Method of operating internet protocol address and subnet system using the same

• US 7,693,163 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pantech Corporation (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pantech & Curitel Communications Incorporated (Pantech Incorporated)
• Inventors: Choo, Ho Cheol, JANG, Seok Joon
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz R
• Assistant Examiner(s): HALIYUR, VENKATESH N
• Application Number:
  US11/441,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271682A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 370252-503, 709220-224
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/659 Internet protocol version 6 [IPv6] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/668 Internet protocol [IP] address subnets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses

Abstract

A method of operating an Internet protocol (IP) address that effectively allocates, creates, and processes an interface identifier (ID) of an IP address area, and a subnet system using the same are provided. Allocation is done such that in the IP address area including a subnet prefix area and an Interface ID area, certain bits of the Interface ID area are used as an index area of a subnet gateway. In this case, the allocation is implemented in order from the higher layer to the lower layer so that the Interface ID area is sequentially allocated from the higher bits thereof for the index areas of the respective layers. The combination of the certain bits of the allocated Interface ID and the subnet prefix area of the IP address area is used as the subnet ID of the respective subnet layers. The lowest subnet gateway allocates the Interface ID to terminating equipment trying to access to the IP network based on a format of the IP address.

Claims

1. A method of operating an Internet protocol (IP) address, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) in an IP address including a subnet prefix area and an Interface ID area, allocating certain bits of the Interface ID area as an index area of a lowest subnet gateway;

(b) allocating a first combination comprising a first portion of the certain bits and the subnet prefix area as a first subnet ID area for a lower subnet gateway, and allocating a second combination comprising the first portion, a second portion of the certain bits, and the subnet prefix area as a second subnet ID area for a next lower subnet gateway;

(c) recreating an Interface ID using the certain bits, and allocating the Interface ID to terminating equipment having access to an IP network based on a format of the IP address in the lowest subnet gateway;

(d) at a first subnet gateway, allocating the first portion of the certain bits as an index area of the lower subnet gateway;

(e) at the lower subnet gateway, allocating the first portion and the second portion of the certain bits as an index area of the next lower subnet gateway; and

wherein the lower subnet gateway processes input packets using the second combination, determines the next lower subnet gateway according to the second subnet ID area, and transmits the input packets to the next lower subnet gateway.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step (c) includes:

selecting, from a portion of the Interface ID area that is not included in the certain bits, a value that is not identical to a value allocated to other terminating equipment as a termination identifier;

extracting the certain bits from the subnet ID area; and

allocating a combination comprising the certain bits and the termination identifier as the Interface ID for the terminating equipment.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a step of, at the subnet gateway, processing input packets using the IP address and transmitting them to the destination.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the next lower subnet gateway is the lowest subnet gateway.

4. A method of operating an Internet protocol (IP) address, the method comprising:

in an IP area including a subnet prefix area and an Interface ID area, allocating certain bits of the Interface ID area as an index area of a subnet gateway;

allocating the combination of the certain bits and the subnet prefix area as the subnet ID area; and

allocating an Interface ID for terminating equipment having access to an IP network based on a format of the IP address in a lowest subnet gateway; and

at the subnet gateway, processing input packets using the IP address and transmitting them to the destination,

wherein the packet transmission step includes;

at the subnet gateway, checking whether external input packets are to be transmitted to its subnet;

if the packets are to be transmitted to its subnet, masking a certain higher bits of the Interface ID and transmitting the masked packets to the corresponding lower subnet gateway matched thereto;

at the lower subnet gateway, checking whether the packets inputted from the higher subnet gateway are to be transmitted to its subnet; and

if the packets are to be transmitted to its subnet, masking a certain bits following the certain higher bits and forwarding the masked packets to the next lower subnet gateway matched thereto to transmit them to the corresponding destination.

5. A subnet system, comprising:

a first gateway;

a second gateway constituting a first lower layer relative to the first gateway,

wherein an Internet protocol (IP) address of the second gateway uses a first portion of Interface ID area bits of an IP address of the first gateway as a first index area of the second gateway, and an IP address of a third gateway constituting a lower layer relative to the second gateway uses the first portion and a second portion of the Interface ID area bits as a second index area of the third gateway;

wherein the subnet system further comprises a fourth gateway at the first lower layer relative to the first gateway, and an IP address of the fourth gateway uses the first portion of the Interface ID area bits of the IP address of the first gateway as a first index area of the fourth gateway; and

wherein if information is received at the first gateway, a value of the first portion of bits of a destination IP address of the information indicates whether the information is to be routed to the second gateway or to the fourth gateway.