Routing method, node, packet communication system, program, and recording medium

• US 20030179751A1
• Filed: 02/27/2003
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Okajima, Ichiro, Ikeda, Takehiro, Omae, Koji, Umeda, Narumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,301,948 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2212/00 Encapsulation of packets
• 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 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A configuration comprises a destination address extracting/rewriting device 4 for extracting a destination address of a packet; a common-route packet extracting device 8 for extracting two or more packets having a common route at least in part of routes to their respective terminals from a plurality of packets, based on their extracted destination addresses; an aggregate packet creating device 9 for aggregating the plurality of packets having the common route at least in part of the routes to create an aggregate packet including information of each of the packets; a destination address giving device 10 for giving the aggregate packet a destination address so that the destination address of the aggregate packet is an address of an adjacent node on the common route; and an aggregate packet routing device 11 for routing the aggregate packet, based on the destination address.

Claims

1. A routing method of, based on a destination address given to a packet, routing said packet, said method comprising:

a step of extracting a destination address of a packet;

a step of extracting two or more packets having a common route at least in part of routes to their respective terminals, from a plurality of packets, based on their respective destination addresses thus extracted;

a step of aggregating the two or more packets having the common route at least in part of the routes to create an aggregate packet including information of each of the packets;

a step of giving said aggregate packet a destination address so that the destination address of said aggregate packet is an address of an adjacent node on said common route; and

a step of routing said aggregate packet, based on said destination address.

5. The routing method according to claim 1 or claim 3, comprising a step of setting an aggregate flag indicating an aggregate packet, in header information of said aggregate packet.

6. The routing method according to claim 1 or claim 3, comprising:

a step of comparing the total number of bits of the two or more packets having the common route at least in part of the routes, with the number of bits of said aggregate packet; and

a step of routing said aggregate packet, based on the destination address thereof, only when the result of the comparison is that the number of bits of said aggregate packet is smaller than the total number of bits of said two or more packets.

7. The routing method according to claim 1 or claim 3, wherein targets of aggregation are only packets buffered on a transmission queue.

21. The routing method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of compressing said aggregate packet by converting a bit pattern included in said aggregate packet, into a predetermined code.

22. The routing method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of compressing said aggregate packet by picking out a common bit string included in said plurality of packets, from at least one packet out of said two or more packets.

2. A routing method of, based on a destination address given to a packet, routing said packet, said method comprising:

a step of extracting a destination address of a packet;

a step of recovering a plurality of original packets from an aggregate packet in which the plurality of packets are aggregated;

a step of determining whether said recovered packets have a common route at least in part of routes to their respective terminals, based on destination addresses of the respective packets; and

a step of performing routing in such a way that when the result of the determination is that the packets have the common route at least in part of the routes, a destination address of said aggregate packet is rewritten so that the destination address of said aggregate packet is an address of an adjacent node on said common route, and the aggregate packet is routed based on the destination address, or in such a way that when the packets have no common route, said recovered packets are routed based on their respective destination addresses.

3. A routing method of, based on a destination address given to a packet, routing said packet, said method comprising:

a step of extracting a destination address of a packet;

a step of extracting two or more packets having a common route at least in part of routes to their respective terminals, from a plurality of packets, based on their respective destination addresses thus extracted;

a step of aggregating the two or more packets having the common route at least in part of the routes to create an aggregate packet including information of each of the packets;

a step of giving said aggregate packet a destination address so that the destination address of said aggregate packet is an address of a predetermined node having a function of recovering the two or more original packets from said aggregate packet; and

a step of routing said aggregate packet, based on said destination address thus determined.

4. A routing method of, based on a destination address given to a packet, routing said packet, said method comprising:

a step of extracting a destination address of a packet;

a step of determining whether said destination address extracted agrees with its own address;

a step of recovering a plurality of original packets from an aggregate packet in which the plurality of packets are aggregated, when the result of the determination is that said destination address extracted agrees with its own address; and

a step of routing each of said recovered packets, or said aggregate packet having the destination address disagreeing with its own address, based on the destination address.

8. A node for, based on a destination address given to a packet, routing said packet, said node comprising:

destination address extracting means for extracting a destination address of a packet;

common-route packet extracting means for extracting two or more packets having a common route at least in part of routes to their respective terminals, from a plurality of packets, based on their respective destination addresses thus extracted;

aggregate packet creating means for aggregating the two or more packets having the common route at least in part of the routes to create an aggregate packet including information of each of the packets;

destination address giving means for giving said aggregate packet a destination address so that the destination address of said aggregate packet is an address of an adjacent node on said common route; and

aggregate packet routing means for routing said aggregate packet, based on said destination address.

9. A node for, based on a destination address given to a packet, routing said packet, said node comprising:

destination address extracting means for extracting a destination address of a packet;

recovering means for recovering a plurality of original packets from an aggregate packet in which the plurality of packets are aggregated;

determining means for determining whether said recovered packets have a common route at least in part of routes to their respective terminals, based on destination addresses of the respective packets; and

packet routing means for performing routing in such a way that when the result of the determination is that the packets have the common route at least in part of the routes, a destination address of said aggregate packet is rewritten so that the destination address of said aggregate packet is an address of an adjacent node on said common route, and the aggregate packet is routed based on the destination address, or in such a way that when the packets have no common route, said recovered packets are routed based on their respective destination addresses.

10. A node for, based on a destination address given to a packet, routing said packet, said node comprising:

destination address extracting means for extracting a destination address of a packet;

common-route packet extracting means for extracting two or more packets having a common route at least in part of routes to their respective terminals, from a plurality of packets, based on their respective destination addresses thus extracted;

aggregate packet creating means for aggregating the two or more packets having the common route at least in part of the routes to create an aggregate packet including information of each of the packets;

destination address giving means for giving said aggregate packet a destination address so that the destination address of said aggregate packet is an address of a predetermined node having a function of recovering the two or more original packets from said aggregate packet; and

aggregate packet routing means for routing said aggregate packet, based on said destination address thus determined.

12. The node according to claim 8 or claim 10, comprising aggregate flag setting means for setting an aggregate flag indicating an aggregate packet, in header information of said aggregate packet.

13. The node according to claim 8 or claim 10, comprising:

number-of-bits comparing means for comparing the total number of bits of the two or more packets having the common route at least in part of the routes, with the number of bits of said aggregate packet;

wherein said aggregate packet routing means routes said aggregate packet, based on the destination address thereof, only when the result of the comparison is that the number of bits of said aggregate packet is smaller than the total number of bits of said two or more packets.

14. The node according to claim 8 or claim 10, wherein targets of aggregation are only packets buffered on a transmission queue.

15. A packet communication system comprising a host for sending a packet;

the node as set forth in one of claims 8 to 14, for relaying said packet; and

a host for receiving said packet.

23. The node according to claim 12, further comprising aggregate packet compressing means for compressing said aggregate packet by converting a bit pattern included in said aggregate packet, into a predetermined code.

24. The node according to claim 12, further comprising aggregate packet compressing means for compressing said aggregate packet by picking out a common bit string included in said plurality of packets, from at least one packet out of said two or more packets.

11. A node for, based on a destination address given to a packet, routing said packet, said node comprising:

destination address extracting means for extracting a destination address of a packet;

address determining means for determining whether said destination address extracted agrees with its own address;

recovering means for recovering a plurality of original packets from an aggregate packet in which the plurality of packets are aggregated, when the result of the determination is that said destination address extracted agrees with its own address; and

packet routing means for routing each of said recovered packets, or said aggregate packet having the destination address disagreeing with its own address, based on the destination address.

16. A program of, based on a destination address given to a packet, routing said packet, said program being configured to make a communication device execute the following processes:

a process of extracting a destination address of a packet;

a process of extracting two or more packets having a common route at least in part of routes to their respective terminals, from a plurality of packets, based on their respective destination addresses thus extracted;

a process of aggregating the two or more packets having the common route at least in part of the routes to create an aggregate packet including information of each of the packets;

a process of giving said aggregate packet a destination address so that the destination address of said aggregate packet is an address of an adjacent node on said common route; and

a process of routing said aggregate packet, based on said destination address.

20. A computer-readable recording medium in which the program as set forth in one of claims 16 to 19 is recorded.

17. A program of, based on a destination address given to a packet, routing said packet, said program being configured to make a communication device execute the following processes:

a process of extracting a destination address of a packet;

a process of recovering a plurality of original packets from an aggregate packet in which the plurality of packets are aggregated;

a process of determining whether said recovered packets have a common route at least in part of routes to their respective terminals, based on destination addresses of the respective packets; and

a process of performing routing in such a way that when the result of the determination is that the packets have the common route at least in part of the routes, a destination address of said aggregate packet is rewritten so that the destination address of said aggregate packet is an address of an adjacent node on said common route, and the aggregate packet is routed based on the destination address, or in such a way that when the packets have no common route, said recovered packets are routed based on their respective destination addresses.

18. A program of, based on a destination address given to a packet, routing said packet, said program being configured to make a communication device execute the following processes:

a process of extracting a destination address of a packet;

a process of extracting two or more packets having a common route at least in part of routes to their respective terminals, from a plurality of packets, based on their respective destination addresses thus extracted;

a process of aggregating the two or more packets having the common route at least in part of the routes to create an aggregate packet including information of each of the packets;

a process of giving said aggregate packet a destination address so that the destination address of said aggregate packet is an address of a predetermined node having a function of recovering the two or more original packets from said aggregate packet; and

a process of routing said aggregate packet, based on said destination address thus determined.

19. A program of, based on a destination address given to a packet, routing said packet, said program being configured to make a communication device execute the following processes:

a process of extracting a destination address of a packet;

a process of determining whether said destination address extracted agrees with its own address;

a process of recovering a plurality of original packets from an aggregate packet in which the plurality of packets are aggregated, when the result of the determination is that said destination address extracted agrees with its own address; and

a process of routing each of said recovered packets, or said aggregate packet having the destination address disagreeing with its own address, based on the destination address.