SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SIMULATING IP NETWORK ROUTING

• US 20120209581A1
• Filed: 07/17/2009
• Published: 08/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Netbrain Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Netbrain Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Gao, Lingping, Liao, Guangdong
• Granted Patent: US 8,325,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/13
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/46 Cluster building

Abstract

Methods and systems for simulating IP networks. Routing Clusters are formed by grouping routers that are connected directly or indirectly and are running the same routing protocol. Routers that are configured to run more than one routing protocols became Border Routers for routing clusters based on these routing protocols. Routing tables are formed by flooding the routers inside the routing clusters and by flooding routes across routing links by redistribution command.

Claims

1. A method for simulating a network routing, comprising the actions of:

building a Network Cluster Graph (NCG) based on the network configuration information, wherein the NCG comprises at least one routing cluster; and

calculating simulated routing tables for the network using the NCG.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein building a NCG further comprising the actions of:

extracting first configuration information including routing protocols from a network device;

identifying and extracting configuration information of neighboring network devices of said network device using the first configuration information;

building at least one routing cluster (RC) wherein the network devices that run the same routing protocol are grouped in one cluster;

identifying a border cluster router (BCR), if any, that is configured to run at least two routing protocols;

If there is border cluster router, linking the routing clusters which said border cluster router belongs to via said border cluster router; and

displaying the routing clusters.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising actions of:

calculating route entries for a cluster router;

determining whether each of the route entries can be updated to the neighbor devices by at least one of the interfaces of the router; and

updating the metrics of each of the route entries.

4. A method of claim 2, further comprising actions of:

calculating route entries for a cluster router;

determining the neighbor interfaces for the interface of cluster router;

determining whether each of the route entries may be denied by any of the neighbor interfaces; and

updating the routing table of each of the route entries.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the network is an IP network.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the neighboring devices are determined by the IP address of each of the devices.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising actions of:

flooding the routes from one router cluster to another router cluster via a border cluster router.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein flooding routes across a router cluster further comprising:

determining whether a route is blocked by the distribution command in the configuration of the boarder cluster router.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein flooding routes across a router cluster further comprising:

determining whether the source routing protocol matches the redistribution command of the boarder cluster router; and

if yes for the above step, updating the routing table of the boarder cluster router and resetting the route parameters according to the redistribution command.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the NCG is a vector diagram.

11. A method for simulating a network routing, comprising the actions of:

building a Network Cluster Graph (NCG) wherein the network comprises plurality of routing clusters;

each of the routing clusters has plurality of border cluster routers;

border cluster routers are linked with a directional cluster link; and

calculating simulated routing tables for the network using said NCG.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the routers in the routing cluster are directly or indirectly connected.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising actions of:

flooding the routes from one router cluster to another router cluster via a border cluster router.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the connected router interfaces inside at least one routing cluster run RIP protocol.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the connected router interfaces inside at least one routing cluster run (E)IGRP protocol.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the connected router interfaces inside at least one routing cluster run OSPF protocol and in the same area.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the connected routers inside at least one routing cluster have the same BGP AS number.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one border cluster router interface run simultaneously at least two routing protocols selected from a group comprised of RIP protocol, (E)IGRP protocol, OSPF protocol, and BGP protocol.

19. A network simulation system, comprising:

a screen for displaying network simulation; and

a computer system for extracting and processing network device information from a physical network;

wherein the screen displays a dynamically generated simulation of the physical network in which network devices that are connected directly or indirectly and are running one same routing protocol are grouped to be in one router cluster;

routers running more than one routing protocols are border routers that form cluster links between two router clusters.

20. The network simulation system of claim 19, wherein the computer system further conducts the actions of:

calculating route entries for a cluster router;

determining whether each of the route entries may be updated to the neighbor devices by at least one of the interfaces of the router; and

updating the metrics of each of the route entries.

21. The network simulation system of claim 19, wherein the computer system further conducts the actions of:

calculating route entries for a cluster router;

determining the neighbor interfaces for the interface of cluster router;

determining whether each of the route entries may be denied by any of the neighbor interfaces; and

updating the routing table of each of the route entries.

22. The network simulation system of claim 19, wherein the computer system further conducts the actions of:

flooding the routes from one router cluster to another router cluster via a border cluster router.

23. The network simulation system of claim 19, wherein the computer system further conducts the actions of:

determining whether a route is blocked by the distribution command in the configuration of the boarder cluster router.

24. The network simulation system of claim 19, wherein the network is an IP network.

25. The network simulation system of claim 19, wherein whether a network device is a neighboring device to another network device is determined by the IP addresses of each of the devices.