Per user and network routing tables

• US 7,539,194 B1
• Filed: 04/27/2005
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Xu, Xi, Lou, Shuxian, Dos Santos, Maria Alice, Zhang, Shujin, Jin, Jane Jiaying, Chu, Jie
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, PHUC H
• Application Number:
  US11/116,548
• Time in Patent Office: 1,490 Days
• Field of Search: 370/392, 370/401, 370/235, 370/382, 370/400, 370/432
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing

Abstract

A gateway routes a packet from a user to a connected network utilizing a per-user routing table. A source address is extracted from the packet; a per-user routing table corresponding to the source address is found, the per-user routing table contains entries corresponding to one or more currently accessible networks for the user and the range of network addresses corresponding to the currently accessible networks; a destination address is extracted from the packet; an entry in the matching per-user routing table with a range of network addresses containing the destination address is sought; the packet is routed to a matching network if the destination address is contained within one of the ranges of network addresses for the currently accessible networks (“ranges”); and the packet is routed to a default network if the destination address is not contained within one of the ranges. Different users may access a different set of networks and select a desired network for access.

Claims

1. A method for routing a packet sent from a user in a system in which the user may be connected to multiple networks simultaneously, including:

extracting a source address from the packet;

finding a per-user routing table corresponding to said source address, said per-user routing table unique to the user and containing entries corresponding to one or more currently accessible networks for the user and the range of network addresses corresponding to said currently accessible networks;

extracting a destination address from the packet; and

routing the packet to a matching network if said destination address is contained within one of said ranges of network addresses for said currently accessible networks.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said matching network is said accessible network corresponding to said range of addresses in which said destination address is found.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said default network is the largest accessible network.

4. A gateway for routing a packet sent from a user in a system in which the user may be connected to multiple networks simultaneously, including:

a packet source address extractor;

a memory containing one or more per-user routing tables, each of said routing tables unique to a user and containing entries corresponding to one or more currently accessible networks for the corresponding user and the range of network addresses corresponding to said currently accessible networks;

a per-user routing table searcher coupled to said packet source address extractor and coupled to said memory; and

a matching network router coupled to said per-user routing table searcher.

5. The gateway of claim 4, wherein said matching network router is coupled to an accessible network corresponding to said range of addresses in which said destination address is found.

6. The gateway of claim 4, wherein said default network router is coupled to the largest accessible network.

7. An apparatus for routing a packet sent from a user in a system in which the user may be connected to multiple networks simultaneously, the apparatus including:

means for extracting a source address from the packet;

means for finding a per-user routing table corresponding to said source address, said per-user routing table unique to the user and containing entries corresponding to one or more currently accessible networks for the user and the range of network addresses corresponding to said currently accessible networks;

means for extracting a destination address from the packet; and

means for routing the packet to a matching network if said destination address is contained within one of said ranges of network addresses for said currently accessible networks.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said matching network is said accessible network corresponding to said range of addresses in which said destination address is found.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said default network is the largest accessible network.

10. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for routing a packet sent from a user in a system in which the user may be connected to multiple networks simultaneously, the method comprising:

extracting a source address from the packet;

finding a per-user routing table corresponding to said source address, said per-user routing table unique to the user and containing entries corresponding to one or more currently accessible networks for the user and the range of network addresses corresponding to said currently accessible networks;

extracting a destination address from the packet; and

routing the packet to a matching network if said destination address is contained within one of said ranges of network addresses for said currently accessible networks.

11. The program storage device of claim 10, wherein said matching network is one of said accessible networks corresponding to said range of addresses in which said destination address is found.

12. The program storage device of claim 10, wherein said default network is the largest accessible network.