Method and apparatus for bond management according to hierarchy

• US 7,760,631 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2008
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Parity Networks LLC
• Original Assignee: Pluris, Inc
• Inventors: Basturk, Erol
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Salman
• Assistant Examiner(s): HALIYUR, VENKATESH N
• Application Number:
  US12/136,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20080240095A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 370229-468
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/245 Link aggregation, e.g. trunking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/54 Organization of routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/742 Route cache; Operation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]

Abstract

In a communication system having a plurality of physical communication ports, a hierarchical bond communication interface has a logical interface as a component of the bond at a top level of the hierarchy, and a first subjugate logical interface at a second level of the hierarchy as a component of the top-level logical interface. The communication system has a control mechanism whereby thresholds may be set to determine up or down status of hierarchical bonds for use in communication, according to characteristics of components of the bonds.

Claims

1. A method for managing data flow through a data network packet router having a first set of routing interfaces being physical ports addressed for forward routing and each having a specific maximum capacity for packet traffic, comprising steps of:

(a) creating, by a processor in the router, a second set of individually-addressed routing interfaces, fewer in number than the first set, wherein individual ones of the routing interfaces in the second set are aggregates of individual ones of the routing interfaces in the first set, and each routing interface that is an aggregate has a capacity equal to the sum of the capacities of the aggregated individual interfaces;

(b) creating, by the processor, a third set of individually-addressed routing interfaces, fewer in number than the second set, wherein individual ones of the routing interfaces in the third set are aggregates of individual ones of the routing interfaces in the second set, and each routing interface that is an aggregate in the third set has a capacity equal to the sum of the capacities of the aggregated individual interfaces, with a limitation that any routing interface that is a physical port may not be made a part of more than one aggregated routing interface in the third set;

(c) the processor causing the router to forward packet flow with reference only to the third set of individually-addressed routing interface and to the capacity of the routing interfaces of the third set; and

d) The processor manages performance of the router by restructuring the sets of routing interfaces.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data network is the Internet network.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein one aspect of performance managed is load-balancing.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein individual ones of the physical ports are components of line cards connectable to other network nodes than the packet router.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein individual ones of the physical ports are components of internal fabric of the router.