1. A method for transmitting data from a first point to a second point on a network via a proxy server, comprising:
receiving a first data packet from the first point at the proxy server;
forwarding the first data packet from the proxy server to the second point;
receiving a second data packet from the second point at the proxy server; and
forwarding the second data packet to the first point along with an acknowledgement packet for receipt of the first data packet from the first point at the proxy server.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein, if the second point issues a non-duplicate zero length acknowledgement packet to the proxy server in response to receipt of the first data packet at the second point, then the proxy server sends to the first point an acknowledgement packet in response to its receipt of the first data packet at the proxy server.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein, when the first point increases its receive window, it issues a zero-length acknowledgement packet to the second point.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first point is a server and the second point is a client.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the proxy server comprises subproxies (Pl . . . Pn), wherein n\u22672.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second data packet is forwarded to the first point along with an acknowledgement packet for receipt of the first data packet at the proxy server only if the amount of queued but unsent data from the proxy to the second point is less than a predetermined threshold value k.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the acknowledgement packet for receipt of the first data packet by the server is piggybacked on the acknowledgement packet for receipt of the first data packet by the second point.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second data packets are TCPIP data packets.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the proxy server is adapted to set a delayed acknowledgement timer upon receipt by the proxy server of the first data packet.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein, if the delayed acknowledgement timer expires prior to receipt at the proxy server of an acknowledgement packet from the second point for receipt at the second point of the first packet, then the proxy server sends an acknowledgement packet to the first point for receipt at the proxy server of the first packet.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the acknowledgement packet sent from the proxy server to the first point in the event that the delayed acknowledgement timer expires is a zero length acknowledgement packet.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the proxy server is a silicon proxy engine.
13. A set of computer instructions, disposed in a tangible medium, for carrying out the method of claim 1.
14. A method for transmitting data from a first point to a second point on a network via a proxy server, comprising:
receiving a first data packet from the first point at the proxy server;
forwarding the first data packet from the proxy server to the second point; and
if a second data packet is received at the proxy server from the second point within t seconds, wherein t\u2266k and wherein k is a nonzero threshold value, then forwarding the second data packet to the first point along with an acknowledgement packet for receipt of the first data packet at the proxy server, otherwise sending an acknowledgement packet to the first point for receipt of the first data packet at the proxy server.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein k is greater than the delayed acknowledgement timer set by TCP protocol for the second point to send to the proxy an acknowledgement packet for receipt of the first data packet.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein k is less than the minimum retransmission timer value governing the receipt of the first packet by the second point.
17. A method for transmitting data from a first point to a second point on a network via a proxy server, comprising:
operating the proxy server in a first state if a Boolean status variable xs is true, wherein xs is true if and only if at least one of the connections between the first point and the proxy and the second point and the proxy enter TCPIP retransmission; and
operating the proxy server in a second state if a Boolean status variable xs is false;
wherein, in the second state, the proxy server (a) receives a first data packet from the first point at the proxy server, (b) forwards the first data packet from the proxy server to the second point, and (c) if a second data packet is received at the proxy server from the second point within t seconds, wherein t\u2266k and wherein k is a nonzero threshold value, then the proxy server forwards the second data packet to the first point along with an acknowledgement packet for receipt of the first data packet at the proxy server, otherwise the proxy server sends an acknowledgement packet to the first point for receipt of the first data packet at the proxy server.
18. The method of 17 wherein, in the first state, the proxy server sends an acknowledgement packet to the first point upon receipt of a data packet from the first point.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein xs is true if and only if at least one of the connections between the first point and the proxy and the second point and the proxy enter TCPIP retransmission due to either timeout or receipt of three duplicate acknowledgement packets.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for generating information about a network node’s processing power usage, the method comprising:
receiving, at the network node a first message transmitted by a first wireless communication device;
in response to receiving the first message, the network node performing at time t1 a first procedure triggered by the first message;
obtaining a first signaling load value (SLV1) associated with the first procedure;
retrieving a first total signaling load value (Total\u2212SLV1);
updating the first total signaling load value by calculating Total1=Total\u2212SLV1+SLV1;
storing the updated first total signaling load value (Total1);
receiving, at the network node a second message transmitted by a second wireless communication device;
in response to receiving the second message, the network node performing at time t2 a second procedure triggered by the second message;
obtaining a second signaling load value (SLV2) associated with the second procedure;
retrieving a second total signaling load value (Total\u2212SLV2), where Total\u2212SLV2 is equal to the updated first total signaling load value (Total1) plus zero or more signaling load values corresponding to procedures performed by the network node subsequent to the network node performing the first procedure and prior to the network node performing the second procedure;
calculating Total2=Total\u2212SLV2+SLV2;
calculating (Total2\u2212Total1)(t2\u2212t1); and
measuring the processing power usage of the network node based on Total2.
