COMPUTING RISK-SHARING METRICS IN SHARED-MEDIA COMMUNICATION NETWORKS

• US 20130223225A1
• Filed: 02/23/2012
• Published: 08/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hui, Jonathan W., Vasseur, Jean-Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 9,391,784 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0836 to enhance reliability, e.g. reduce downtime
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/142 using statistical or mathematical methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

In one embodiment, a routing node determines a risk-sharing metric between pairs of nodes in a shared-media communication network, and may then compute a plurality of routes that minimizes the risk-sharing metric between the routes, to correspondingly route traffic according to the computed plurality of routes. Additionally, in another embodiment, a particular node in the shared-media communication network may determine a risk-sharing metric between itself and each of one or more other nodes in the shared-media communication network. The particular node may then share the one or more determined risk-sharing metrics with one or more routing nodes in the shared-media communication network, accordingly.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining a risk-sharing metric between pairs of nodes in a shared-media communication network;

computing a plurality of routes that minimizes the risk-sharing metric between the routes; and

routing traffic according to the computed plurality of routes.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein determining comprises:

receiving one or more advertisements from one or more nodes in the shared-media communication network, the advertisements relaying the associated risk-sharing metric between corresponding pairs of neighbor nodes of the respective node sending the advertisement.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein determining comprises:

querying one or more nodes for their locally determined risk-sharing metrics between pairs of their neighbor nodes.

4. The method as in claim 3, further comprising:

selecting a preferred node for a first computed route; and

querying the preferred node for its locally determined risk-sharing metrics between pairs of its neighbor nodes.

5. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an update to the risk-sharing metric between a particular pair of nodes in response to that risk-sharing metric changing by a threshold amount.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein determining comprises:

querying one or more nodes for one or more of their locally determined least-risk-shared neighbor nodes.

7. The method as in claim 6, wherein querying comprises:

indicating a select subset of nodes from which the queried nodes are to select their locally determined least-risk-shared neighbor nodes.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein computing comprises:

utilizing one or more routing metrics in addition to the risk-sharing metric when computing the plurality of routes.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein routing traffic comprises:

utilizing a protection scheme selected from 1+1 protection and 1;

1 protection.

10. A method, comprising:

determining, by a particular node in a shared-media communication network, a risk-sharing metric between the particular node and each of one or more other nodes in the shared-media communication network; and

sharing the one or more determined risk-sharing metrics with one or more routing nodes in the shared-media communication network.

11. The method as in claim 10, wherein sharing comprises:

sending one or more advertisements from the particular node to the one or more routing nodes.

12. The method as in claim 10, wherein sharing comprises:

replying to a query from the one or more routing nodes.

13. The method as in claim 10, further comprising:

sending an update for a particular risk-sharing metric of the one or more determined risk-sharing metrics in response to that risk-sharing metric changing by a threshold amount.

14. The method as in claim 10, wherein sharing comprises:

receiving a query from a particular routing node for one or more least-risk-shared neighbor nodes of the particular node;

determining the one or more least-risk-shared neighbor nodes of the particular node; and

replying to the query with the determined one or more least-risk-shared neighbor nodes of the particular node.

15. The method as in claim 14, wherein the received query indicates a select subset of nodes from which the particular node is to select its least-risk-shared neighbor nodes.

16. The method as in claim 10, wherein determining comprises:

determining a signal strength between the particular node and each of the one or more other nodes; and

computing the risk-sharing metric for each other node as a value proportional to the corresponding signal strength.

17. The method as in claim 10, wherein determining comprises:

determining a geographical distance between the particular node and each of the one or more other nodes; and

computing the risk-sharing metric for each other node as a value inversely proportional to the corresponding geographical distance.

18. The method as in claim 10, wherein determining comprises:

receiving one or more noise event notifications from each of the one or more other nodes; and

determining the risk-sharing metric for each other node by correlating the noise event notifications.

19. The method as in claim 10, wherein the one or more other nodes are determined as a set of nodes selected from a group consisting of:

next-hop neighbor nodes;

n-hop neighbor nodes;

reachable neighbor nodes; and

all nodes of the communication network.

20. The method as in claim 10, further comprising:

determining a risk-sharing metric between pairs of the one or more other nodes in the shared-media communication network;

computing a plurality of routes that minimizes the risk-sharing metric between the routes; and

routing traffic according to the computed plurality of routes.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more network interfaces to communicate in a shared-media communication network;

a processor coupled to the network interfaces and adapted to execute one or more processes; and

a memory configured to store a process executable by the processor, the process when executed operable to;

determine a risk-sharing metric between pairs of nodes in the shared-media communication network;

compute a plurality of routes that minimizes the risk-sharing metric between the routes; and

route traffic according to the computed plurality of routes.

22. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more network interfaces to communicate in a shared-media communication network;

a processor coupled to the network interfaces and adapted to execute one or more processes; and

a memory configured to store a process executable by the processor, the process when executed operable to;

determine a risk-sharing metric between the apparatus and each of one or more other nodes in the shared-media communication network; and

share the one or more determined risk-sharing metrics with one or more routing nodes in the shared-media communication network.