Passive connection backup

• US 20050086385A1
• Filed: 10/20/2003
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dialogic, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: Dialogic, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Inventors: Rouleau, Gordon
• Application Number:
  US10/687,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20050086385A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/249
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2874 Processing of data for distribution to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2596 Translation of addresses of the same type other than IP, e.g. translation from MAC to MAC addresses
• 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 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A method and apparatus is disclosed for providing a backup connection method within a primary wide area network access device, allowing a plurality of network devices access to a wide area network using a backup access device, connected to a wide area network and addressable by the primary wide area network access device at the datalink layer and optionally at the network layer.

Claims

1. In a primary access device connecting a first network to a second network over a primary connection, a method for providing a backup connection between said first network and said second network, said method comprising:

detecting a failure in said primary connection;

receiving, at said primary access device, a data packet originating from said first network and having a destination address at the ISO datalink layer 2;

replacing, in said data packet, said destination address with a backup access device datalink address identifying a backup access device capable of providing said backup connection;

whereby said replacing of said destination address with said backup access device datalink address enables a transmittal of said received data packet to said second network over said backup connection.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first network is a local area network (LAN).

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said second network is a wide area network (WAN).

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said local area network is an Ethernet-like network.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said wide area network is an IP-based network.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said data packet is an domain name server request.

7. The method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising performing an ARP request and further wherein said backup access device datalink address is provided by said backup access device in response to said ARP request.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said backup access device IP network station address is provided to said primary access device at a predetermined time.

9. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said primary access device comprises domain name server relay and cache service, further comprising emptying said cache after said detecting of said failure in said primary connection.

10. The method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising creating a direct ISO layer 2 datalink connection between said primary access device and said backup access device and further providing said data packet having destination address replaced with said backup access device address to said backup access device using said direct ISO layer 2 datalink connection.

11. A backup system for providing a backup connection between a first network and a second network in response to a failure of a primary connection between said first network and said second network, said backup system comprising:

a backup access device for providing said backup connection and having a device address at the ISO layer 2 datalink layer;

a primary access device, connected to said backup access device, providing said primary connection between said first network and said second network and, in response to said failure, replacing the destination address of an incoming data packet, at said datalink layer, with said backup access device datalink address;

whereby said replacing of said destination address with said backup access device address enables the transmittal of said data packet to said second network over said backup connection.

12. The backup system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said primary access device and said backup access device are connected using an Ethernet network.

13. The backup system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said first network is a local area network (LAN).

14. The backup system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said second network is a wide area network (WAN).

15. The backup system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said primary access device further comprises a domain name server relay.

16. The backup system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said primary access device further comprises a DHCP server.