Technique for detecting leaky points within a network protocol domain
First Claim
1. A method for probing leaky points in a network protocol domain of a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:
- transmitting a probe message by a prober device, the probe message including a protocol field indicating a protocol of the network protocol domain;
propagating a probe message to a number of probed devices within the communication network;
checking for a leaky point in the network protocol domain by each of said number of probed devices that receives the probe message, including determining whether the probed device executes the protocol indicated in the protocol field of the probe message;
determining, by each probed device, whether to transmit a response message to the prober device, wherein said response message is one of;
negative response message indicating that the probed device detected a leaky point in the network protocol domain; and
a positive response message indicating that the probed device failed to detect a leaky point in the network protocol domain; and
determining, by the prober device, whether the network protocol domain is leaky based upon a pattern of response messages received by the prober device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A mechanism for allowing a prober to detect and identify leaky points within a network protocol domain utilizes a Probe Boundary Leak (PBL) protocol to propagate a probe message throughout the network protocol domain. Each PBL router that receives the probe message checks for leaky points in the network protocol domain. Any PBL router that detects a leaky point in the network protocol domain sends a negative response message to the prober including a network address for each leaky point detected by the PBL router. A PBL border router within the network protocol domain being probed sends a positive response message to the prober including a network address for each exit interface supported by the PBL border router. The prober thereby receives a list of “leaky” network interfaces and a list of “non-leaky” exit interfaces for the network protocol domain.
59 Citations
56 Claims
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1. A method for probing leaky points in a network protocol domain of a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:
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transmitting a probe message by a prober device, the probe message including a protocol field indicating a protocol of the network protocol domain;
propagating a probe message to a number of probed devices within the communication network;
checking for a leaky point in the network protocol domain by each of said number of probed devices that receives the probe message, including determining whether the probed device executes the protocol indicated in the protocol field of the probe message;
determining, by each probed device, whether to transmit a response message to the prober device, wherein said response message is one of;
negative response message indicating that the probed device detected a leaky point in the network protocol domain; and
a positive response message indicating that the probed device failed to detect a leaky point in the network protocol domain; and
determining, by the prober device, whether the network protocol domain is leaky based upon a pattern of response messages received by the prober device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
determining that the network protocol domain is leaky if the prober device receives at least one negative response message; and
determining that the network protocol domain is not leaky if the prober device fails to receive at least one negative response message.
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3. The method of claim 2, wherein each border device within the network protocol domain that fails to detect a leaky point in the network protocol domain transmits a positive response message to the prober device indicating that no leaky point was detected.
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4. The method of claim 1, wherein each probed device that fails to detect a leaky point in the network protocol domain transmits a positive response message to the prober device indicating that no leaky point was detected, and wherein the step of determining whether the network protocol domain is leaky comprises:
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determining that the network protocol domain is not leaky if the prober device receives a positive response message from each of a predetermined group of probed devices; and
determining that the network protocol domain is leaky if the prober device fails to receive a positive response message from at least one of the predetermined group of probed devices.
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5. In a prober device, a method for probing leaky points within a network protocol domain of a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:
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transmitting a probe message to a number of neighboring devices in the communication network, to determine whether each of the number of neighboring devices executes a protocol of the network protocol domain;
monitoring for a probe acknowledgement message from each of said neighboring devices; and
determining that a neighboring device is a leaky point within the network protocol domain if the prober device fails to receive a probe acknowledgement message from the neighboring device within a predetermined period of time. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
monitoring for response messages from various probed devices in the communication network that receive the probe message; and
determining whether there is at least one leaky point within the network protocol domain, other than a neighboring device for which the prober device failed to receive the probe acknowledgement message within the predetermined period of time, based upon a pattern of response messages received.
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7. The method of claim 6, wherein each probed device that detects a leaky point in the network protocol domain transmits a negative response message to the prober device indicating that a leaky point was detected, and wherein the step of determining whether there is at least one leaky point within the network protocol domain, other than a neighboring device for which the prober device failed to receive the probe acknowledgement message within the predetermined period of time, comprises:
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determining that there is at least one leaky point within the network protocol domain, other than a neighboring device for which the prober device failed to receive the probe acknowledgement message within the predetermined period of time, if the prober device receives at least one negative response message; and
determining that there is no leaky point within the network protocol domain, other than a neighboring device for which the prober device failed to receive the probe acknowledgement message within the predetermined period of time, if the prober device fails to receive at least one negative response message.
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8. The method of claim 6, wherein each probed device that fails to detect a leaky point in the network protocol domain transmits a positive response message to the prober device indicating that no leaky point was detected, and wherein the step of determining whether there is at least one leaky point within the network protocol domain, other than a neighboring device for which the prober device failed to receive the probe acknowledgement message within the predetermined period of time, comprises:
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determining that there is no leaky point within the network protocol domain, other than a neighboring device for which the prober device failed to receive the probe acknowledgement message within the predetermined period of time, if the prober device receives a positive response message from each of a predetermined group of probed devices; and
determining that there is at least one leaky point within the network protocol domain, other than a neighboring device for which the prober device failed to receive the probe acknowledgement message within the predetermined period of time, if the prober device fails to receive a positive response message from at least one of the predetermined group of probed devices.
