Layer-3 network routing with RPR layer-2 visibility
DCFirst Claim
1. A method for obtaining ingress to a layer-2 ring network to reach nodes thereof, said nodes including ingress nodes that couple said ring network to an external layer-3 network, the method comprising the steps of:
- in said ingress nodes, creating entries in a host table, each of said entries comprising an address of a respective one of said nodes of said ring network and a metric determined responsively to a topology of said ring network;
thereafter uploading said host table to external elements of said layer-3 network;
defining paths from said external elements to designated ones of said nodes of said ring network, by selecting one of said ingress nodes for each of said paths responsively to said metric; and
transmitting data from network elements that are external to said ring network to at least one of said nodes via a selected one of said paths.
6 Assignments
Litigations
1 Petition
Accused Products
Abstract
Routing tables of OSI layer-3 network elements are modified in order to enable entry to a RPR subnet at different entry points. This enables virtual tunnels or routing paths to utilize all existing entry links to the RPR subnet and to minimize cost factors, such as the number of RPR spans required to traverse the RPR subnet from the entry point to a destination RPR node. The routing tables of RPR subnet elements are modified, such that traffic leaving different elements but destined for the same network location outside the RPR subnet may have individualized RPR exit nodes. The respective RPR exit points for the network elements are chosen to minimize cost factors, such as the number of RPR spans required to reach the exit node from each RPR node.
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Citations
84 Claims
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1. A method for obtaining ingress to a layer-2 ring network to reach nodes thereof, said nodes including ingress nodes that couple said ring network to an external layer-3 network, the method comprising the steps of:
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in said ingress nodes, creating entries in a host table, each of said entries comprising an address of a respective one of said nodes of said ring network and a metric determined responsively to a topology of said ring network; thereafter uploading said host table to external elements of said layer-3 network; defining paths from said external elements to designated ones of said nodes of said ring network, by selecting one of said ingress nodes for each of said paths responsively to said metric; and transmitting data from network elements that are external to said ring network to at least one of said nodes via a selected one of said paths. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A computer software product, including a computer-readable medium in which computer program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for obtaining ingress from an external layer-3 network to a layer-2 ring network to reach nodes thereof, comprising the steps of:
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configuring ingress nodes of said ring network to create entries in a host table, each of said entries comprising an address of a respective one of said nodes of said ring network and a metric; configuring said ingress nodes to thereafter upload said host table to external elements of a data network that interfaces with said ring network via said ingress nodes; configuring said external elements to define paths from said external elements to designated ones of said nodes of said ring network, each of said paths leading through a selected one of said ingress nodes responsively to said metric; and transmitting data from network elements that are external to said ring network to at least one of said nodes via a selected one of said paths. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A network routing system for obtaining ingress from an external layer-3 network to a layer-2 ring network to reach nodes thereof, comprising:
first routers disposed in ingress nodes of said ring network, said first routers being configured for creating entries in a host table, each of said entries comprising an address of a respective one of said nodes of said ring network and a metric;
said first routers being further configured for uploading said host table to external elements of a data network that interfaces with said ring network via said ingress nodes;
a second router disposed in at least one of said external elements, said second router being configured for defining paths from said external elements to designated ones of said nodes of said ring network, each of said paths leading through a selected one of said ingress nodes responsively to said metric; and
transmitting data from network elements that are external to said ring network to at least one of said nodes via a selected one of said paths.- View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A method for obtaining egress from a layer-2 ring network to an external layer-3 network, comprising the steps of:
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in nodes of said ring network creating entries in a host table, each of said entries comprising an address of a respective one of said nodes of said ring network and a metric determined responsively to a topology of the ring network; defining paths from said nodes through egress nodes of said ring network to external elements in said external layer-3 network; selecting one of said paths responsively to said metric; and transmitting data from at least one of said nodes via said selected one of said paths to network elements that are external to said ring network. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
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59. A computer software product, including a computer-readable medium in which computer program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for obtaining egress from a layer-2 ring network to an external layer-3 network comprising the steps of:
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in nodes of said ring network creating entries in a host table, each of said entries comprising an address of a respective one of said nodes of said ring network and a metric; defining paths from said nodes through egress nodes of said ring network; selecting one of said paths responsively to said metric; and transmitting data from said nodes via said selected paths to network elements that are external to said ring network. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70)
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71. A network routing system for obtaining egress from a layer-2 ring network to an external layer-3 network comprising:
a plurality of routers disposed in nodes of said ring network, said routers being configured for creating entries in a host table, each of said entries comprising an address of a respective one of said nodes of said ring network and a metric, said routers being further configured for defining paths from said nodes through egress nodes of said ring network, for selecting one of said paths responsively to said metric; and
for transmitting data from said nodes via said selected paths to network elements that are external to said ring network.- View Dependent Claims (72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82)
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83. A method for routing data through a layer-2 ring network, said ring network having interface nodes with external network elements of a data network and non-interface nodes, comprising the steps of:
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in said interface nodes of said ring network creating first entries in a first host table, each of said first entries comprising an address of a respective one of said non-interface nodes and a first metric; thereafter uploading said first host table to said external network elements; and using said first host table identifying optimum ingress paths from said external network elements to said non-interface nodes, each of said ingress paths leading through one of said interface nodes responsively to said first metric; in said non-interface nodes of said ring network creating second entries in a second host table, each of said second entries comprising an address of a respective one of said interface nodes and a second metric; using said second host table identifying optimum egress paths from said non-interface nodes through different ones of said interface nodes of said ring network, responsively to said second metric; and transmitting data to and from said ring network via said ingress paths and said egress paths. - View Dependent Claims (84)
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Specification