Method and apparatus for bond management according to hierarchy

• US 20020114276A1
• Filed: 02/20/2002
• Published: 08/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parity Networks LLC
• Original Assignee: Sherwood Partners Incorporated
• Inventors: Basturk, Erol
• Granted Patent: US 7,388,831 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/245 Link aggregation, e.g. trunking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/54 Organization of routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/742 Route cache; Operation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering

Abstract

In a communication system having a plurality of physical communication ports, a hierarchical bond communication interface has a logical interface as a component of the bond at a top level of the hierarchy, and a first subjugate logical interface at a second level of the hierarchy as a component of the top-level logical interface. The communication system has a control mechanism whereby thresholds may be set to determine up or down status of hierarchical bonds for use in communication, according to characteristics of components of the bonds.

Claims

1. In a communication system having a plurality of physical communication ports, a hierarchical bond communication interface, comprising:

a logical interface as a component of the bond at a top level of the hierarchy; and

a first subjugate logical interface at a second level of the hierarchy as a component of the top-level logical interface.

2. The hierarchical bond of claim 1 wherein components at the top level and the second level comprise one or more physical interfaces.

3. The hierarchical bond of claim 1 comprising more than two levels.

4. The hierarchical bond of claim 3 wherein one or more physical interfaces are elements of one or more levels.

5. The hierarchical bond of claim 1 wherein the communication system is a data router in a data packet network.

6. The hierarchical bond of claim 5 wherein the data packet network is the Internet network.

7. In a communication system having a plurality of physical communication ports, a method for grouping ports in data routing, comprising the steps of:

(a) defining a logical interface at a top level of a hierarchical bond;

(b) defining a first subjugate logical interface at a second level of the hierarchical bond as an element of the top-level logical interface; and

(c) routing data by addressing the top-level bond, which then uses logical and physical components of the hierarchy for data transmission.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein components at the top level and the second level comprise one or more physical interfaces.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the hierarchical bond comprises more than two levels.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein one or more physical interfaces form a part of one or more levels of the hierarchical bond.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the communication system is a data router in a data packet network.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the data packet network is the Internet network.

14. The control system of claim 13 wherein one or more thresholds are configured for an interface characteristic through the second portion for individual ones of the logical interfaces, a logical interface considered up or down according to the instant value of the characteristic for the interface in relation to the value of the configured threshold or thresholds.

15. The control system of claim 14 wherein a threshold configured for a logical interface is an up threshold such that the logical interface is considered up if the instant value of the threshold characteristic for the logical interface has the configured relationship to the configured value of the up threshold.

16. The control system of claim 14 wherein a threshold set for a logical interface is a down threshold such that that the logical interface is considered down if the instant value of the threshold characteristic for the logical interface has the configured relationship to the configured value of the down threshold.

17. The control system of claim 14 wherein two threshold values differing in magnitude are configured for an individual one of the logical interfaces, one being an up threshold, and the other a down threshold, such that the logical interface may be considered up even though it no longer meets the configured relationship of the up threshold, but does not yet meet the configures relationship for the down threshold, or may be considered down even though the threshold characteristic for the interface no longer meets the configured relationship for the down threshold, but does not yet meet the configured relationship for the up threshold.

18. The control system of claim 17 wherein the first portion periodically evaluates the status of the hierarchical bonds for routing data by determining the up or down status of each bond, beginning with the lowest level in the hierarchy and proceeding upward to the highest level of the bond.

19. The control system of claim 13 wherein the second portion comprises one or more of a graphical user interface (GUI), a control line interface (CLI), for configuring bond characteristics, or an SNMP interface for configuring bond characteristics.

20. The control system of claim 13 wherein the communication system comprises a plurality of nodes each having a plurality of physical ports, wherein bonds are defined for individual nodes using the ports specific to the nodes, and the control system comprises a plurality of first portions each specific to an individual one of the nodes, and a common second portion providing configuration input to the plurality of nodes.

