Frame relay switched data service

• US 9,276,849 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2014
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chase, Christopher J., Holmgren, Stephen L., Medamana, John Babu, Saksena, Vikram R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOM, SHICK C
• Application Number:
  US14/270,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20140241363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4608 LAN interconnection over ATM networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5645 Connectionless
• 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 45/10 Routing in connection-oriented networks, e.g. X.25 or ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/72 Routing based on the source address
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/741 Routing in networks with a plurality of addressing schemes, e.g. with both IPv4 and IPv6
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/105 ATM switching elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

A new type of data transport service which uses a frame relay layer 2 data link connection identifier (DLCI) to select among various service types, feature sets, and/or closed user groups (CUGs). A layer 3 address may be extracted from a layer 2 frame, and the layer 3 address information may be used to route a data packet over a packet-switched network according to the service classes, feature sets, and/or CUGs selected. At the destination, the layer 3 data packet may again be enclosed in a layer 2 frame with a DLCI indicating the service classes, features sets, and/or CUGs. Because the use of conventional permanent virtual circuits (PVCs) is not required in aspects of the invention, new methods of measuring and managing network traffic are presented.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a packet, wherein the packet comprises an asynchronous transfer mode packet, wherein the asynchronous transfer mode packet comprises an asynchronous transfer mode address of the asynchronous transfer mode packet and a layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet;

comparing, by the processor, the asynchronous transfer mode address of the asynchronous transfer mode packet with the layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet; and

determining, by the processor, whether the asynchronous transfer mode address of the asynchronous transfer mode packet is consistent with the layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining includes examining a sending address.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining includes examining a destination address.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

discarding the packet, when the determining indicates that the asynchronous transfer mode address of the asynchronous transfer mode packet is inconsistent with the layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the packet to a pre-determined address, when the determining indicates that the asynchronous transfer mode address of the asynchronous transfer mode packet is inconsistent with the layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

returning the packet to a sender, when the determining indicates that the asynchronous transfer mode address of the asynchronous transfer mode packet is inconsistent with the layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet.

7. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a packet, wherein the packet comprises an asynchronous transfer mode packet, wherein the asynchronous transfer mode packet comprises an asynchronous transfer mode address of the asynchronous transfer mode packet and a layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet;

comparing the asynchronous transfer mode address of the asynchronous transfer mode packet with the layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet; and

determining whether the asynchronous transfer mode address of the asynchronous transfer mode packet is consistent with the layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the determining examines a sending address.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the determining examines a destination address.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

discarding the packet when the determining indicates that the asynchronous transfer mode address of the asynchronous transfer mode packet is inconsistent with the layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

sending the packet to a pre-determined address, when the determining indicates that the asynchronous transfer mode address of the asynchronous transfer mode packet is inconsistent with the layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet.

12. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

returning the packet to a sender, when the determining indicates that the asynchronous transfer mode address is inconsistent with the layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet.

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

receiving a packet, wherein the packet comprises an asynchronous transfer mode packet, wherein the asynchronous transfer mode packet comprises an asynchronous transfer mode address of the asynchronous transfer mode packet and a layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet;

comparing the asynchronous transfer mode address of the asynchronous transfer mode packet with the layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet; and

determining whether the asynchronous transfer mode address of the asynchronous transfer mode packet is consistent with the layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the determining includes examining a sending address.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the determining includes examining a destination address.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

discarding the packet when the determining indicates that the asynchronous transfer mode address of the asynchronous transfer mode packet is inconsistent with the layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

sending the packet to a pre-determined address, when the determining indicates that the asynchronous transfer mode address of the asynchronous transfer mode packet is inconsistent with the layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

returning the packet to a sender, when the determining indicates that the asynchronous transfer mode address of the asynchronous transfer mode packet is inconsistent with the layer 4 internet protocol address contained within the asynchronous transfer mode packet.