Systems and methods to determine network routes based on transmission medium length

• US 7,978,611 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2005
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sehgal, Aditya, Sierecki, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): HSU, ALPUS
• Application Number:
  US11/220,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20070053342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,135 Days
• Field of Search: 370/238, 370/252, 370/395.32, 370/401, 709/241
• US Class Current: 370/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/10 Routing in connection-oriented networks, e.g. X.25 or ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/12 Shortest path evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/122 by minimising distances, e.g. by selecting a route with minimum of number of hops
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/123 Evaluation of link metrics techniques for monitoring network metrics H04L43/08

Abstract

Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture to determine an administrative cost for a network path are disclosed. An example method is used to select a plurality of network segments and a plurality of network switches to determine a network path between first and second network nodes. A transmission medium length associated with the plurality of network segments and the plurality of network switches is then determined, where the administrative cost for the network path is determined based on the transmission medium length.

Claims

1. A method of determining a network route, comprising:

selecting a source network node and a plurality of destination network nodes;

determining a plurality of network routes between the source network node and the plurality of destination network nodes;

determining a plurality of administrative costs associated with the plurality of network routes based on a plurality of transmission medium length values;

determining an address prefix associated with at least some of the plurality of destination network nodes based on the plurality of administrative costs; and

associating at least one of the plurality of network routes with the address prefix.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising storing one of the plurality of administrative costs associated with the at least one of the plurality of network routes in a network switch.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one of the plurality of network routes is an optimal network route.

4. A method of determining an administrative cost for a network path, comprising:

identifying a plurality of network segments and a plurality of network switches forming a network path between first and second network nodes, the network segments having respective transmission medium lengths and the network nodes having respective switch factors; and

determining the administrative cost for the network path based on the transmission medium lengths and the switch factors.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, further comprising storing the administrative cost in a network routing table associated with the first network node.

6. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the first network node is a first network switch in a first peer group, and wherein the second network node is a second network switch in a second peer group.

7. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein determining the administrative cost comprises:

computing a sum of the transmission medium lengths and the switch factors.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein each of the switch factors represents a respective transmission medium length.

9. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the network path is between the first network node and a routing group.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the routing group includes a plurality of nodes having addresses that include a same address prefix.

11. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein each of the transmission medium lengths represents a measure of length associated with at least one of miles, kilometers or a length metric.

12. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein a first of the transmission medium length lengths is associated with at least one of a fiber or a copper cable or a transmission medium.

13. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the administrative cost is an optimal administrative cost.

14. An apparatus to select a network path for data frames, comprising:

a processor system; and

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor system, the memory including stored instructions that enable the processor system to at least;

identify an inter-group network segment and a network switch forming a network path between a first network node and a group of second network nodes, the inter-group network segment having a transmission medium length and the network switch having an associated switch factor; and

determine an administrative cost associated with the inter-group network segment and the network switch based on the transmission medium length and the switch factor.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the instructions enable the processor system to store the transmission medium length in a routing table associated with the first network node.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the first network node is associated with a first peer group.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the instructions enable the processor system to at least:

determine a second transmission medium length by multiplying the switch factor by a third transmission medium length; and

compute the administrative cost as a sum of the first and second transmission medium lengths.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the second network nodes have addresses that include a same address prefix.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a processor to at least:

identify an inter-group network segment and a network switch forming a network path between first and second network nodes, the inter-group network segment having a transmission medium length and the network switch having an associated switch factor;

determine a transmission medium length value associated with the network path based on the transmission medium length and the switch factor, wherein the transmission medium length value is associated with an administrative cost for the network path; and

store the transmission medium length value.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as defined in claim 19 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the processor to at least store the transmission medium length in a routing table associated with the first network node.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the first network node is associated with a first peer group, and wherein the second network node is associated with a second peer group.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the transmission medium length value includes a quantity of network switches multiplied by the switch factor.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as defined in claim 22 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the processor to at least multiply the quantity of network switches by the switch factor by multiplying the quantity of network switches by a second transmission medium length.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as defined in claim 19 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the processor to determine the network path between the first and second network nodes by determining the network path between the first network node and a routing group.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as defined in claim 19 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the processor to determine the network path based on an address associated with the first network node and an address prefix associated with the second network node.

26. A system to determine administrative costs for network paths, comprising:

a routing group generator configured to form a routing group, wherein the routing group includes at least one network node;

an address selector communicatively coupled to the routing group generator and configured to determine an address prefix associated with the routing group; and

an administrative cost generator communicatively coupled to the routing group generator and the address selector and configured to determine an administrative cost for a network path between a source node and the routing group based on a transmission medium length value.

27. A system as defined in claim 26, further comprising a network routing table interface communicatively coupled to the administrative cost generator and configured to store the administrative cost in a routing table associated with the source network node.

28. A system as defined in claim 26, wherein the source network node is associated with a first peer group, and wherein the routing group includes a destination network node in a second peer group.

29. A system as defined in claim 26, wherein the routing group includes a plurality of network nodes having addresses that include a same address prefix.

30. A system as defined in claim 26, wherein the transmission medium length value is a measure of length associated with at least one of miles or kilometers or a length metric.

31. A system as defined in claim 26, wherein the transmission medium length value is associated with at least one of a fiber or a copper cable or a transmission medium.

32. A network having a plurality of network nodes and a plurality of network segments, wherein at least a first one of the network nodes includes a memory to store at least one transmission medium length value associated with a network path between the first one of the network nodes and a second one of the network nodes, and wherein the first one of the network nodes determines an administrative cost between the first and second ones of the network nodes based on the transmission medium length value, wherein the transmission medium length value represents a plurality of transmission medium lengths associated with respective ones of a plurality of network segments of the network path and a plurality of switch factors associated with respective ones of a plurality of network nodes of the network path.

33. A network as defined in claim 32, wherein the first one of the network nodes determines the administrative cost between the first and second ones of the network nodes by determining the administrative cost between the first network node and a routing group including the second one of the network nodes.

34. A network as defined in claim 32, wherein the first one of the network nodes determines the administrative cost between the first and second ones of the network nodes based on an address of the first network node and an address prefix of the second network node.

35. A network as defined in claim 32, wherein the memory includes a routing table.