Just in time packet body provision for wireless transmission

摘要

Wireless transmission is performed by storing, in a local memory, a header in association with reference(s) to memory locations in a separate, shared memory storing a payload for a given transmission. Each header can be associated with a QoS queue. When a selected payload is to be transmitted, a PHY preamble can begin, followed by a header from local memory, while a DMA transaction initiates to retrieve payload from the shared memory. Each retrieved portion of payload can include a link to a next location storing a next part of payload. A subsequent DMA is initiated for that part of the payload. A relatively fixed function circuit can initiate DMA and receive payload data; a programmable element can perform payload selection, for example. Multiple payloads can be aggregated (just before transmitting of a preamble) using header information stored in the fast local memory. Memory can be released after ACK of a corresponding payload.

主权项

1. A method of transmitting a payload data unit from a communication device over a wireless network, comprising:
obtaining an allocation of memory storing payload data for said payload data unit at various distributed locations in a system memory of said communication device, at least some of said locations storing references to other system memory locations in which other payload data for said payload data unit is stored; in response to a request to transmit said payload data unit over said wireless network,
retrieving a header of said payload data unit and a reference to a location in the system memory from which to begin retrieving payload data for said payload data unit;initiating transmission of a physical layer preamble and retrieved header data for said payload data unit;outputting one or more requests to retrieve the body of the packet, simultaneously with said initiating transmission, retrieving payload data from the system memory, using the reference to the memory location, responsive to the determining;receiving data, in the MAC device, responsive to the one or more requests;identifying two or more payload data units to be aggregated into one transmission, the identifying comprising identifying matching destination addresses of the identified two or more payload data units; andproviding the retrieved data to a physical layer for transmission.