Responding to change in a data communication network system

• US 8,582,446 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2008
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ban, Oliver Keren, Lim, Shu-Chen, Luo, YongGuo, Wang, Jibao
• Primary Examiner(s): Kao, Jutai
• Application Number:
  US12/195,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20090052337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,909 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/248
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/125 based on throughput or bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/48 Routing tree calculation

Abstract

A method and system for responding to changes in the system. The system includes two or more routers which are electrically connected together in a network tree structure. Each router includes an electronic connection port and a routing table. A direct current balance exists at the electronic connection port of each route. A change in the direct current balance at the electronic connection port of at least one router of the two or more routers is detected. An occurrence of changes in the system that relate to each router of the at least one router is ascertained from the detecting. Responsive to the ascertaining, a new routing table is generated for each router of the at least one router. Each new table includes the changes in the system that relate to each route of the at least one router.

Claims

1. A method for responding to changes in a data communication network system comprising a plurality of routers, said routers of the plurality of routers being electrically connected together in a network tree structure, each router of the plurality of routers comprising an electronic connection port and a routing table, a direct current balance existing at the electronic connection port of each router of the plurality of routers, said method comprising:

electrically connecting together the routers of the plurality of routers in the network tree structure via original electrical connections among the routers;

each router of the plurality of routers generating and storing the routing table respectively in each router;

after said electrically connecting together the routers in the network tree structure via original electrical connections among the routers, adding new electrical connections among the routers of the plurality of routers via positive and negative signal lines and ground lines at the respective electronic connection port of each router of the plurality of routers for subsequent use of said positive and negative signal lines to calculate a direct current (DC) voltage difference between the positive and negative signal lines of the electronic connection port of each router of the plurality of routers, said new electrical connections among the routers configured to transmit electrical signals among the routers of the plurality of routers;

after said adding said new electrical connections, calculating the DC voltage difference between the positive and negative signal lines of the electronic connection port of each router of the plurality of routers;

after said calculating the DC voltage difference, determining that the calculated DC voltage difference is outside of a predetermined parameter range of distinct voltages;

determining, from said determining that the calculated DC voltage difference is outside of said predetermined parameter range of distinct voltages, that a change has been detected in the direct current balance at the electronic connection port of at least one router of the plurality of routers;

ascertaining, from said determining that said change has been detected in the direct current balance at the electronic connection port of at least one router of the plurality of routers, that changes in the data communication network system that relate to each router of the at least one router have occurred; and

responsive to said ascertaining, each router of the at least one router regenerating a new routing table respectively for each router of the at least one router, said new routing table for each router of the at least one router comprising the changes in the data communication network system that relate to each router of the at least one router.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said regenerating comprises resetting each router of the at least one router to a reset mode that causes said regenerating to be performed, and wherein the method further comprises:

the routers of the at least one router sending the changes in the data communication network system that relate to each router of the at least one router to respective neighboring routers of the plurality of routers surrounding each router of the at least one router;

said respective neighboring routers receiving the changes in the data communication network system sent by the routers of the at least one router; and

each respective neighboring router regenerating a new route table for each respective neighboring router according to the changes in the data communication network system received by each respective neighboring router.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each router of the at least one router comprises:

a calculating unit that performs said calculating;

a comparing unit that performs said determining that the calculated direct current voltage difference is outside of the predetermined parameter range by comparing the calculated direct current voltage difference with the predetermined parameter range;

a reset unit that performs said resetting;

a routing table generating unit that performs said generating and said regenerating; and

a configuration change sending unit that performs said sending.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the changes in the data communication network system that relate to each router of the at least one router comprise a change in pathways in the data communication network system between a next-hop router and a destination for data packets received by each router of the at least one router.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the changes in the data communication network system that relate to each router of the at least one router comprise a change in a bandwidth that each router of the at least one router can accommodate.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the changes in the data communication network system that relate to each router of the at least one router comprise a change in a relative priority of the pathways in the data communication network system between a next-hop router and a destination for data packets received by each router of the at least one router.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one router consists of a single router.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the changes in the data communication network system that relate to each router of the at least one router comprise:

a change in pathways in the data communication network system between a next-hop router and a destination for data packets received by each router of the at least one router;

a change in a bandwidth that each router of the at least one router can accommodate; and

a change in a relative priority of the pathways in the data communication network system between a next-hop router and a destination for data packets received by each router of the at least one router.