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9. A prober device for probing leaky points within a network protocol domain of a communication network, the prober device comprising:
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network interface logic operably coupled to the communication network, and probing logic operably coupled to the network interface logic, wherein the probing logic comprises;
probe messaging transmitting logic operably coupled to the network interface logic for transmitting a probe message to a number of neighboring devices in the communication network to determine whether each of the number of neighboring devices executes a protocol of the network protocol domain;
probe acknowledgement receiving logic responsive to the probe message transmitting logic and operably coupled to the network interface logic for monitoring for a probe acknowledgement message from each of said neighboring devices; and
leak detection logic responsive to the probe acknowledgement receiving logic and operably coupled to determine that a neighboring device is a leaky point within the network protocol domain if the protocol acknowledgement receiving logic fails to receive a probe acknowledgement message from the neighboring device within a predetermined period of time. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A program product comprising a computer readable medium having embodied therein a computer readable program for probing leaky points within a network protocol domain by a prober device in a communication network, the computer readable program comprising:
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probe message transmitting logic programmed to transmit a probe message to a number of neighboring devices in the communication network to determine if each of the number of neighboring devices execute a protocol of the network protocol domain;
probe acknowledgement receiving logic programmed to monitor for a probe acknowledgement message from each of said neighboring devices; and
leak detection logic programmed to determine that a neighboring device is a leaky point within the network protocol domain if the protocol acknowledgement receiving logic fails to receive a probe acknowledgement message from the neighboring device within a predetermined period of time. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for probing leaky points within a network protocol domain by a probed device in a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving, from a neighboring device, a probe message originated by a prober device in the communication network, the probe message for determining whether the probed devices executes a protocol of the network protocol domain;
transmitting a probe acknowledgement message to the neighboring device;
checking for a leaky point in the network protocol domain; and
determining whether to transmit a response message to the prober device based upon whether the probed device detected a leaky point in the network protocol domain, wherein said response message is one of;
a negative response message indicating that the probed device detected a leaky point in the network protocol domain; and
a positive response message indicating that the probed device failed to detect a leaky point in the network protocol domain. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A probed device for probing leaky points within a network protocol domain of a communication network, the probed device comprising:
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network interface logic operably coupled to the communication network; and
probing logic operably coupled to the network interface logic, wherein the probing logic determines whether neighboring devices execute a protocol of the network protocol domain, wherein the probing logic comprises;
probe message receiving logic operably coupled to the network interface logic for receiving from a neighboring device a probe message originated by a prober device in the communication network;
probe acknowledgement transmitting logic responsive to the probe message receiving logic and operably coupled to transmit a probe acknowledgement message to the neighboring device;
leak detection logic responsive to the probe message receiving logic and operably coupled to check for a leaky point in the network protocol domain; and
probe response transmitting logic responsive to the leak detection logic and operably coupled to determine whether to transmit a response message to the prober device based upon whether the leak detection logic detected a leaky point in the network protocol domain, wherein said response message is one of;
a negative response message indicating that the lead detection logic detected a leaky point in the network protocol domain; and
a positive response message indicating that the leak detection logic failed to detect a leaky point in the network protocol domain. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A program product comprising a computer readable medium having embodied therein a computer readable program for probing leaky points within a network protocol domain by a probed device in a communication network, the computer readable program comprising:
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probe messaging receiving logic programmed to receive from a neighboring device a probe message oriented by a prober device in the communication network, the probe message for determining whether the probed device executes a protocol of the network protocol domain;
probe acknowledgement transmitting logic programmed to transmit a probe acknowledgement message to the neighboring device;
leak detection logic programmed to check for a leaky point in the network protocol domain; and
probe response transmitting logic programmed to determine whether to transmit a response message to the prober device based upon whether the leak detection logic detected a leaky point in the network protocol domain, wherein said response message is one of;
a negative response message indicating that the leak detection logic detected a leaky point in the network protocol domain; and
a positive response message indicating that the leak detection logic failed to detect a leaky point in the network protocol domain. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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53. A communication system comprising a prober device in communication with a number of probed devices by way of a probing protocol, wherein:
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the prober device transmits a probe message over the communication system, the probe message for determining which of the number of probed devices executes a protocol;
each probed device that receives the probe message from a neighboring device transmits a probe acknowledgement message to the neighboring device and checks for a leaky point in the network protocol domain; and
each probed device determines whether to transmit a response message to the prober device based upon whether the probed device detected a leaky point in the network protocol domain, wherein the response message is one of;
a negative response message indicating that the probed device detected a leaky point in the network protocol domain; and
a positive response message indicating that the probed device failed to detect a leaky point in the network protocol domain. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56)
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Specification