer is set according to the possible delays in packet transmission in a LAN, which do not vary significantly. However, in an IP network, the delays can vary over a wider range and can be unpredictable. Thus, there is a problem in an IP network that packets become delayed such that they arrive after the expiration of the transaction timer. In this situation, the receiving node will not be able to recognize stale duplicate packets as such. It may mistakenly see the duplicate packet as indicating the beginning of a new transaction, resulting in erroneous functioning in the control network application.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a method to detect stale packets for reliable duplicate packet recognition for the control network. The present invention addresses such a need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method for reliable stale packet recognition in a network. The method includes: rewriting a packet's transaction identifier (TID) such that the rewritten TID is not a same TID as a previous transaction if the packet could be erroneously seen as a duplicate packet by the receiving router; sending the packet to the receiving router; and blocking the sent packet from transmission to the receiving node if a transaction timer has expired and if the sent packet's TID is the same TID as the previous transaction. The method blocks duplicate packets which arrive at the receiving router after the expiration of the transaction timer. When a packet for a new transaction to be sent to the receiving node is assigned the same TID as the previous transaction, the sending router rewrites the packet's TID to avoid the erroneous recognition of this packet as a duplicate by the receiving router. In this manner, if a packet with the original TID is truly part of a new transaction, it will not be blocked from the receiving node. With this method, errors in the control network due to erroneous duplicate detection when run over an IP network are prevented.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5127000 (1992-06-01), Henrion
patent: 5491728 (1996-02-01), Verhille et al.
patent: 5856972 (1999-01-01), Riley et al.
Koch Edward L.
Soucek Stefan
Chin Wellington
Coactive Networks, Inc.
Nguyen Steven
Sawyer Law Group LLP
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