9. A data communication network system comprising a plurality of routers, said routers of the plurality of routers being electrically connected together in a network tree structure, each router of the plurality of routers comprising an electronic connection port and a routing table, a direct current balance existing at the electronic connection port of each router of the plurality of routers, said plurality of routers configured to perform a method for responding to changes in the data communication network system, said method comprising:

electrically connecting together the routers of the plurality of routers in the network tree structure via original electrical connections among the routers;

each router of the plurality of routers generating and storing the routing table respectively in each router;

after said electrically connecting together the routers in the network tree structure via original electrical connections among the routers, adding new electrical connections among the routers of the plurality of routers via positive and negative signal lines and ground lines at the respective electronic connection port of each router of the plurality of routers for subsequent use of said positive and negative signal lines to calculate a direct current (DC) voltage difference between the positive and negative signal lines of the electronic connection port of each router of the plurality of routers, said new electrical connections among the routers configured to transmit electrical signals among the routers of the plurality of routers;

after said adding said new electrical connections, calculating the DC voltage difference between the positive and negative signal lines of the electronic connection port of each router of the plurality of routers;

after said calculating the DC voltage difference, determining that the calculated DC voltage difference is outside of a predetermined parameter range of distinct voltages;

determining, from said determining that the calculated DC voltage difference is outside of said predetermined parameter range of distinct voltages, that a change has been detected in the direct current balance at the electronic connection port of at least one router of the plurality of routers;

ascertaining, from said determining that said change has been detected in the direct current balance at the electronic connection port of at least one router of the plurality of routers, that changes in the data communication network system that relate to each router of the at least one router have occurred; and

responsive to said ascertaining, each router of the at least one router regenerating a new routing table respectively for each router of the at least one router, said new routing table for each router of the at least one router comprising the changes in the data communication network system that relate to each router of the at least one router.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said regenerating comprises resetting each router of the at least one router to a reset mode that causes said regenerating to be performed, and wherein the method further comprises:

the routers of the at least one router sending the changes in the data communication network system that relate to each router of the at least one router to respective neighboring routers of the plurality of routers surrounding each router of the at least one router;

said respective neighboring routers receiving the changes in the data communication network system sent by the routers of the at least one router; and

each respective neighboring router regenerating a new route table for each respective neighboring router according to the changes in the data communication network system received by each respective neighboring router.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein each router of the at least one router comprises:

a calculating unit that performs said calculating;

a comparing unit that performs said determining that the calculated direct current voltage difference is outside of the predetermined parameter range by comparing the calculated direct current voltage difference with the predetermined parameter range;

a reset unit that performs said resetting;

a routing table generating unit that performs said generating and said regenerating; and

a configuration change sending unit that performs said sending.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the changes in the data communication network system that relate to each router of the at least one router comprise:

a change in pathways in the data communication network system between a next-hop router and a destination for data packets received by each router of the at least one router;

a change in a bandwidth that each router of the at least one router can accommodate; and

a change in a relative priority of the pathways in the data communication network system between a next-hop router and a destination for data packets received by each router of the at least one router.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the changes in the data communication network system that relate to each router of the at least one router comprise a change in pathways in the data communication network system between a next-hop router and a destination for data packets received by each router of the at least one router.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the changes in the data communication network system that relate to each router of the at least one router comprise a change in a bandwidth that each router of the at least one router can accommodate.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the changes in the data communication network system that relate to each router of the at least one router comprise a change in a relative priority of the pathways in the data communication network system between a next-hop router and a destination for data packets received by each router of the at least one router.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one router consists of a single router.