PROVIDING EXTENDED ADMINISTRATIVE GROUPS IN COMPUTER NETWORKS
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- receiving, with a network device, a routing protocol message that advertises a link, wherein the routing protocol message includes a field for storing first data associated with the link in accordance with the routing protocol, and wherein the field is defined by the routing protocol as a type of field having a different function from an administrative group field as defined by the same routing protocol;
determining, with the network device, that the field of the received routing protocol message has been repurposed to store second data in addition to the first data, wherein the second data specifies one or more extended administrative groups for the link different from the one or more administrative groups that are to be specified by the administrative group field;
upon determining that the field has been repurposed, updating routing information to associate the advertised link with the one or more extended administrative groups specified by the second data; and
performing, with the network device, path selection to select one or more paths based on the updated routing information.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In general, techniques are described for providing extended administrative groups in networks. A network device comprising an interface and a control unit may implement the techniques. The interface receives a routing protocol message that advertises a link. This message includes a field for storing first data associated with the link in accordance with the routing protocol. The field is defined by the routing protocol as a field having a different function from an administrative group field defined by the same routing protocol. The control unit determines that this field has been repurposed to store second data, wherein this second data specifies an extended administrative group for the link different from those that may be specified by the administrative group field. The control unit then updates routing information to associate the advertised link with the extended administrative group and performs path selection to select paths based on the updated routing information.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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receiving, with a network device, a routing protocol message that advertises a link, wherein the routing protocol message includes a field for storing first data associated with the link in accordance with the routing protocol, and wherein the field is defined by the routing protocol as a type of field having a different function from an administrative group field as defined by the same routing protocol; determining, with the network device, that the field of the received routing protocol message has been repurposed to store second data in addition to the first data, wherein the second data specifies one or more extended administrative groups for the link different from the one or more administrative groups that are to be specified by the administrative group field; upon determining that the field has been repurposed, updating routing information to associate the advertised link with the one or more extended administrative groups specified by the second data; and performing, with the network device, path selection to select one or more paths based on the updated routing information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A network device comprising:
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at least one interface that receives a routing protocol message that advertises a link, wherein the routing protocol message includes a field for storing first data associated with the link in accordance with the routing protocol, and wherein the field is defined by the routing protocol as a type of field having a different function from an administrative group field as defined by the same routing protocol; a control unit that determines that the field of the received routing protocol message has been repurposed to store second data in addition to the first data, wherein the second data specifies one or more extended administrative groups for the link different from the one or more administrative groups that are to be specified by the administrative group field, upon determining that the field has been repurposed, update routing information to associate the advertised link with the one or more extended administrative groups specified by the second data and perform path selection to select one or more paths based on the updated routing information. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A network system comprising:
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two or more customer networks; and a transport network that includes a plurality of routers, wherein at least two of the plurality of routers couple the two or more customer networks to the transport network, wherein a first one of the plurality of routers includes; at least one interface that receives a routing protocol message that advertises a link, wherein the routing protocol message includes a field for storing first data associated with the link in accordance with the routing protocol, and wherein the field is defined by the routing protocol as a type of field having a different function from an administrative group field as defined by the same routing protocol; a control unit that determines that the field of the received routing protocol message has been repurposed to store second data in addition to the first data, wherein the second data specifies one or more extended administrative groups for the link different from the one or more administrative groups that are to be specified by the administrative group field, upon determining that the field has been repurposed, update routing information to associate the advertised link with the one or more extended administrative groups specified by the second data and perform path selection to select one or more paths based on the updated routing information.
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22. A non-transitory computer-readable device comprising instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to:
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receive a routing protocol message that advertises a link, wherein the routing protocol message includes a field for storing first data associated with the link in accordance with the routing protocol, and wherein the field is defined by the routing protocol as a type of field having a different function from an administrative group field as defined by the same routing protocol; determine that the field of the received routing protocol message has been repurposed to store second data in addition to the first data, wherein the second data specifies one or more extended administrative groups for the link different from the one or more administrative groups that are to be specified by the administrative group field; upon determining that the field has been repurposed, update routing information to associate the advertised link with the one or more extended administrative groups specified by the second data; and perform path selection to select one or more paths based on the updated routing information. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification