UDP over TCP tunnel
A system transports a plurality of UDP datagrams from a sending application to a receiving application by creating a TCP tunnel between a TCP sending-end and a TCP receiving-end, encapsulating the datagrams in TCP packets at the TCP transmitting-end, transmitting the TCP packets via the TCP tunnel to the TCP receiving-end over a network using a TCP/IP protocol, and extracting the datagrams from the TCP packet and forwarding the extracted datagrams to the receiving application. The TCP tunnel may provide the same delay and responsiveness as UDP protocol. The TCP receiving-end may detect when a packet is missing and request retransmission when a packet is missing, so that the TCP sending-end retransmits the missing packets. The transmitting of TCP packets to the TCP receiving-end continues when the receiving-end detects a missing packet, so that there is no lag in the forwarding of the extracted datagrams. Retransmitted packets may be discarded.
1. A method of transporting a plurality of UDP datagrams transmitted with a UDP protocol from a sending application to a receiving application over a network, said method comprising:
creating, by the sending application, a TCP tunnel between the sending application and the receiving application;
encapsulating, by the sending application, one of said UDP datagrams in one of said TCP packet;
transmitting, by the sending application, said TCP packets via said TCP tunnel to said receiving application over said network using a TCP/IP protocol;
extracting, by the receiving application, said UDP datagram from said TCP packet and forwarding the extracted said UDP datagram to the receiving application;
maximizing real time performance, by the sending application, of a transmission rate of said TCP packets in response to detection of none or more missing TCP packets; and
detecting and deleting, by the receiving application, retransmitted UDP datagrams.
2. The method of claim 1 in which said TCP tunnel provides a comparable delay and responsiveness as said UDP protocol.
3. A system for transporting a plurality of UDP datagrams from a sending application to a receiving application over a network, said system comprising:
a TCP sending-end that encapsulates a UDP datagram to be transmitted in a TCP packet over a TCP tunnel using a TCP protocol;
a TCP receiving-end that extracts the UDP datagram from said TCP packets and forwards the extracted said UDP datagrams to the receiving application;
wherein said TCP receiving-end detects when a TCP packet is missing and requests retransmissions of a missing TCP packet while continuing to send the extracted UDP datagrams to the receiving application; and
maximizing real time performance, by the TCP sending-end, of a transmission rate of said TCP packets in response to detection of none or more missing TCP packets;
wherein said TCP sending-end retransmits the missing packet while the TCP receiving-end discards the retransmitted missing UDP datagrams.
4. The system of claim 3 in which said TCP tunnel provides a comparable delay and responsiveness as a UDP protocol.