Hierarchical routing and interface selection for multi-processor multimode network devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9411647-B2
Application number	US-201113010773-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2011
Priority date	Jan 22, 2010
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

The embodiments simplify the development of applications for current and future wireless communication devices, resolving the deficiencies of current methods by providing a hierarchical routing layer which abstracts the actual proximity of the network connection. An application can request and receive a type of network connection without having to address details of the actual connection established. A hierarchical routing layer is provided within the software architecture of each processor within the computing device. The hierarchical routing layer abstracts the actual proximity of the network connectivity on the modem from the applications using proxy network interfaces. The hierarchical routing layers on each processor cooperate to identify a best network interface for an application network request. The routing layer enables response to an application request for a network interface in a simple manner regardless of whether the network interface is provided on the application host processor or another processor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for selecting a network connection for an application running on a first processor within a computing device, comprising:
receiving, in the first processor, request from the application to connect to a network, wherein the request from the application includes network selection policy parameters comprising at least one of a technology preference, a data rate requirement, a quality of service, and a desired network capability; and
performing a hierarchical interface selection procedure among a plurality of processors, wherein the hierarchical interface selection procedure comprises:
enumerating a list of available real interfaces on the first processor;
enumerating a list of available remote processors directly coupled to the first processor, wherein each of the available remote processors is associated with at least one proxy interface representing a network interface on that remote processor;
receiving in the first processor, from each available remote processor through at least one of the proxy interfaces, information about a selected best network interface available on that remote processor, wherein the selected best network interface is based on an interface match index I computed for each of the available network interfaces on that remote processor;
evaluating how well each available real interface on the first processor satisfies the network selection policy parameters by computing an interface match index I for each of the available real interfaces; and
selecting a highest matching network interface associated with a largest interface match index I corresponding to the network selection policy parameters from among the available real interfaces and proxy interfaces.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hierarchical interface selection procedure further comprises:
forwarding the request from the application to at least one of the available remote processors via at least one proxy interface.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the hierarchical interface selection procedure further comprises initiating a network configuration for the selected highest matching network interface.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the application or a connection manager initiates the network configuration for the selected highest matching network interface.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein initiating the network configuration for the selected highest matching network interface comprises:
determining whether the selected highest matching network interface is an interface available on the first processor or on one of the available remote processors;
initiating a standard network configuration in response to determining that the selected highest matching network interface is an interface available on the first processor; and
automatically connecting a data path to the selected highest matching network interface in response to determining that the selected highest matching network interface is available on one of the available remote processors.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein automatically connecting a data path to the selected highest matching network interface in response to determining that the selected highest matching network interface is available on one of the available remote processors comprises:
binding a proxy interface of the first processor to a corresponding interface on the one of the available remote processors; and
binding the corresponding interface on the one of the available remote processors to the selected highest matching network interface.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein binding a proxy interface of the first processor to a corresponding interface on the one of the available remote processors comprises binding a series of interfaces across multiple processors between the proxy interface and the corresponding interface on the one of the available remote processors.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the proxy interface is used by a peripheral device.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the peripheral device is a laptop computer.

10. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving the forwarded network interface selection request in each available remote processor via the at least one proxy interface;
computing, on each available remote processor, the interface match index I for each available network interface on that remote processor;
selecting, on each available remote processor, a best available network interface for the application request based upon the interface match index I computed for each available network interface; and
sending to the first processor, from each available remote processor, the information about the selected best network interface available on that remote processor.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
forwarding the network interface selection request from a first remote processor to at least one secondary remote processor coupled to the first remote processor, wherein the first remote processor comprises an available remote processor coupled to the first processor; and
receiving in the first remote processor, from each available secondary remote processor, information about a selected best network interface available on that secondary remote processor,
wherein selecting the best available network interface for the application request on the first remote processor is further based upon the information about a selected best network interface received from each available secondary remote processor.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising binding a proxy interface on the first remote processor to the selected best network interface on one of the available secondary remote processors.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the one of the available secondary remote processors has another proxy interface established with the first remote processor.

14. A mobile device, comprising:
a first processor;
a memory coupled to the first processor; and
a wireless receiver circuit coupled to the first processor and configured to receive signals from a wireless communication network,
wherein the first processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising:
receiving a request from an application to connect to a network, wherein the request from the application includes network selection policy parameters comprising at least one of a technology preference, a data rate requirement, a quality of service, and a desired network capability; and
performing a hierarchical interface selection procedure among a plurality of processors, wherein the hierarchical interface selection procedure comprises:
enumerating a list of available real interfaces on the first processor;
enumerating a list of available remote processors directly coupled to the first processor, wherein each of the available remote processors is associated with at least one proxy interface representing a network interface on that remote processor;
receiving, from each available remote processor through at least one of the proxy interfaces, information about a selected best network interface available on that remote processor, wherein the selected best network interface is based on an interface match index I computed for each of the available network interfaces on that remote processor;
evaluating how well each available real interface on the first processor satisfies the network selection policy parameters by computing an interface match index I for each of the available real interfaces; and
selecting a highest matching network interface associated with a largest interface match index I corresponding to the network selection poli

Assignees

• Babbar Uppinder Singh
• Vangala Venkata Satish Kumar
• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Babbar Uppinder Singh
• Vangala Venkata Satish Kumar

Classifications

• H04L69/32

  Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level · CPC title

• G06F9/5011 Primary

  the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals · CPC title

• H04L69/12

  Protocol engines · CPC title

• H04W74/004

  in the uplink, i.e. towards network · CPC title

• H04W36/18

  for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection · CPC title