2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
receiving information about the first and second message from a fourth network node.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first total signaling load value is at least one of per fourth network node, per procedure executed in the second network node and per time interval.
4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
determining a maximum capacity of the network node by increasing a number of received messages until a maximum capacity of processing power of the network node is reached, wherein the maximum capacity is indicated by a signaling load value; and
wherein the measuring the processing power of the network node is further based on the determined maximum capacity.
5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: determining a resource value associated with the determined maximum capacity of the network node.
6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
establishing a category of fourth network node based on the second total signaling load value; and
wherein the category of fourth network node enables network planning and dimensioning of the communications network.
7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
sending information about the first total signaling load value (Total\u2212SLV1) and the second total signaling load value (Total\u2212SLV2) to a third network node.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first signaling load value associated with the first procedure is preconfigured.
9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the received first message fulfils a predetermined condition.
10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first signaling load value is further associated with consumption of an amount of processing power when the first procedure is performed in the network node.
11. The method according to claim 1, wherein information about the first message, conditions and parameters associated with the first procedure and information about the first signaling load value associated with the first procedure is stored in a table, and wherein the first signaling load value is obtained from the table.
12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the network node is a Mobility Management Entity, MME, a Serving General Packet Radio Service Support Node, SGSN, a Gateway General Packet Radio Service Support Node, GGSN, a Serving Gateway, S-GW, a Packet Data Network Gateway, P-GW, a Machine Type Communication Interworking Function node, MTC IWF.
13. A first network node for generating information about a network node’s processing power usage, the first network node comprising:
a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to:
receive, at the network node, a first message transmitted by a first wireless communication device;
in response to receiving the first message, perform at time t1 a first procedure triggered by the first message;
obtain a first signaling load value (SLV1) associated with the first procedure;
retrieve a first total signaling load value (Total\u2212SLV1);
update the first total signaling load value by calculating Total1=Total\u2212SLV1+SLV1;
store the updated first total signaling load value (Total1);
receive, at the network node a second message transmitted by a second wireless communication device;
in response to receiving the second message, perform at time t2 a second procedure triggered by the second message;
obtain a second signaling load value (SLV2) associated with the second procedure;
retrieve a second total signaling load value (Total-SLV2), where Total-SLV2 is equal to updated first total signaling load value (Total1) plus zero or more signaling load values corresponding to procedures performed by the network node subsequent to the network node performing the first procedure and prior to the network node performing the second procedure;
calculating Total2=Total\u2212SLV2+SLV2;
calculating (Total2\u2212Total1)(t2\u2212t1); and
measure the processing power usage of the network node based on Total2.
14. The first network node according to claim 13 wherein the processor is further configured to:
receive information about the first message from a fourth network node.
15. The first network node according to claim 13, wherein the first total signaling load value is at least one of per fourth network node, per procedure executed in the second network node and per time interval.
16. The first network node according to claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a maximum capacity of the network node by increasing a number of received messages until a maximum capacity of processing power of the network node is reached, wherein the maximum capacity is indicated by a signaling load value; and wherein the processor is further configured to measure the processing power of the network node further based on the determined maximum capacity.
17. The first network node according to claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a resource value associated with the determined maximum capacity of the network node.
18. The first network node according to claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to: establish a category of fourth network node based on the second total signaling load value; wherein the category of fourth network node enables network planning and dimensioning of the communications network.
19. The first network node according to claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:
send information about a first total signaling value and a second total signaling load value to a third network node.
20. The first network node according to claim 13, wherein the first signaling load value associated with the first procedure is preconfigured.
21. The first network node according to claim 13, wherein the received first message fulfils a predetermined condition.
22. The first network node according to claim 13, wherein the first signaling load value is further associated with consumption of an amount of processing power when the first procedure is performed in the network node.
23. The first network node according to claim 13, wherein information about the first message, conditions and parameters associated with the first procedure and information about the first signaling load value associated with the procedure first is stored in a table, and wherein the processor is further configured to obtain the signaling load value from the table.
24. The first network node according to claim 13, wherein the network node is a Mobility Management Entity, MME, a Serving General Packet Radio Service Support Node, SGSN, a Gateway General Packet Radio Service Support Node, GGSN, a Serving Gateway, S-GW, a Packet Data Network Gateway, P-GW, a Machine Type Communication Interworking Function node, MTC IWF.
25. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless communication device is the same as the second wireless communication device, whereby measuring the processing power usage results in measuring the processing power usage associated with the first wireless communication device.