Selecting routes through a network

• US 10,554,720 B1
• Filed: 09/11/2018
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuze, Inc. (8X8, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fuze, Inc. (8X8, Inc.)
• Inventors: West, Julian Wray, Jeffords, Jason Paul, Dietz, Darryl, Mishra, Rajesh K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodchild, William J.
• Application Number:
  US16/128,098
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

Routing a communication from a first computer system, through a network, to a second computer system, may include determining whether a route through the network meets a metric, and assigning an output address of the first computer system and an input address of the second computer system based on whether the route meets the metric. The communication may be sent from the output address of the first computer system and received at the input address of the second computer system.

Claims

1. A method for affecting routing of a communication from a first computer system, through a network, to a second computer system, the method comprising:

identifying a location of a fault on a segment of the network based on (a) a determination of which of multiple communication endpoints on the network experience data transmission that is affected by the fault, and (b) correlating both common and unique segments of paths through the network to the multiple communication endpoints experiencing data transmission affected by the fault, and the remaining multiple communication endpoints;

selecting a metric based on a type of the communication initiated from the first computer system, through the network, ending at the second computer system, the first computer system and the second computer system being among the multiple communication endpoints on the network;

determining whether a route through the network meets the selected metric and avoids the segment of the network containing the fault;

assigning an output address of the first computer system and an input address of the second computer system corresponding to the determined route through the network; and

when the route is determined to no longer meet the selected metric, the method further comprises assigning a new output address of the first computer system and a new input address of the second computer system to a new route through the network, at least one of the new output address of the first computer system and the new input address of the second computer system being different from the output address of the first computer system and the input address of the second computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple communication endpoints comprise carrier systems.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a route list comprising the output address of the first computer system and the input address of the second computer system, the route list comprising one or more additional output addresses of the first computer system paired with one or more additional input addresses of the second computer system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected metric comprises:

plural metrics, the plural metrics comprising an attribute of the determined route and a quality of communication, or

a bandwidth associated with the determined route.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the attribute of the determined route comprises at least one of a quality of the determined route and a bandwidth associated with the determined route.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

assigning the new output address of the first computer system and the new input address of the second computer system to the determined route if there is not sufficient bandwidth associated with the determined route to accommodate the communication, at least one of the new output address of the first computer system and the new input address of the second computer system being different from the output address of the first computer system and the input address of the second computer system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises:

an unmanaged network, over which a predefined bandwidth is not guaranteed for communication, or

a managed network, over which a predefined bandwidth is guaranteed for communication.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the unmanaged network comprises the Internet.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein assigning comprises generating a route list comprising the output address of the first computer system and an input address of the second computer system;

and wherein, prior to engaging in a communication over the network, the first computer system is configured to obtain the route list and to route the communication in accordance with the route list.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the metric further based on a type of the communication being one of video content or voice content.

11. One or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media comprising instructions that are executable to affect routing of a communication from a first computer system, through a network, to a second computer system, the instructions being executable by one or more processing devices to:

identify a location of a fault on a segment of the network based on (a) a determination of which of multiple communication endpoints on the network experience data transmission that is affected by the fault, and (b) correlating both common and unique segments of paths through the network to the multiple communication endpoints experiencing data transmission affected by the fault, and to the remaining multiple communication endpoints;

select a metric based on a type of the communication initiated from the first computer system, through the network, ending at the second computer system, the first computer system and the second computer system being among the multiple communication endpoints on the network;

determine whether a route through the network meets the selected metric and avoids the segment of the network containing the fault;

assign an output address of the first computer system and an input address of the second computer system-corresponding to the determined route through the network; and

when the route is determined to no longer meet the selected metric, assign a new output address of the first computer system and a new input address of the second computer system to a new route through the network, at least one of the new output address of the first computer system and the new input address of the second computer system being different from the output address of the first computer system and the input address of the second computer system.

12. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the multiple communication endpoints comprise carrier systems.

13. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 11, further comprising instructions to generate a route list comprising the output address of the first computer system and an input address of the second computer system, the route list comprising one or more additional output addresses of the first computer system paired with one or more additional input addresses of the second computer system.

14. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the communication is sent from the new output address of the first computer system and received at the new input address of the second computer system.

15. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the selected metric comprises:

plural metrics, the plural metrics comprising an attribute of the determined route and a quality of communication, or

a bandwidth associated with the determined route.

16. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the attribute of the determined route comprises at least one of a quality of the determined route and a bandwidth associated with the determined route.

17. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 16, further comprising instructions to:

assign the new output address of the first computer system and the new input address of the second computer system if there is not sufficient bandwidth associated with the determined route to accommodate the communication, at least one of the new output address of the first computer system and the new input address of the second computer system being different from the output address of the first computer system and the input address of the second computer system.

18. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the network comprises:

an unmanaged network, over which a predefined bandwidth is not guaranteed for communication, or

a managed network, over which a predefined bandwidth is guaranteed for communication.

19. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the unmanaged network comprises the Internet.

20. A system to affect routing of communication over a network, comprising:

a first computer system having plural output addresses;

a second computer system having plural input addresses; and

at least one of the first computer system and the second computer system being configured to;

(i) identify a location of a fault on a segment of the network based on (a) a determination of which of multiple communication endpoints on the network experience data transmission that is affected by the fault, and (b) correlating both common and unique segments of paths through the network to the multiple communication endpoints experiencing data transmission affected by the fault, and to the remaining multiple communication endpoints;

(ii) to select a metric based on a type of the communication initiated from the first computer system, through the network, ending at the second computer system, the first computer system and the second computer system being among the multiple communication endpoints on the network,

(iii) to determine whether a route through the network meets the selected metric and avoids the segment of the network containing the fault,

(iv) to assign an output address of the first computer system and an input address of the second computer system, through which addresses communication is routed, via the network, between the first computer system and the second computer system-corresponding to the determined route through the network; and

when the route is determined to no longer meet the selected metric, to assign a new output address of the first computer system and a new input address of the second computer system to a new route through the network, at least one of the new output address of the first computer system and the new input address of the second computer system being different from the output address of the first computer system and the input address of the second computer system.