Parameterized recursive network architecture with topological addressing

• US 8,352,587 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2011
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRIA Network Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: TRIA Network Systems, LLC
• Inventors: Day, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shin, Kyung H
• Application Number:
  US13/329,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20120089721A1
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/230, 709/248, 340/389, 340/400, 340/469
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• 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 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/21 using leaky-bucket
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5061 Pools of addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 : Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/06 : Notations for structuring of protocol data, e.g. abstract syntax notation one [ASN.1]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 : Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 : Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 : Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 : in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0054 : Service creation techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0095 : Specification, development or application of network management software, e.g. software re-use
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 : Connectivity information update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/087 : for preserving data network PoA address despite hand-offs
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 : Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 : Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 : dummy group

Abstract

A digital data communications network that supports efficient, scalable routing of data and use of network resources by combining a recursive division of the network into hierarchical sub-networks with repeating parameterized general purpose link communication protocols and an addressing methodology that reflects the physical structure of the underlying network hardware. The sub-division of the network enhances security by reducing the amount of the network visible to an attack and by insulating the network hardware itself from attack. The fixed bandwidth range at each sub-network level allows quality of service to be assured and controlled. The routing of data is aided by a topological addressing scheme that allows data packets to be forwarded towards their destination based on only local knowledge of the network structure, with automatic support for mobility and multicasting. The repeating structures in the network greatly simplify network management and reduce the effort to engineer new network capabilities.

Claims

1. A method of assigning addresses to entities in a network, the method comprising:

utilizing a server for defining an address space comprising a set of strings having a topological structure;

defining a set of entities in the network, each entity to be identified by an associated, respective address assigned thereto;

defining a mapping function, the mapping function being defined with a range of the address space and a domain of the entities, and having the properties of a topology; and

assigning respective addresses to the entities based on the mapping function, such that the addresses assigned to the entities are topologically dependent,

wherein the network of entities is expandable in a repeatable manner to establish a recursive layered structure, wherein each of the entities is substantially the same and provides interprocess communication service resources to an adjacent layer of the recursive layered structure,

wherein the network of entities is partitioned into at least two disjoint subsets of entities, such that each entity in one subset communicates with other entities in said one subset using an address that is selected from the address space,

wherein each entity in the one subset is assigned one address from the address space that is unique within the one subset,

wherein each of the at least two disjoint subsets of entities represents a layer of the recursive layered structure,

wherein addresses in a first layer of the recursive layered structure are assigned based on being related to addresses in an immediately adjacent second layer of the recursive layered structure using a topological mapping between the first and second layers, and

wherein a number of addressable elements within the subsets of entities remains substantially constant as a number of the network entities increases due to network expansion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the defining of the mapping function further comprises defining the mapping function to include the properties of a topology between address spaces in adjoining layers or subnets, such that the upper layer forms a covering of a collection of lower subnets or layers.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the mapping function is based on a topology having a distance function d(a, b), where d is the distance function, and a and b are assigned addresses having the following properties:

d(a, b)≧

0 for all values of a and b;

d(a, b)=0 if and only if a=b;

d(a, b)=d(b, a); and

d(a, c) ≦

d(a, b)+d(b, c).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein an orientation is associated with the address spaces.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the network includes outgoing communications links operable to carry messages, and assigned addresses comprise destination addresses, and further comprising:

constructing a table of addresses to be assigned, such that all messages to the destination addresses near each other can be routed on the same outgoing links.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising storing routes associated with messages and destinations, and wherein the number of routes that need be stored is reduced to only those of the local sub-network and optimizations.

