System, device, and method for address management in a distributed communication environment
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Abstract
A distributed address database management technique involves maintaining an address database by each of a number of interconnected modules. Each module maintains a number of locally owned address entries and a number of remotely owned address entries in the address database. Each module monitors the status of its locally owned address entries, maintains the locally owned address entries based upon the status, and provides the status to the other interconnected modules. Each module maintains the remotely owned address entries based upon the status received from the other interconnected modules. When a module adds a locally owned address entry to its address database, the module notifies the other interconnected modules, which in turn add a corresponding remotely owned address entry to their respective address databases. When a module purges a locally owned address entry from its address database, the module notifies the other interconnected modules, which in turn purge the corresponding remotely owned address entries from their respective address databases. Each module may periodically send a keep-alive message including a list of active addresses to the other interconnected modules, which maintain a persistence timer for each of the remotely owned address entries and purge a particular remotely owned address entry if the corresponding persistence timer expires before receiving a keep-alive message identifying the remotely owned address entry as an active remotely owned address entry. Upon receiving a keep-alive message, a module adds a remotely owned address entry for a particular address to its address database if such a remotely owned address entry is not already maintained in the address database. A module purges all remotely owned address entries from its address database if the module is reconfigured to operate in a stand-alone mode. A module purges all remotely owned address entries associated with a particular interconnected module if that particular interconnected module is removed.
74 Citations
97 Claims
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1-79. -79. (canceled)
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80. A method for managing addresses by a module in a communication system having a plurality of interconnected modules, the method comprising:
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maintaining an address database comprising a locally owned address entry and a remotely owned address entry;
monitoring a status for the locally owned address entry in the address database;
maintaining the locally owned address entry in the address database based upon the status for the locally owned address entry determined by the module;
providing the status for the locally owned address entries to another interconnected module;
receiving the status for the remotely owned address entry from another interconnected module; and
maintaining the remotely owned address entry in the address database based upon the status of the remotely owned address entry provided by another interconnected module associated with the remotely owned address entry. - View Dependent Claims (81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86)
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87. A module for managing addresses in a communication system having a plurality of interconnected modules, the method comprising:
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means for maintaining an address database comprising a locally owned address entry and a remotely owned address entry;
means for monitoring a status for the locally owned address entry in the address database;
means for maintaining the locally owned address entry in the address database based upon the status for the locally owned address entry determined by the module;
means for providing the status for the locally owned address entries to another interconnected module;
means for receiving the status for the remotely owned address entry from another interconnected module; and
means for maintaining the remotely owned address entry in the address database based upon the status of the remotely owned address entry provided by another interconnected module associated with the remotely owned address entry. - View Dependent Claims (88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93)
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94. A method for managing addresses by a module in a communication system having a plurality of interconnected modules, the method comprising:
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receiving a data packet from a first communication device, the data packet having a source address;
adding an address entry associated with the source address as a locally owned address entry to an address database maintained by the module;
transmitting a control message comprising the source address to another interconnected module for adding a corresponding remotely owned address entry associated with the source address to an address database maintained by the another interconnected module;
determining that the locally owned address entry is obsolete;
purging the locally owned address entry from the address database maintained by the module; and
transmitting a purge message comprising the source address to the another interconnected module for purging the remotely owned address entry associated with the source address from the address database maintained by the another interconnected module. - View Dependent Claims (95, 96, 97)
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Specification