Resilient data communications with physical layer link aggregation, extended failure detection and load balancing

摘要

Rapid channel failure detection and recovery in wireless communication networks is needed in order to meet, among other things, carrier class Ethernet channel standards. Thus, resilient wireless packet communications is provided using a physical layer link aggregation protocol with a hardware-assisted rapid channel failure detection algorithm and load balancing, preferably in combination. This functionality may be implemented in a Gigabit Ethernet data access card with an engine configured accordingly. In networks with various topologies, these features may be provided in combination with their existing protocols.

主权项

1. A method of providing resilient data communications, comprising:
using a physical-layer link-aggregation protocol to aggregate, at a physical layer of a network, wireless links in the network to generate a virtual channel for data communications, the network having at least the physical layer, a data link layer and a network layer; detecting, at the physical layer, a link failure of a particular wireless link of the virtual channel; segmenting a data frame or a group of data frames across the wireless links of the virtual channel to generate a segmented data frame or a segmented group of data frames; and using one of the segmented data frame or the segmented group of data frames to perform load balancing of the wireless links by automatically redistributing data traffic from the particular wireless link to at least one other wireless link of the virtual channel after the detecting of the link failure of the particular wireless link to render data communications through the virtual channel resilient to the link failure.