Patent ID: 8238242

Claim:
A method of sending data units from a sending node to a receiving node via at least one intermediate node, the method comprising: arranging the data units in a sequence and associating each data unit with a sequence position identifier; the intermediate node forwarding received data units towards the receiving node and sending feedback messages towards the sending node, where in case of a correct receipt of a given data unit at said intermediate node, a corresponding feedback message comprises a first type receive information that indicates said correct receipt at said intermediate node; the receiving node sending feedback messages towards the sending node, where in case of a correct receipt of a given data unit at said receiving node, a corresponding feedback message comprises a second type receive information that indicates said correct receipt at said receiving node; the intermediate node forwarding said second type of receipt information towards said sending node and conducting a data unit retransmission procedure in dependence on received receive information; and the sending node conducting a data unit retransmission procedure in dependence on received receipt information of the first and second type; and conducting a data unit flow control procedure for controlling an amount of data that can be sent at a given time in dependence on said first and second type receipt information, wherein the step of conducting the data unit flow control procedures further comprises: decoupling a connection from the sending node to the intermediate node from a connection between the intermediate node and the receiving node in terms of flow control while maintaining end-to-end flow control from the sending node to the receiving node, wherein the decouplinq step further comprises implementing: a first flow control reaction procedure to receiving said first type receive information for a sequence position identifier for which no first type receive information was previously received and sending one or more new data units, wherein the one or more new data units each have a sequence position identifier for which no data units were previously sent; and a second flow control reaction procedure to receiving said second type receive information for a sequence position identifier for which no second type receive information was previously received and changing a value of a send rate limitation parameter towards an increase in send rate.