Telecommunications network and a packet header therefor

• US 20030118051A1
• Filed: 12/11/2002
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Ooms, Dirk Eugene Ida
• Granted Patent: US 7,881,279 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/471
• 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 45/26 Route discovery packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/34 Source routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/44 Distributed routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/566 Routing instructions carried by the data packet, e.g. active networks

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A packet header for a data packet 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, characterised in that;

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.

2. A packet header for a data packet according to claim 1 wherein the neighbouring node identified by the local node identifier data is the node to which the data packet is to be transported after reaching said at least one node.

3. A packet header for a data packet according to claim 2 wherein the routing information field contains data associated with a plurality of nodes, and wherein;

the data associated with the plurality of nodes is a list of local node identifiers each local node identifier identifying a node through which the data packet is intended to be transported, and wherein;

the packet header contains a pointer field for containing a pointer, which pointer is operable to indicate the position of an individual local node identifier in the routing information field;

the pointer being operable to be incremented at each node so as to indicate the position of a local node identifier which identifies a node to which the data packet is to be subsequently transported.

4. A packet header for a data packet according to any preceding claim wherein the header includes a length field for containing a quantity representing the number of local node identifiers contained within the routing information field.

5. A packet header for a data packet according to claim 3 or 4 wherein, at a current node and prior to transmission therefrom;

the routing information field is modifiable by replacing the local node identifier data associated with the current node with local node identifier data identifying the previous node from which the data packet was received at the current node.

6. A packet header for a data packet according to any preceding claim wherein each item of local node identifier data is stored in the routing information field with additional data attached thereto to indicate the length of the local node identifying data item.

17. A telecommunications network including at least one node operable to receive and process data packets possessing a header according to any of claims 1 to 6.

18. A telecommunications network according to claim 17 wherein said at least one node is a multi-access link connected to several other nodes via a single output port.

19. A telecommunications network according to claim 17 or 18 wherein, the header is compiled by a node containing local node identifier data for a number of the at least one nodes of the network.

22. A node in a telecommunication network characterized in that it includes at least one node operable to receive and process data packets possessing a header according to any of claims 1 to 6.

23. A node according to claim 22 characterized in that the header that is compiled by said node is containing local node identifier data for a number of the at least one nodes of the network.

25. A node according to any one of claims 22-24 wherein the node is a multi-access link connected to several other nodes via a single output port.

7. A method of transporting a data packet via at least one node of a network wherein the method includes the steps of;

providing a packet header for the data packet;

providing routing information in the header which routing information contains 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;

transporting the headed data packet via the at least one node of a network in accordance with the routing information such that the at least one node of the network transports the data packet to the neighbouring node identified by the local node identifier data.

8. A method of transporting a data packet according to claim 7 wherein the method further includes the steps of:

providing routing information containing data associated with a plurality of nodes of the network, wherein the data associated with the plurality of nodes is a list of local node identifiers, each local node identifier identifying a neighbouring node for a node through which the data packet is intended to be transported, and;

providing the packet header with a pointer;

indicating with the pointer the position of an individual local node identifier in the routing information;

incrementing the pointer at each node so as to indicate the position of a local node identifier which identifies a node to which the data packet is to be subsequently transported.

10. A method of transporting a data packet according to any of claims 7 to 9 wherein the routing information is obtained by;

providing a scout packet at a given node which packet is operable to record the route it takes through a network and information relating to the topology of the network;

transmitting such a scout packet in to the network from the given node of that network;

receiving the scout packet at a second node after the packet has been transmitted through the network;

retrieving the route and network topology information recorded by the scout packet and using that information in the compilation of routing information.

11. A method of transporting a data packet according to claim 10 wherein at least the second node transports data packets according to the method of claim 7.

12. A method of transporting a data packet to claim 10 or 11 wherein the said given node and the said second node are the same node.

13. A method of transporting a data packet according to any of claims 7 to 9 wherein, when a node is unable to transport a data packet directly to the intended next node;

the routing information in the header is modified by replacing the local node which identified the intended next node as a neighbouring node, with additional routing information;

which additional routing information routes the data packet to the intended next node via an alternative route.

14. A method of transporting a data packet according to claim 13 wherein, routing information modification occurs in the event of a link failure between nodes.

15. A method of transporting a data packet according to any of claims 7 to 14 wherein, the packet header is removed from the data packet at a node in a network.

16. A method of transporting a data packet according to claim 15 wherein, subsequent to removal of the packet header, the data packet is transported through the network in accordance with another packet transport protocol.

20. A telecommunications network including at least one node operable to receive and process data packets possessing a header according to any of claims 13 to 16.

21. A telecommunication network according to claim 20 wherein said at least one node is a multi-access link connected to several other nodes via a single output port.

24. A node in a telecommunication network characterized in that said node is operable to receive and process data packets according to the method steps of any of claims 13 to 16.

9. A method of transporting a data packet according to claim 9 wherein, at a current node and prior to transmission therefrom, the method further includes the step of;

modifying the routing information by replacing the local node identifier data associated with the current node with local node identifier data identifying the previous node from which the data packet was received at the current node.