CONSTRUCTING A TRANSITION ROUTE IN A DATA COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20080101259A1
• Filed: 01/02/2008
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ian Shand, Stewart Bryant
• Original Assignee: Ian Shand, Stewart Bryant
• Inventors: Bryant, Stewart, Shand, Ian
• Granted Patent: US 8,238,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2212/00 Encapsulation of packets
• 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 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/18 Loop-free operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/48 Routing tree calculation

Abstract

A method is described of constructing a transition route in a data communication network having as components nodes and links. Upon receipt of a transition notification identifying a first component a non-neighboring node constructs a transition route around the first component. In an embodiment, a node performs detecting the first component transition; issuing a transition notification identifying the first component and recognizable by nodes configured to construct a transition route around the first component; and upon expiry of a notification transition period, issuing a transition advertisement recognizable by all nodes on the network.

Claims

1. A method of managing a transition, in a data communications network having as components nodes and links, of a first component, comprising the steps of:

detecting the first component transition;

issuing a transition notification identifying the first component and recognizable by nodes configured to construct a transition route around the first component; and

upon expiry of a notification transition period, issuing a transition advertisement recognizable by all nodes on a network.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising constructing a repair path around the first component from an adjacent component thereof upon detection of the first component transition.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 further comprising removing the repair path upon expiry of a repair transition period.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 in which the repair transition period expires upon construction of transition routes by all nodes in the network configured to construct transition routes.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising detecting and specifying in a transition notification whether the first component is a node or a link.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising varying the cost of a link associated with the first component by an incremental value;

and advertising the varied cost in the transition advertisement.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising, at a non-neighboring node, receiving the transition notification, and constructing a transition route around the first component.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 in which the notification transition period expires after construction of transition routes by all nodes in the network configured to construct transition nodes.

9. A method as claimed in claim 7 further comprising removing the transition route upon expiry of an advertisement transition period.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising, at a non-neighboring node, constructing a tunnel to the adjacent component.

11. A computer readable storage medium comprising one or more sequences of instructions for managing a transition, in a data communication network having as components nodes and links, of a first component, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform:

detecting the first component transition;

issuing a transition notification identifying the first component and recognizable by nodes configured to construct a transition route around the first component; and

upon expiry of a notification transition period, issuing a transition advertisement recognizable by all nodes on a network.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 further comprising instructions which when executed cause constructing a repair path around the first component from an adjacent component thereof upon detection of the first component transition.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 further comprising instructions which when executed cause varying the cost of a link associated with the first component by an incremental value, and advertising the varied cost in the transition advertisement.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 further comprising instructions which when executed cause, at a non-neighboring node, receiving the transition notification, and constructing a transition route around the first component.

15. An apparatus for managing a transition, in a data communications network having as components nodes and links, of a first component, comprising:

means for detecting the first component transition;

means for issuing a transition notification identifying the first component and recognizable by nodes configured to construct a transition route around the first component; and

means for issuing a transition advertisement recognizable by all nodes on a network upon expiry of a notification transition period.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising means for constructing a repair path around the first component from an adjacent component thereof upon detection of the first component transition.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising means for varying the cost of a link associated with the first component by an incremental value, and for advertising the varied cost in the transition advertisement.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising, at a non-neighboring node, means for receiving the transition notification, and for constructing a transition route around the first component.

19. An apparatus for managing a transition, in a data communications network having as components nodes and links, of a first component, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;

a network interface communicatively coupled to the processor and configured to communicate one or more packet flows among the processor and a network; and

a computer readable medium comprising one or more sequences of instructions for managing a transition, in a data communication network having as components nodes and links, of a first component, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform;

detecting the first component transition;

issuing a transition notification identifying the first component and recognizable by nodes configured to construct a transition route around the first component; and

upon expiry of a notification transition period, issuing a transition advertisement recognizable by all nodes on a network.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 further comprising instructions which when executed cause constructing a repair path around the first component from an adjacent component thereof upon detection of the first component transition.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 further comprising instructions which when executed cause varying the cost of a link associated with the first component by an incremental value;

and advertising the varied cost in the transition advertisement.

22. The apparatus of claim 19 further comprising instructions which when executed cause, at a non-neighboring node, receiving the transition notification, and constructing a transition route around the first component.

23. A method of constructing a route in a data communication network comprising the steps of:

receiving a notification identifying a first component transition, at a non-neighboring node thereof from a neighboring node thereof; and

constructing a tunnel from the non-neighboring node to the neighboring node.

24. A method as claimed in claim 23 further comprising constructing a repair path around the first component from the adjacent component upon detection of the first component transition.

25. An apparatus for constructing a route in a data communications network comprising means for receiving a notification identifying a first component transition, at a non-neighboring node thereof from a neighboring node thereof;

and means for constructing a tunnel from the non-neighboring node to the neighboring node.

26. An apparatus for constructing a route in a data communications network, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;

a network interface communicatively coupled to the processor and configured to communicate one or more packet flows among the processor and a network; and

a computer readable medium comprising one or more sequences of instructions for constructing a route in a data communication network which instructions, when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform;

receiving a notification identifying a first component transition, at a non-neighboring node thereof from a neighboring node thereof; and

constructing a tunnel from the non-neighboring node to the neighboring node.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 further comprising instructions which when executed cause constructing a repair path around the first component from the adjacent component upon detection of the first component transition.