Methods and apparatus for providing an enhanced dynamic multipoint virtual private network architecture

• US 20070206597A1
• Filed: 05/01/2006
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Khalid, Mohamed, Asati, Rajiv, Weis, Brian, Sethi, Pratima
• Granted Patent: US 7,602,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• 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 45/30 Routing of multiclass traffic

Abstract

A system transmits, to a hub from a first spoke, first routing information associated with the first spoke. The system receives, at the first spoke, from the hub, second routing information associated with a plurality of spokes in communication with the hub. The plurality of spokes includes a second spoke. The system resolves, at the first spoke, a next hop determination for the packet based on the second routing information received from the hub. The system routes the packet from the first spoke to the second spoke using the next hop determination.

Claims

1. A method of determining a next hop for a packet route, the method comprising:

transmitting, to the hub from a first spoke, first routing information associated with the first spoke;

receiving, at the first spoke, from the hub, second routing information associated with a plurality of spokes in communication with the hub, the plurality of spokes including a second spoke; and

resolving, at the first spoke, a next hop determination for the packet based on the second routing information received from the hub.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising:

routing the packet from the first spoke to the second spoke using the next hop determination.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting, to the hub from a first spoke, first routing information associated with the first spoke comprises:

registering with a policy server to receive a policy;

receiving, from the policy server, the policy; and

authenticating, with the hub, using the policy.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the policy is a group policy and wherein the policy server is the hub and wherein registering with a policy server to receive a policy comprises:

registering with the hub to receive the group policy, the group policy to be used to authenticate with the plurality of spokes including the second spoke.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting, to the hub from a first spoke, first routing information associated with the first spoke comprises:

advertising, to the hub, a plurality of first spoke routes with which the first spoke is associated.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting, to the hub from a first spoke, first routing information associated with the first spoke comprises:

transmitting, to the hub, from the first spoke, a notification that a new address for the first spoke has replaced a previous address, the notification including a flag signaling the hub to recognize the new address associated with the first spoke; and

receiving notification that the hub has recognized the new address of the first spoke, and released the previous address.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting, to the hub from a first spoke, first routing information associated with the first spoke comprises:

receiving notification that the hub has detected that a third spoke, within the plurality of spokes, has become unreachable; and

receiving notification that the hub has transmitted a purge request to the first spoke and the plurality of spokes including the second spoke, the purge request notifying that the third spoke is unreachable.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving, at the first spoke, from the hub, second routing information associated with a plurality of spokes in communication with the hub, the plurality of spokes including a second spoke comprises:

receiving a plurality of spoke routes, the plurality of spoke routes including sets of spoke routes associated with each spoke within the plurality of spokes, each set of spoke routes advertised to the hub by the respective spoke associated with that set of spoke routes.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein resolving, at the first spoke, a next hop determination for the packet based on the second routing information received from the hub comprises:

triggering a request, to a next hop server, the request originating from the first spoke to obtain next hop determination for the packet;

in response, receiving the next hop determination from the next hop server; and

storing the next hop determination.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the next hop server is the hub and wherein the next hop determination contains information associated with a quality of service associated with the packet. and wherein triggering a request, to a next hop server, the request originating from the first spoke to obtain next hop determination for the packet comprises:

triggering a request to the hub, the request including at least one of;

i) a request to resolve all available next hop determinations;

ii) a request to resolve some of the available next hop determinations; and

iii) a request to resolve all available next hop determinations as those available next hop determination are required by the first spoke.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein routing the packet from the first spoke to the second spoke using the next hop determination comprises:

routing the packet via a tunnel between the first spoke and the second spoke, using a group policy received from a policy server.

12. A computerized device comprising:

a memory;

a processor;

a communications interface;

an interconnection mechanism coupling the memory, the processor and the communications interface;

wherein the memory is encoded with a route determining application that when executed on the processor determines a next hop for a packet route on the computerized device by performing the operations of;

transmitting, to the hub from a first spoke, first routing information associated with the first spoke;

receiving, at the first spoke, from the hub, second routing information associated with a plurality of spokes in communication with the hub, the plurality of spokes including a second spoke; and

resolving, at the first spoke, a next hop determination for the packet based on the second routing information received from the hub.

13. The computerized device of claim 12 wherein when the computerized device performs the operation of transmitting, to the hub from a first spoke, first routing information associated with the first spoke, the computerized device performs the operations of:

registering with a policy server to receive a policy;

receiving, from the policy server, the policy; and

authenticating, with the hub, using the policy.

14. The computerized device of claim 13 wherein the policy is a group policy and wherein the policy server is the hub and wherein when the computerized device performs the operation of registering with a policy server to receive a policy, the computerized device performs the operation of:

registering with the hub to receive the group policy, the group policy to be used to authenticate with the plurality of spokes including the second spoke.

15. The computerized device of claim 12 wherein when the computerized device performs the operation of transmitting, to the hub from a first spoke, first routing information associated with the first spoke, the computerized device performs the operation of:

advertising, to the hub, a plurality of first spoke routes with which the first spoke is associated.

16. The computerized device of claim 12 wherein when the computerized device performs the operation of transmitting, to the hub from a first spoke, first routing information associated with the first spoke, the computerized device performs the operations of:

transmitting, to the hub, from the first spoke, a notification that a new address for the first spoke has replaced a previous address, the notification including a flag signaling the hub to recognize the new address associated with the first spoke; and

receiving notification that the hub has recognized the new address of the first spoke, and released the previous address.

17. The computerized device of claim 12 wherein when the computerized device performs the operation of transmitting, to the hub from a first spoke, first routing information associated with the first spoke, the computerized device performs the operations of:

receiving notification that the hub has detected that a third spoke, within the plurality of spokes, has become unreachable; and

receiving notification that the hub has transmitted a purge request to the first spoke and the plurality of spokes including the second spoke, the purge request notifying that the third spoke is unreachable.

18. The computerized device of claim 12 wherein when the computerized device performs the operation of receiving, at the first spoke, from the hub, second routing information associated with a plurality of spokes in communication with the hub, the plurality of spokes including a second spoke, the computerized device performs the operation of:

receiving a plurality of spoke routes, the plurality of spoke routes including sets of spoke routes associated with each spoke within the plurality of spokes, each set of spoke routes advertised to the hub by the respective spoke associated with that set of spoke routes.

19. The computerized device of claim 12 wherein when the computerized device performs the operation of resolving, at the first spoke, a next hop determination for the packet based on the second routing information received from the hub, the computerized device performs the operations of:

triggering a request, to a next hop server, the request originating from the first spoke to obtain next hop determination for the packet;

in response, receiving the next hop determination from the next hop server; and

storing the next hop determination.

20. The computerized device of 19 wherein the next hop server is the hub and wherein the next hop determination contains information associated with a quality of service associated with the packet and wherein when the computerized device performs the operation of triggering a request, to a next hop server, the request originating from the first spoke to obtain next hop determination for the packet, the computerized device performs the operation of:

triggering a request to the hub, the request including at least one of;

i) a request to resolve all available next hop determinations;

ii) a request to resolve some of the available next hop determinations; and

iii) a request to resolve all available next hop determinations as those available next hop determination are required by the first spoke.