21. The control system of claim 14 wherein the characteristic for thresholds associated with an interface is the up or down state of components of the interface, expressed as a number up or a number down.

22. The control system of claim 14 wherein the characteristic for thresholds associated with an interface is a percentage of the number of components of the interface having an up or a down state.

23. The control system of claim 14 wherein the characteristic for thresholds is a fixed bandwidth value.

24. The control system of claim 14 wherein the characteristic for thresholds is a percentage of potential bandwidth.

26. The data router of claim 25 wherein the at least one hierarchical bond comprises more than two levels.

27. The data router of claim 25 wherein the data router is dedicated to a data packet network.

28. The data router of claim 27 wherein the data packet network is the Internet network.

29. The data router of claim 25 wherein data is routed by addressing the bond, which then uses logical and physical components of the hierarchy for data transmission.

30. The data router of claim 25 wherein one or more thresholds are configured for an interface characteristic through the second portion for individual ones of the logical interfaces, a logical interface considered up or down according to the instant value of the characteristic for the interface in relation to the value of the configured threshold or thresholds.

31. The data router of claim 30 wherein a threshold configured for a logical interface is an up threshold such that the logical interface is considered up if the instant value of the threshold characteristic for the logical interface has the configured relationship to the configured value of the up threshold.

32. The data router of claim 30 wherein a threshold set for a logical interface is a down threshold such that that the logical interface is considered down if the instant value of the threshold characteristic for the logical interface has the configured relationship to the configured value of the down threshold.

33. The data router of claim 30 wherein two threshold values differing in magnitude are configured for an individual one of the logical interfaces, one being an up threshold, and the other a down threshold, such that the logical interface may be considered up even though it no longer meets the configured relationship of the up threshold, but does not yet meet the configures relationship for the down threshold, or may be considered down even though the threshold characteristic for the interface no longer meets the configured relationship for the down threshold, but does not yet meet the configured relationship for the up threshold.

34. The data router of claim 33 wherein the first portion periodically evaluates the status of the hierarchical bonds for routing data by determining the up or down status of each bond, beginning with the lowest level in the hierarchy and proceeding upward to the highest level of the bond.

35. The data router of claim 30 wherein the second portion comprises one or more of a graphical user interface (GUI), a control line interface (CLI), for configuring bond characteristics, or an SNMP interface for configuring bond characteristics.

36. The data router of claim 30 wherein the communication system comprises a plurality of nodes each having a plurality of physical ports, wherein bonds are defined for individual nodes using the ports specific to the nodes, and the control system comprises a plurality of first portions each specific to an individual one of the nodes, and a common second portion providing configuration input to the plurality of nodes.

37. The data router of claim 30 wherein the characteristic for thresholds associated with an interface is the up or down state of components of the interface, expressed as a number up or a number down.

38. The data router of claim 30 wherein the characteristic for thresholds associated with an interface is a percentage of the number of components of the interface having an up or a down state.

39. The data router of claim 30 wherein the characteristic for thresholds is a fixed bandwidth value.

13. In a communication system having one or more hierarchical bonds comprising a logical interface at a top level and a first subjugate logical interface at a second level of the hierarchical bond as an element of the top-level logical interface, a control system for managing links in data routing, comprising:

a first portion recording availability status of the hierarchical bonds for routing of data by monitoring characteristics of both logical and physical component links of the hierarchical bonds; and

a second portion providing configuration input for use in the monitoring by the first portion.

25. A data router comprising:

a plurality of physical communication ports;

at least one hierarchical bond having a logical interface as a component of the bond at a top level of the hierarchy, and a first subjugate logical interface at a second level of the hierarchy as a component of the top-level logical interface, the bond comprising at one or more levels one or more of the physical communication ports; and

a control system for managing links in data routing, the control system having a first portion recording availability status of the hierarchical bonds for routing of data by monitoring status either up or down of both logical and physical component links of the at least one hierarchical bond, and a second portion providing configuration input for use in the monitoring by the first portion.