Telecommunications network and a packet header therefor

• Main Author: OOMS, DIRK EUGENE IDA
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 18.06.2003
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHICCOMMUNICATION

The invention relates to a packet header for a data packet (14) to be transported via at least one node of a network wherein the packet header includes a routing information field for containing data associated with the at least one node. The data associated with the at least one node is local node identifier data which identifies a neighbouring node of the at least one node through which the data packet is intended to be transported. Furthermore, the packet header may contain the routing information field data associated with a plurality of nodes, wherein the data associated with the plurality of nodes is local node identifier data, which identifies a neighbouring node of each node through which the data packet is intended to be transported. The packet header contains a pointer field for containing a pointer (PTR), which pointer is operable to indicate the position of individual local node identifier data in the routing information field. The pointer is operable to be incremented at each node so as to indicate the position of data, which identifies the node to which the data packet is to be subsequently transported.