System and method to provide routing control of information over networks

• US 7,606,160 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Internap Holding LLC
• Original Assignee: Internap Network Services Corporation
• Inventors: Klinker, Eric, Johnson, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): MARCELO, MELVIN C
• Application Number:
  US11/589,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20070140128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 370/238, 370/252, 370/253
• US Class Current: 370/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/026 using flow identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/033 by updating distance vector protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/38 Flow based routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9023 for implementing a jitter-buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 : Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 : Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for controlling routing of data. It is determined whether at least one data flow is active, the at least one data flow having an ingress portion of a current ingress path to a first point from a second point and an egress portion of a current egress path to the second point from the first point. Another data flow is routed via a next ingress portion of a next path to the first point from the second point.

Claims

1. A method for routing data in a network, the method comprising:

tagging a data packet with identifier information that specifies a network element to control an egress path for the data packet, wherein the egress path is from a first point to a second point;

routing the data packet according to the identifier information;

modifying a source address of the data packet using network address translation (NAT) to create a translated network source address to control an ingress path through a network service provider (NSP) associated with the translated source address, wherein the ingress path is from the second point to the first point;

routing the data packet via the egress path, wherein the source address is associated with a second NSP and the egress path includes the second NSP; and

receiving a return data packet via the ingress path, wherein the ingress path includes the NSP.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein tagging a data packet or modifying a source address is based on a flow policy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first point is directly coupled to the NSP and the second NSP.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein tagging a data packet with identifier information that specifies a network element to control an egress path for the data packet comprises selecting the identifier information based on a policy based routing statement.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier information comprises a virtual local network (VLAN) tag and the network element comprises a virtual router facility (VRF).

6. A method for routing data in a network, the method comprising:

modifying a source address of a data packet using network address translation (NAT) to create a translated network source address to control an ingress path through a network service provider (NSP), wherein the ingress path is from a second point to a first point;

tagging the data packet with identifier information that specifies a network element to control an egress path for the data packet, wherein the egress path is from the first point to the second point;

routing the data packet along the egress path according to the network element, wherein the egress path includes a second NSP; and

receiving a return data packet via the ingress path, wherein the ingress path includes the NSP.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein tagging a data packet or modifying a source address is based on a flow policy.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first point is directly coupled to the NSP and the second NSP.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein tagging the data packet with identifier information that specifies a network element to control an egress path for the data packet comprises selecting the identifier information based on a policy based routing statement.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the identifier information comprises a virtual local network (VLAN) tag and the network element comprises a virtual router facility (VRF).

11. A system for routing data in a network via an egress path from a first point to a second point and an ingress path from the second point to the first point, the system comprising:

a controller for providing ingress path change information and egress path change information, wherein the ingress path and the egress path differ;

a network address translation (NAT) engine for modifying a NAT address to control the ingress path;

a route server for modifying a routing table to control the egress path; and

a router for routing a data packet via the egress path, wherein the egress path includes a first network service provider (NSP) and for receiving a return data packet via the ingress path, wherein the ingress path includes a second NSP that is distinct from the first NSP.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the NAT engine modifies a NAT address on a per prefix basis.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first point is directly coupled to the first NSP and the second NSP.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the route server modifies the routing table by sending a BGP update message to the router.

15. A method for managing routes in a network, comprising:

determining an activity status of a first data flow along a first data path, wherein the first data path is associated with a destination address and at least one network element;

if the activity status of the first data flow is active, then preserving a record associated with the first data path in a routing data structure;

once the activity status of the first data flow becomes inactive, then withdrawing the first path from the routing data structure;

receiving a route update, wherein the route update identifies a second path associated with the destination address and at least a second network element; and

updating the routing data structure by creating a record associated with the second data path, so that a second data flow directed to the destination address is routed via the second path.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least second network element specified by the route update changes an egress path from a first point associated with a source address to a point associated with the destination address.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least second network element specified by the route update changes an ingress path from a point associated with the destination address to a first point associated with a source address.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein determining an activity status of a first data flow comprises performing a stateful inspection of the first data flow by comparing the first data flow to at least one inspection rule.