7. The method of claims 6, further comprising determining routes based on knowledge of topologically-dependent addresses.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein an upper layer of the recursive layered structure obtains interprocess communication services from a lower layer of the recursive layered structure without utilizing knowledge of addresses of the lower layer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the topological mapping is performed utilizing a table containing addresses in the first and second layers and including connectivity information and is performed utilizing a mathematical relationship that preserves a direction property for some nodes of the network.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

defining an address space comprising a set of strings having a topological structure;

defining a set of entities in the network, wherein each entity is identified by an associated, respective address assigned thereto;

defining a mapping function, wherein the mapping function is defined with a range of the address space and a domain of the entities, and has the properties of a topology; and

assigning respective addresses to the entities based on the mapping function, wherein the addresses assigned to the entities are topologically dependent,

wherein the network of entities is expandable in a repeatable manner to establish a recursive layered structure,

wherein each of the entities is substantially the same and provides interprocess communication service resources to an adjacent layer of the recursive layered structure,

wherein the network of entities is partitioned into at least two disjoint subsets of entities, such that each entity in one subset communicates with other entities in said one subset using an address that is selected from the address space,

wherein each entity in the one subset is assigned one address from the address space that is unique within the one subset,

wherein each of the at least two disjoint subsets of entities represents a layer of the recursive layered structure,

wherein addresses in a first layer of the recursive layered structure are assigned based on being related to addresses in an immediately adjacent second layer of the recursive layered structure using a topological mapping between the first and second layers, and

wherein a number of addressable elements within the subsets of entities remains substantially constant as a number of the network entities increases due to network expansion.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the defining of the mapping function further comprises defining the mapping function to include the properties of a topology between address spaces in adjoining layers or subnets, such that the upper layer forms a covering of a collection of lower subnets or layers.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein an orientation is associated with the address spaces.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the network includes outgoing communications links operable to carry messages, and assigned addresses comprise destination addresses, and further comprising:

constructing a table of addresses to be assigned, such that all messages to the destination addresses near each other can be routed on the same outgoing links.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein an upper layer of the recursive layered structure obtains interprocess communication services from a lower layer of the recursive layered structure without utilizing knowledge of addresses of the lower layer.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the topological mapping is performed utilizing a table containing addresses in the first and second layers and including connectivity information and is performed utilizing a mathematical relationship that preserves a direction property for some nodes of the network.

16. A system for assigning addresses to entities in a network, the system comprising:

a memory comprising computer instructions; and

means for defining an address space comprising a set of strings having a topological structure;

means for defining a set of entities in the network, each entity to be identified by an associated, respective address assigned thereto;

means for defining a mapping function, the mapping function being defined with a range of the address space and a domain of the entities, and having the properties of a topology; and

means for assigning respective addresses to the entities based on the mapping function, such that the addresses assigned to the entities are topologically dependent,

wherein the network of entities is expandable in a repeatable manner to establish a recursive layered structure, wherein each of the entities is substantially the same and provides interprocess communication service resources to an adjacent layer of the recursive layered structure,

wherein the network of entities is partitioned into at least two disjoint subsets of entities, such that each entity in one subset communicates with other entities in said one subset using an address that is selected from the address space,

wherein each entity in the one subset is assigned one address from the address space that is unique within the one subset,

wherein each of the at least two disjoint subsets of entities represents a layer of the recursive layered structure,

wherein addresses in a first layer of the recursive layered structure are assigned based on being related to addresses in an immediately adjacent second layer of the recursive layered structure using a topological mapping between the first and second layers, and

wherein a number of addressable elements within the subsets of entities remains substantially constant as a number of the network entities increases due to network expansion.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein an orientation is associated with the address spaces.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the network includes outgoing communications links operable to carry messages, and assigned addresses comprising destination addresses, wherein a table of addresses can be utilized such that all messages to the destination addresses near each other can be routed on the same outgoing links.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein an upper layer of the recursive layered structure obtains interprocess communication services from a lower layer of the recursive layered structure without utilizing knowledge of addresses of the lower layer.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the topological mapping is performed utilizing a table containing addresses in the first and second layers and including connectivity information and is performed utilizing a mathematical relationship that preserves a direction property for some nodes of the network.