Layer manager

Details Layer manager Layer manager

2001-04-03

2004-09-14

El-Hady, Nabil (Department: 2154)

Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput

Computer-to-computer session/connection establishing

Network resources access controlling

C709S230000, C709S232000, C709S236000, C709S238000, C709S244000, C370S230000, C370S235000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06792467

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to networks, and more particularly to protocol stacks for networks.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The Bluetooth™ networking protocol is well known in the art.
FIG. 1
illustrates a standard Bluetooth protocol stack. The stack
100
includes a Host Controller Interface (HCI) layer
106
, a Logical Link Control and Adaptation Protocol (L
2
CAP) layer
108
, a Telephony Control Protocol Specification (TCS) layer
110
, a Service Discovery Protocol (SDP) layer
112
, and a RFCOMM protocol layer
114
.
The HCI layer
106
provides a command interface which accepts communications over the physical bus (not shown). The L
2
CAP layer
108
supports higher level protocol multiplexing, packet segmentation and reassembly, and the conveying of quality of service information.
The TCS layer
110
provides call control and signaling of voice channels. The RFCOMM protocol layer
114
provides emulation of serial ports over the L
2
CAP layer
108
.
The SDP layer
112
provides a means for applications to discover which services are provided by or available through a device. A Bluetooth device may act as an SDP client querying services, an SDP server providing services, or both. Each service registers with the SDP server, and information concerning each service is cataloged in service records. Through the SDP layer
112
, a client may send a request to the SDP server to ask what services a remote device provides. The SDP server responds with service records of the services provided by the remote device. Part of each service record is a protocol descriptor list (PDL). The PDL comprises a list of layers of the protocol stack
100
through which to route a packet for the particular service.
However, because the stack layers
106
-
114
have well defined upper and lower edges, each of the layers
106
-
114
require intimate knowledge of the stack layer “above” and “below” it in the protocol stack
100
. For each path of a packet through the stack
100
, the stack layers
106
-
114
must be specifically coded to talk to the stack layer above and below. Thus, when a new path is to be supported, one or more of the stack layers
106
-
114
must be modified. In addition, when a stack layer is to be added between two of the layers
106
-
114
, one or more of the stack layers
106
-
114
must also be modified. For example, assume that a layer is to be added between the RFCOMM layer
114
and the L
2
CAP layer
108
. The RFCOMM layer
114
must be modified to talk down stream to the new layer instead of the L
2
CAP layer
108
, and the L
2
CAP layer
108
must be modified to talk upstream to the new layer instead of the RFCOMM layer
114
. This is burdensome and leads to considerable complexity in the protocol stack
100
.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved protocol stack for a network. The present invention addresses such a need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an improved method and system for controlling packet flow through a protocol stack. The system comprises the layer manager which interfaces with each stack layer. The layer manager handles the packet flow to the stack layers. For a new packet path to be supported, only the Layer Manager needs to be modified, not the stack layers. This makes the implementation of the layers in the protocol stack easier. In an alternative embodiment, the layer manager comprises a plurality of protocol descriptor lists for supported services and uses these lists to route a packet to the appropriate stack layer. With this alternative embodiment, new stack layers may be inserted into the protocol stack without the need to modify the existing stack layers.


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Stevens, W. Richard, “TCP/IP Illustrated, vol. 1,” 1994, Addison-Wesley, pp. 9-11.

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