Apparatus, system, and method for compressing port list definitions for sparse port indices

• US 10,277,557 B1
• Filed: 07/01/2017
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Chandrasekharan, Bijoymon M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crompton, Christopher R
• Application Number:
  US15/640,491
• Time in Patent Office: 668 Days
• Field of Search: 370392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/663 Transport layer addresses, e.g. aspects of transmission control protocol [TCP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] ports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence

Abstract

The disclosed apparatus may include (1) a storage device that stores a port list definition as a bitmap that identifies port numbers of network socket ports and (2) a physical processor that (A) formats the port list definition such that the bitmap includes (I) a first set of indices that each represent an offset of one or more network socket ports and (II) a second set of indices that are each paired to an index within the first set of indices and each correspond to port numbers of the network socket ports and whose values are calculated based on the offset of the paired index and (B) forwards at least one packet from the network device to a remote device using at least one of the network socket ports whose port numbers are identified in the bitmap. Various other apparatuses, systems, and methods are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining a port list definition as a bitmap that identifies port numbers of network socket ports used by a network device to transport traffic across a network;

formatting the port list definition such that the bitmap includes;

a record-size index that identifies a size of each record represented in the bitmap;

a first set of indices that each represent an offset of one or more network socket ports that facilitate transporting traffic across the network; and

a second set of indices that;

are each paired to an index within the first set of indices; and

each correspond to port numbers of the network socket ports that facilitate transporting traffic across the network and whose values are calculated based at least in part on the offset of the paired index within the first set of indices;

formatting the port list definition such that the bitmap identifies the port numbers of the network socket ports used by the network device by;

calculating a first multiplication product by multiplying the offset represented by the index within the first set of indices by the size of each record identified in the record-size index;

calculating a second multiplication product by multiplying the first multiplication product by a byte size used by the network device; and

for each bit that is set in the index within the second set of indices that is paired to the index within the first set of indices, adding a value that represents the set bit'"'"'s position in the paired index within the second set of indices to the second multiplication product to produce a sum that represents a port number of a network socket port that is used by the network device; and

forwarding at least one packet from the network device to a remote device using at least one of the network socket ports whose port numbers are identified in the bitmap.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network socket ports that facilitate transporting traffic across the network comprise at least one of:

network socket ports used by the Transport Layer of the Internet Protocol Suite;

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) ports; and

User Datagram Protocol (UDP) ports.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the bitmap also identifies port numbers of network socket ports that are unavailable to the network device for transporting traffic across the network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the bitmap comprises a series of bits that:

form the first and second sets of indices;

collectively identify the port numbers of the network socket ports used by the network device; and

collectively identify the port numbers of the network socket ports that are unavailable to the network device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling one or more Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) objects stored in a Management Information Base (MIB) to implement the port list definition.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein formatting the port list definition comprises compressing the port list definition such that a Network Management System (NMS) tool is able to access values of the SNMP objects that implement the port list definition in the MIB.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein adding the record-size index to the bitmap comprises placing the record-size index at the beginning of the bitmap ahead of the first and second sets of indices.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining the port list definition as the bitmap comprises defining a port list type that facilitates identifying the port numbers of the network socket ports used by the network device.

9. A system comprising:

a control module, stored in memory, that;

maintains a port list definition as a bitmap that identifies port numbers of network socket ports used by a network device to transport traffic across a network;

formats the port list definition such that the bitmap includes;

a record-size index that identifies a size of each record represented in the bitmap;

a first set of indices that each represent an offset of one or more network socket ports that facilitate transporting traffic across the network; and

a second set of indices that;

are each paired to an index within the first set of indices; and

each correspond to port numbers of the network socket ports that facilitate transporting traffic across the network and whose values are calculated based at least in part on the offset of the paired index within the first set of indices; and

formats the port list definition such that the bitmap identifies the port numbers of the network socket ports used by the network device by;

calculating a first multiplication product by multiplying the offset represented by the index within the first set of indices by the size of each record identified in the record-size index;

calculating a second multiplication product by multiplying the first multiplication product by a byte size used by the network device; and

for each bit that is set in the index within the second set of indices that is paired to the index within the first set of indices, adding a value that represents the set bit'"'"'s position in the paired index within the second set of indices to the second multiplication product to produce a sum that represents a port number of a network socket port that is used by the network device;

a forwarding module, stored in memory, that forwards at least one packet from the network device to a remote device using at least one of the network socket ports whose port numbers are identified in the bitmap; and

at least one physical processor configured to execute the control module and the forwarding module.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the network socket ports that facilitate transporting traffic across the network comprise at least one of:

network socket ports used by the Transport Layer of the Internet Protocol Suite;

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) ports; and

User Datagram Protocol (UDP) ports.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the bitmap also identifies port numbers of network socket ports that are unavailable to the network device for transporting traffic across the network.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the bitmap comprises a series of bits that:

form the first and second sets of indices;

collectively identify the port numbers of the network socket ports used by the network device; and

collectively identify the port numbers of the network socket ports that are unavailable to the network device.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the control module enables one or more Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) objects stored in a Management Information Base (MIB) to implement the port list definition.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the control module compresses the port list definition such that a Network Management System (NMS) tool is able to access values of the SNMP objects that implement the port list definition in the MIB.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the control module places the record-size index at the beginning of the bitmap ahead of the first and second sets of indices.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a storage device that stores a port list definition as a bitmap that identifies port numbers of network socket ports used by a network device to transport traffic across a network; and

a physical processor that is communicatively coupled to the storage device, wherein the physical processor;

formats the port list definition such that the bitmap includes;

a record-size index that identifies a size of each record represented in the bitmap;

a first set of indices that each represent an offset of one or more network socket ports that facilitate transporting traffic across the network; and

a second set of indices that;

are each paired to an index within the first set of indices; and

each correspond to port numbers of the network socket ports that facilitate transporting traffic across the network and whose values are calculated based at least in part on the offset of the paired index within the first set of indices;

formats the port list definition such that the bitmap identifies the port numbers of the network socket ports used by the network device by;

calculating a first multiplication product by multiplying the offset represented by the index within the first set of indices by the size of each record identified in the record-size index;

calculating a second multiplication product by multiplying the first multiplication product by a byte size used by the network device; and

for each bit that is set in the index within the second set of indices that is paired to the index within the first set of indices, adding a value that represents the set bit'"'"'s position in the paired index within the second set of indices to the second multiplication product to produce a sum that represents a port number of a network socket port that is used by the network device; and

forwards at least one packet from the network device to a remote device using at least one of the network socket ports whose port numbers are identified in the bitmap.