Anycast addressing for internet protocol version six
First Claim
1. A network address, comprising:
- prefix bits encoded to identify the network address as a selected one of a unicast network address, an anycast network address, and both the unicast and the anycast network address;
anycast scope identifier bits to identify an anycast scope, wherein the anycast scope corresponds to a network scope within which the anycast network address is recognized; and
anycast group identifier bits to identify an anycast group having one or more anycast members, wherein each of the one or more anycast members is associated with the same anycast network address.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A protocol associated with an Internet protocol version six (IPv6) network address included within a network packet provides both unicast and anycast addressing, while having the same bit locations and bit functions associated with a top-level aggregation identifier, a next-level aggregation identifier, and a site-level aggregation identifier. A prefix associated with the three most significant bits of the network address identifies the network address as being a unicast address, an anycast address, or both a unicast and an anycast address. The prefix that identifies the network address as being both a unicast and an anycast address allows routers to have smaller routing tables.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. A network address, comprising:
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prefix bits encoded to identify the network address as a selected one of a unicast network address, an anycast network address, and both the unicast and the anycast network address;
anycast scope identifier bits to identify an anycast scope, wherein the anycast scope corresponds to a network scope within which the anycast network address is recognized; and
anycast group identifier bits to identify an anycast group having one or more anycast members, wherein each of the one or more anycast members is associated with the same anycast network address. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A network router including one or more routing tables having one or more entries, the entries comprising:
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prefix bits encoded to identify the network address as a selected one of a unicast network address, an anycast network address, and both the unicast and the anycast network address;
anycast scope identifier bits to identify an anycast scope, wherein the anycast scope corresponds to a network scope within which the anycast network address is recognized; and
anycast group identifier bits to identify an anycast group having one or more anycast members, wherein each of the one or more anycast members is associated with the same anycast network address. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of routing a network packet having a network address, comprising:
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receiving the network packet; and
decoding prefix bits associated with the network address to identify the network address as being a selected one of a unicast network address and an anycast network address. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of generating a routing table associated with a network packet having a network address, comprising:
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receiving the network packet;
decoding prefix bits associated with the network address to identify the network address as being a selected one of a unicast network address and an anycast network address;
performing lookups associated with selected ones of the bits of the network address in one or more routing tables to identify a matching route stored in the one or more routing tables;
changing, if the matching route is identified and if the matching route corresponds to the unicast network address and if the network address is the anycast network address, the prefix bits associated with the matching route stored in the one or more routing tables to indicate that the matching route corresponds to both the unicast network address and the anycast network address; and
changing, if the matching route is identified and if the matching route corresponds to an anycast network address and if the network address is the unicast network address, the prefix bits associated with the matching route stored in the one or more routing tables to indicate that the matching route corresponds to both the unicast network address and the anycast network address. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A computer readable medium having computer readable code thereon for routing a network packet having a network address, comprising:
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instruction for receiving the network packet; and
instructions for decoding prefix bits associated with the network address to identify the network address as being a selected one of a unicast network address and an anycast network address. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A computer readable medium having computer readable code thereon for generating a routing table associated with a network packet having a network address, comprising:
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instructions for receiving the network packet;
instructions for decoding prefix bits associated with the network address to identify the network address as being a selected one of a unicast network address and an anycast network address;
instructions for performing lookups associated with selected ones of the bits of the network address in one or more routing tables to identify a matching route stored in the one or more routing tables;
instructions for deciding if the matching route is identified and if the matching route corresponds to the unicast network address and if the network address is the anycast network address, and in response thereto for changing the prefix bits associated with the matching route stored in the one or more routing tables to indicate that the matching route corresponds to both the unicast network address and the anycast network address; and
instructions for deciding if the matching route is identified and if the matching route corresponds to the anycast network address and if the network address is the unicast network address, and in response thereto for changing the prefix bits associated with the matching route stored in the one or more routing tables to indicate that the matching route corresponds to both the unicast network address and the anycast network address. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification