Communications network using evolutionary biology of bacteria as a model for nodal policy

• US 20030177262A1
• Filed: 03/11/2003
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Marshall, Ian, Roadknight, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 7,346,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/08 Learning-based routing, e.g. using neural networks or artificial intelligence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/566 Routing instructions carried by the data packet, e.g. active networks

Abstract

The present invention provides an emergent network that is autonomous at the service level. Network nodes have policies that enable them to process different types of service requests, with the processing earning the nodes ‘rewards’. Successful nodes can pass some or all of their policies to other nodes using the evolutionary biology of bacteria as a model.

Claims

1. A multi-service communications network having a substantially polygonal topology and comprising more than one node,

each node comprising one or more nodal policy and being configured to process one or more services in accordance with said one or more nodal policy, each nodal policy comprising;

(i) a service request identifier, said service request identifier determining the type of service request that may be processed by each respective node; and

(ii) one or more service request criteria, said service request criteria determining whether a type of service request defined by said service request identifier will be processed by each respective node, the processing of said one or more services determining an activity indicator of said node such that the node may vary one or more of the nodal policies in accordance with the activity indicator

characterised in that service requests are inserted into node locations along at least one edge of the multi-service communications network.

2. A multi-service communications network according to claim 1, further characterised in that an unprocesesed service request has a tendency to migrate away from the edge of the multi-service communications network at which the service request was introduced.

3. A multi-service communications network according to any preceding claim in which each nodal policy comprises:

(i) a service request identifier which determines the type of service request that is processed by each respective node; and

(ii) one or more service request criteria which determines whether a suitable type of service request is processed by each respective node.

4. A multi-service communications network according to any preceding claim wherein the preferential processing of the service request is determined by a service request function.

5. A multi-service communications network according to claim 4, in which the service request function is the time to live.

6. A multi-service communications network according to claim 4, in which the service request function is the value derived from processing the service request.

7. A multi-service communications network according to any preceding claim such that if the activity indicator reaches a first upper threshold then the node exports one or more of the nodal policies.

8. A multi-service communications network according to any preceding claim such that if the activity indicator reaches a second upper threshold then the node replicates all of the nodal policies to generate a clone of the node.

9. A multi-service communications network according to any preceding claim such that if the activity indicator reaches a first lower threshold then the node imports a further nodal policy.

10. A multi-service communications network according to any preceding claim such that if the activity indicator reaches a second lower threshold then the node deletes an enabled nodal policy and enables a dormant nodal policy.

11. A multi-service communications network according to any of the preceding claims herein a variable within a nodal policy is randomly varied.

12. A multi-service communications network according to any of the preceding claims wherein each node further comprises a variable that encodes a preference for existing in a defined region of a cluster.

13. A data carrier comprising computer code means for implementing a multi-service communications network according to any preceding claim.