REACTIVE AND PROACTIVE ROUTING PROTOCOL INTEROPERATION IN LOW POWER AND LOSSY NETWORKS

• US 20140029624A1
• Filed: 07/30/2012
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vasseur, Jean-Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 8,934,496 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/26 for hybrid routing by combining proactive and reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/28 for reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/30 for proactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In one embodiment, a border node between a reactive routing network and a proactive routing network may receive an inter-domain route request (RREQ) from a requestor for a destination, and determines whether it knows the destination. In response to knowing the destination, the border node responds to the requestor. However, in response to not knowing the destination at the border node, when the border node is ingressing the inter-domain RREQ into the proactive routing network, it sends the inter-domain RREQ to each other border node of the proactive routing network. Alternatively, when the border node is ingressing the inter-domain RREQ into the reactive routing network, it sends the inter-domain RREQ into the reactive routing network.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a border node between a reactive routing network and a proactive routing network, an inter-domain route request (RREQ) from a requestor for a destination;

determining whether the destination is known to the border node;

in response to knowing the destination at the border node, responding to the requestor; and

in response to not knowing the destination at the border node;

when the border node is ingressing the inter-domain RREQ into the proactive routing network, sending the inter-domain RREQ to each other border node of the proactive routing network; and

when the border node is ingressing the inter-domain RREQ into the reactive routing network, sending the inter-domain RREQ into the reactive routing network.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein in response to knowing the destination at the border node, responding to the requestor comprises:

returning a route reply (RREP) to an originating border node ingressing the inter-domain RREQ from an originating reactive routing network into the proactive routing network, wherein the originating border node returns the RREP to the requestor in the originating reactive routing network.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein in response to knowing the destination at the border node, responding to the requestor comprises:

returning a route reply (RREP) to the requestor, wherein the border node is between the reactive routing network of the requestor and the proactive routing network.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the inter-domain RREQ is unicast to the border node.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein sending the inter-domain RREQ to each other border node of the proactive routing network comprises multicasting the inter-domain RREQ to each other border node of the proactive routing network.

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

advertising capability of the border node to act as a border node.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein in response to not knowing the destination at the border node, and when the border node is ingressing the inter-domain RREQ into the reactive routing network, the method further comprises:

determining that no route reply (RREP) is received from the reactive routing network; and

, in response,

discarding the inter-domain RREQ.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein in response to not knowing the destination at the border node, and when the border node is ingressing the inter-domain RREQ into the reactive routing network, the method further comprises:

determining that a route reply (RREP) is received from the reactive routing network for the destination; and

in response;

updating the proactive routing network with routing topology information for the destination; and

returning the RREP to a border node ingressing the inter-domain RREQ into the proactive routing network.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein in response to not knowing the destination at the border node, and when the border node is ingressing the inter-domain RREQ into the proactive routing network, the method further comprises:

sending the requestor an advanced route reply (RREP) to indicate the ingressing of the inter-domain RREQ into the proactive routing network to cause the requestor to increase its wait time for a true RREP.

10. The method as in claim 1, wherein in response to not knowing the destination at the border node, the method further comprises:

sending the inter-domain RREQ upon expiration of random backoff timer without having received a duplicate inter-domain RREQ from a duplicate border node also between the reactive routing network and proactive routing network.

11. The method as in claim 1, wherein in response to not knowing the destination at the border node, and when the border node is ingressing the inter-domain RREQ into the proactive routing network, sending the inter-domain RREQ to each other border node of the proactive routing network comprises:

sending the inter-domain RREQ to a root node of the proactive routing network in a non-storing mode, wherein the root node forwards the inter-domain RREQ to each other border node of the proactive routing network.

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

loose-hop routing subsequently sent messages to the destination between border nodes of the proactive routing network.

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

receiving a negative routing update for the destination at the border node ingressing the inter-domain RREQ into the proactive routing network; and

, in response,

sending an unsolicited route reply (RREP) to the requestor indicating that a route to the destination is no longer valid.

14. The method as in claim 1, wherein the inter-domain RREQ is explicitly indicated as being an inter-domain RREQ.

15. A method, comprising:

determining a need for a route to a destination by a requestor in a reactive routing network; and

, in response,

sending an inter-domain route request (RREQ) from the requestor to a border node between the reactive routing network and a proactive routing network interconnected with zero or more other reactive routing networks.

16. The method as in claim 15, further comprising:

sending an intra-domain RREQ within the reactive routing network for the destination;

determining that no route reply (RREP) is returned for the intra-domain RREP; and

, in response,

sending the inter-domain RREQ to the border node between the reactive routing network and the proactive routing network.

17. The method as in claim 15, wherein sending the inter-domain RREP to the border node between the reactive routing network and the proactive routing network comprises:

sending a generic RREQ within the reactive routing network with in indication that receiving border nodes between the reactive routing network and the proactive routing network are to convert the generic RREQ into the inter-domain RREQ.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more network interfaces to communicate as a border node between a reactive routing network and a proactive routing 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;

receive an inter-domain route request (RREQ) from a requestor for a destination;

determine whether the destination is known to the border node;

in response to knowing the destination at the border node, respond to the requestor; and

in response to not knowing the destination at the border node;

when the border node is ingressing the inter-domain RREQ into the proactive routing network, send the inter-domain RREQ to each other border node of the proactive routing network; and

when the border node is ingressing the inter-domain RREQ into the reactive routing network, send the inter-domain RREQ into the reactive routing network.

19. The apparatus as in claim 18, wherein the process when executed to respond to the requestor in response to knowing the destination at the border node is further operable to:

return a route reply (RREP) to one of either;

a) an originating border node ingressing the inter-domain RREQ from an originating reactive routing network into the proactive routing network, wherein the originating border node returns the RREP to the requestor in the originating reactive routing network;

or b) the requestor when the border node is between the reactive routing network of the requestor and the proactive routing network.

20. The apparatus as in claim 18, wherein the process when executed to sending the inter-domain RREQ to each other border node of the proactive routing network is further operable to multicast the inter-domain RREQ to each other border node of the proactive routing network.

21. The apparatus as in claim 18, wherein the process, when executed in response to not knowing the destination at the border node, and when the border node is ingressing the inter-domain RREQ into the reactive routing network, is further operable to:

determine that a route reply (RREP) is received from the reactive routing network for the destination; and

in response;

update the proactive routing network with routing topology information for the destination; and

return the RREP to a border node ingressing the inter-domain RREQ into the proactive routing network.

22. The apparatus as in claim 18, wherein the process, when executed to send the inter-domain RREQ to each other border node of the proactive routing network in response to not knowing the destination at the border node when the border node is ingressing the inter-domain RREQ into the proactive routing network, is further operable to:

send the inter-domain RREQ to a root node of the proactive routing network in a non-storing mode, wherein the root node forwards the inter-domain RREQ to each other border node of the proactive routing network.

23. The apparatus as in claim 18, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

loose-hop route subsequently sent messages to the destination between border nodes of the proactive routing network.

24. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more network interfaces to communicate within a reactive routing 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 need for a route to a destination; and

send, in response to the need, an inter-domain route request (RREQ) to a border node between the reactive routing network and a proactive routing network interconnected with zero or more other reactive routing networks.

25. The apparatus as in claim 24, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

send an intra-domain RREQ within the reactive routing network for the destination;

determine that no route reply (RREP) is returned for the intra-domain RREP; and

,

in response,

send the inter-domain RREQ to the border node between the reactive routing network and the proactive routing network.