Network interface selection using historical connection information

• US 8,274,893 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2007
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bansal, Deepak, Garg, Sumit, Sridharan, Murari, Thaler, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefcheck, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH TRANG T
• Application Number:
  US11/818,888
• Publication Number:
  US 20080310419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,929 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/235
• 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 45/12 Shortest path evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/124 using a combination of metrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing

Abstract

A computer may be capable of communicating with devices via network through multiple interfaces. When a new connection is to be established, the computer may select an interface to use for the connection. In some embodiments, the interface may be selected based on historical connection information representing the performance of previous network connections that the computer has established through the interfaces.

Claims

1. In a computing environment including a first host computer configured to communicate via a network through a first network interface apparatus of the host computer and a second network interface apparatus of the host computer, the network enabling the first host computer to communicate with a plurality of other host computers via the network, a method comprising acts of:

(A) measuring, during a first network connection between the first host computer and at least one of the plurality of other host computers through the first network interface apparatus, first historical network connection information indicating measured performance of the first network connection;

(B) prior to terminating the first network connection, storing, by the first host computer, the first historical network connection information;

(C) measuring, during a second network connection between the first host computer and at least one of the plurality of other host computers through the second network interface apparatus, second historical network connection information indicating measured performance of the second network connection;

(D) storing, by the first host computer, the second historical network connection information;

(E) after terminating the first network connection, selecting, based on at least the first and second historical network connection information, a selected network interface apparatus from among the first and second network interface apparatuses to use for a third network connection; and

(F) based on the act (E), establishing the third network connection between the first host computer and a second host computer from among the plurality of other host computers such that third network connection communication passes through the selected network interface apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network interface apparatus and the second network interface apparatus operate according to different network communication protocols.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network interface apparatus and the second network interface apparatus provide access to the network through different types of communication media.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the different types of communication media comprise a wireless medium and a wired medium.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the act (E) is performed by the first host computer and the first host computer initiates the act (F) in response to the act (E).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network connection is between the first host computer and a third host computer from among the plurality of other host computers, wherein a network address of the third host computer is similar meets a criterion of similarity to a network address of the second host computer, and wherein the selected network interface apparatus is selected to be the first network interface apparatus based in part on a similarity of the network addresses of the second and third host computers.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the address of the third host computer and the address of the second host computer have a same prefix.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the third host computer has a physical location that is close to a physical location of the second host computer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the first historical network connection information represents a hop count for the first network connection, and wherein the selected network interface apparatus is selected to be the first network interface apparatus based at least in part on the hop count.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the first historical network connection information represents a round-trip time for the first network connection, and wherein the selected network interface apparatus is selected to be the first network interface apparatus based at least in part on the round-trip time.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the first historical network connection information represents a data rate for the first network connection, and wherein the selected network interface apparatus is selected to be the first network interface apparatus based at least in part on the data rate.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the first historical network connection information represents a packet loss rate for the first network connection, and wherein the selected network interface apparatus is selected to be the first network interface apparatus based at least in part on the packet loss rate.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected network interface apparatus provides a higher overall connection data rate than a non-selected network interface apparatus of the first and second network interface apparatuses would provide.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first historical network connection information comprises round-trip time of the first connection, a data rate of the first connection, a loss rate of the first connection, or a hop count of the first connection, and wherein the second historical network connection information comprises round-trip time of the second connection, a data rate of the second connection, a loss rate of the second connection, or a hop count of the second connection.

15. In a computing environment including a first computer configured to communicate via a network through a first network interface and a second network interface, the network enabling the first computer to communicate with a plurality of other computers via the network, a computer readable storage medium having instructions which, when executed, perform a method comprising acts of:

(A) storing, by the first computer, historical network connection information representing a performance of a plurality of network connections between the first computer and at least one of the plurality of other computers through the plurality of network interfaces, the historical network connection information comprising, for each available route from the first computer, at least one first value representing performance of at least one network connection between the first computer and at least one second computer of the plurality of other computers, and at least one second value representing performance of at least one network connection between the first computer and at least one third computer of the plurality of other computers, wherein the at least one second computer is closer in network address than the at least one third computer to the first computer;

(B) determining whether a fourth computer of the plurality of other computers meets a criterion of nearness to the first computer;

(C) selecting, based on at least the historical network connection information, a selected network interface from among the plurality of network interfaces to use for a network connection between the first computer and the second computer, wherein the selecting comprises;

if it is determined that the second computer meets the criterion of nearness to the first computer, selecting the selected network interface based at least in part on the first value of the historical network connection information, and

if it is determined that the second computer does not meet the criterion of nearness to the first computer, selecting the selected network interface based at least in part on the second value of the historical network connection information; and

(D) based on the act (C), establishing the network connection between the first computer and the second computer such that communication between the first computer and the second computer passes through the selected network interface.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein determining whether the second computer meets the criterion of nearness to the first computer comprises comparing a predetermined number of high-order bits of IP addresses of the first computer and the second computer and, if the predetermined number of high-order bits match, determining that the second computer meets the criterion of nearness to the first computer.

17. A system, comprising:

a computer;

a first network interface apparatus that enables the computer to communicate with a plurality of other computers via a network; and

a second network interface apparatus that enables the computer to communicate with a plurality of other computers via the network;

wherein the computer comprises;

at least one storage device storing first historical network connection information comprising a first round-trip time measured from a first network connection between the computer and at least one of the plurality of other computers through the first network interface apparatus, and second historical network connection information comprising a second round-trip time measured from a second network connection between the computer and at least one of the plurality of other computers through the second network interface apparatus;

a processor that determines, after the first network connection is terminated, based on the first and second round trip times, which of the first and second network interface apparatuses to use for a third network connection to be established with at least one of the plurality of other computers.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first and second network interface apparatuses are part of the computer.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer further comprises:

at least one wired bus coupled to the processor;

wherein the first network interface apparatus is a network adapter in communication with the processor via the at least one wired bus.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the first network interface apparatus is a wired network adapter and the second network interface apparatus is a wireless network adapter.