Reliable Transportation a Stream of Packets Using Packet Replication

摘要

In one embodiment, a device receives a first packet stream and a second packet stream over different paths through a network, wherein each of said sent first and the second packet streams includes a same replicated stream of packets. The apparatus processes packets of the first packet stream when the first packet stream is in an active packet stream, and while buffering and subsequently dropping packets of the second packet stream when the second packet stream is in a non-active state. In response to identifying a difference in a number of packets in the same replicated stream of packets received in the second packet stream compared to in the first packet stream equaling or exceeding a predetermined threshold, the second packet stream becomes in the active state and missing packets are forwarded from the buffered second stream packets.