Method and apparatus for determining neighboring routing elements and rerouting traffic in a computer network

• US 20060056411A1
• Filed: 09/15/2004
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Roseman, Adam Craig, Badat, Qassim Ayub
• Granted Patent: US 7,649,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/123 Evaluation of link metrics techniques for monitoring network metrics H04L43/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery

Abstract

A method and apparatus for rerouting traffic in a computer network select a routing element, apply a subnet mask to an interface address of the routing element to generate subnet addresses, determine the address of neighboring elements from the subnet addresses, and obtain configuration information from the neighboring elements. Network topology is determined from the configuration information, a link in the network topology is selected, and a cost associated with the link is modified. The modified cost renders the link less desirable for routing. A method and apparatus for determining the address of neighboring routing elements in a computer network, combine a subnet mask and interface address associated in a bitwise AND operation to generate subnet addresses, disregard the highest and lowest subnet addresses and the address of the selected routing element from the subnet addresses, and identify the remaining subnet address as associated with the neighboring routing element.

Claims

1. A method of causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting one of a plurality of routing elements, the plurality of routing elements being associated with the computer network;

applying a subnet mask to an interface address associated with the selected routing element to generate a plurality of subnet addresses;

determining an address of a neighboring routing element from the plurality of subnet addresses, the neighboring routing element being linked to the selected routing element;

obtaining configuration information from the neighboring routing element using the address, the configuration information comprising an initial cost;

determining a network topology from the configuration information, the network topology comprising a plurality of links;

selecting one of the plurality of links, the initial cost associated with the selected link; and

modifying a cost associated with the selected link, the modified cost being adapted to render the at least one selected link less desirable for routing therethrough, the network traffic being routing around the selected routing element in response to the modified cost.

2. A method of causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 1, the method further comprising the steps of:

prompting the operator for authentication information;

verifying the authentication information; and

granting access to the operator in response to successfully verifying the authentication information.

3. A method of causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 1, the method further comprising the steps of:

storing the configuration information, the step of storing the configuration information being performed prior to the step of modifying the cost associated with the selected link; and

restoring the cost associated with the selected link to the initial cost, the step of restoring the cost being performed subsequent to the step of modifying the cost associated with the selected link.

4. A method of causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 1, wherein the step of modifying the cost associated with the selected link further comprises the steps of:

inputting a cost to be associated with the selected link;

previewing the cost to be associated with the selected link;

authorizing the cost to be associated with the selected link by the operator; and

applying the cost to the selected link in response to the operator authorizing the cost.

5. A method of causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying the network topology.

6. A method of causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 1, further comprising the step of archiving the configuration information.

7. A method of causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 1, further comprising the step of performing maintenance on the selected routing element.

8. A method of causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 1, wherein the step of applying a subnet mask further comprises the step of combining the subnet mask and the interface address associated with the selected routing element in a bitwise AND manner to generate the plurality of subnet addresses.

9. A method of causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 8, wherein the step of determining the address of the neighboring routing element from the plurality of subnet addresses further comprises the steps of:

disregarding the highest and lowest subnet addresses of the plurality of subnet addresses;

disregarding the address of the selected routing element from the plurality of subnet addresses; and

identifying the remaining subnet address as the address of the neighboring routing element.

10. A method of causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 8, wherein the method is at least one of automated and performed manually.

11. An apparatus for causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network, the apparatus comprising:

a processing device;

an input device, the input device being operatively coupled to the processing device; and

a display, the display being operatively coupled to the processing device, the computer network comprising a plurality of routing elements associated therewith, an operator selecting at least one of the plurality of routing elements through the input device, the processing device applying a subnet mask to an interface address associated with the selected routing element to generate a plurality of subnet addresses, the processing device determining an address of a neighboring routing element linked to the selected routing element from the plurality of subnet addresses, the processing device obtaining configuration information associated with the neighboring routing element, the processing device determining a network topology from the configuration information, the network topology comprising a plurality of links, the operator selecting one of the plurality of links through the input device, the configuration information comprising an initial cost associated with the selected link, the operator modifying a cost associated with the selected link through the input device, the modified cost being adapted to render the selected link less desirable for routing therethrough, the network traffic being routed around the selected routing element in response to the modified cost.

12. An apparatus for causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 11, wherein the processing device prompts the operator for authentication information, the processing device verifying the authentication information, the processing device granting access to the operator in response to successfully verifying the authentication information.

13. An apparatus for causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 11, further comprising memory, the memory being operatively coupled to the processing device, the processing device storing the configuration information prior to the step of modifying the cost associated with the selected link, the processing device restoring the cost associated with the selected link to the initial cost from memory subsequent to the step of modifying the cost associated with the selected link.

14. An apparatus for causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 11, wherein the operator inputs a cost to be associated with the selected link through the input device, the cost to be associated with the selected link being previewed to the operator on the display, the operator authorizing the cost to be associated with selected link through the input device, the processing device applying the cost to the selected link in response to the operator authorizing the cost.

15. An apparatus for causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 11, wherein the network topology is displayed on the display.

16. An apparatus for causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 11, wherein the configuration information is archived in memory.

17. An apparatus for causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 11, wherein maintenance is performed on the selected routing element

18. An apparatus for causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 11, wherein the processing device combines the subnet mask and the interface address in a bitwise AND manner to yield the plurality of subnet addresses.

19. An apparatus for causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 18, wherein the processing device disregards the highest and lowest subnet addresses of the plurality of subnet addresses, the processing device disregarding the address of the selected routing element from the plurality of subnet addresses, the processor identifying the remaining subnet address as the address of the neighboring routing element.

20. An apparatus for causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 11, wherein the processing device comprises at least one of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), microprocessor, microcontroller, field programmable gate array (FPGA), and computer.

21. An apparatus for causing network traffic to be rerouted in a computer network defined by claim 11, wherein the input device comprises at least one of a keyboard, mouse, touchpad, and trackball.

22. A method of determining the address of a routing element neighboring a selected routing element in a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:

combining a subnet mask and an interface address associated with the selected routing element in a bitwise AND manner to generate a plurality of subnet addresses;

disregarding the highest and lowest subnet addresses of the plurality of subnet addresses;

disregarding the address of the selected routing element from the plurality of subnet addresses; and

identifying the remaining subnet address as the address of the neighboring routing element.

23. An apparatus for determining the address of a routing element neighboring a selected routing element in a computer network, the apparatus comprising:

a processing device;

an input device, the input device being operatively coupled to the processing device, the selected routing element being selected by the input device; and

a display, the display being operatively coupled to the processing device, the processing device combining a subnet mask and an interface address of a selected routing element in a bitwise AND manner to yield a plurality of subnet addresses, the processing device disregarding the highest and lowest subnet addresses of the plurality of subnet addresses, the processing device disregarding the address of the selected routing element from the plurality of subnet addresses, the processor identifying the remaining subnet address as the address of the neighboring routing element.