Method and system for keeping interest alive in a content centric network

• US 9,590,887 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2014
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Mahadevan, Priya, Scott, Glenn C., Mosko, Marc E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHITAYEWOLDETADI, BERHANU
• Application Number:
  US14/335,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20160020990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/223, 709/227
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/021 Ensuring consistency of routing table updates, e.g. by using epoch numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/026 Details of "hello" or keep-alive messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

One embodiment provides a system that facilitates a content requesting device to handle a potential timeout event. During operation, the system receives, by a content producing device, a packet that corresponds to a first Interest message from a content requesting device, where the first Interest includes a name. Responsive to determining that additional time is required to generate a matching Content Object for the first Interest, the system generates a notification message which indicates a time period after which a second Interest is to be sent out by the content requesting device. The name for the second Interest can be the same as the name for the first Interest or a new name as indicated in the notification message. The system transmits the notification message to the content requesting device, thereby facilitating the content requesting device to handle a potential timeout event.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for forwarding packets, the method comprising:

receiving, by a content producing device, a packet that corresponds to a first Interest message from a content requesting device, wherein the first Interest message includes a first name for requested content;

responsive to determining, by the content producing device, that additional time is required to generate a matching Content Object for the first Interest message, generating a notification message which indicates a time period after which a second Interest message is to be sent out by the content requesting device, wherein the notification message further indicates a second name for the second Interest message;

transmitting the notification message to the content requesting device, which facilitates an intermediate router to remove a first entry in its Pending Interest Table corresponding to the first Interest message based on the first name, and to create a second entry in its Pending Interest Table corresponding to the second Interest message based on the second name receiving a packet that corresponds to the second Interest message;

responsive to determining that a matching Content Object for the second Interest message is available, generating a matching Content Object in response to the second Interest message, wherein the matching Content Object contains as payload the content corresponding to the first Interest message; and

responsive to determining that the matching Content Object for the second Interest message is not available, generating an additional notification message which indicates a time period after which a third Interest message is to be sent out by the content requesting device, wherein the additional notification message further indicates a third name for the third Interest message, thereby facilitating the content requesting device to handle a potential timeout event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second name for the second Interest message is identical to or different from the first name for the first Interest message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification message is a Content Object which includes a third name that is a same name as the first name for the first Interest message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification message further indicates that the content producing device is generating the content in response to the first Interest message.

5. A computer-implemented method for forwarding packets, the method comprising:

generating, by a content requesting device, a packet that corresponds to a first Interest message, wherein the first Interest message includes a first name for requested content;

transmitting the first Interest message to a content producing device;

receiving a notification message which indicates a time period after which a second Interest message is to be sent out, wherein the notification message further indicates a second name for the second Interest message;

removing a first entry from a Pending Interest Table, wherein the first entry corresponds to the first Interest message and is based on the first name;

responsive to reaching an expiration of the time period indicated in the notification message, generating a packet that corresponds to the second Interest message;

creating a second entry in the Pending Interest Table, wherein the second entry corresponds to the second Interest message and is based on the second name; and

receiving a matching Content Object in response to the second Interest message, thereby facilitating the content requesting device to handle a potential timeout event.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

responsive to transmitting the second Interest message, receiving an additional notification message which indicates a time period after which a third Interest message is to be sent out.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the second name for the second Interest message is identical to or different from the first name for the first Interest message.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting the second Interest message, wherein the second Interest message includes the second name indicated in the notification message.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the 2 notification message is a Content Object which includes a third name that is a 3 same name as the first name for the first Interest message.

10. A computer system for facilitating forwarding of packets, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a storage device storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising;

receiving, by a content producing device, a packet that corresponds to a first Interest message from a content requesting device, wherein the first Interest message includes a first name for requested content;

responsive to determining, by the content producing device, that additional time is required to generate a matching Content Object for the first Interest message, generating a notification message which indicates a time period after which a second Interest message is to be sent out by the content requesting device, wherein the notification message further indicates a second name for the second Interest message; and

transmitting the notification message to the content requesting device, which facilitates an intermediate router to remove a first entry in its Pending Interest Table corresponding to the first Interest message based on the first name, and to create a second entry in its Pending Interest Table corresponding to the second Interest message based on the second name, receiving a packet that corresponds to the second Interest message;

responsive to determining that a matching Content Object for the second Interest message is available, generating a matching Content Object in response to 6 the second Interest message, wherein the matching Content Object contains as payload the content corresponding to the first Interest message; and

responsive to determining that the matching Content Object for the second Interest message is not available, generating an additional notification message which indicates a time period after which a third Interest message is to be sent out by the content requesting device, wherein the additional notification message further indicates a third name for the third Interest message, thereby facilitating the content requesting device to handle a potential timeout event.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the second name for the second Interest message is identical to or 4 different from the first name for the first Interest message.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the notification message is a Content Object which includes a third name that is a same name as the first name for the first Interest message.

13. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the notification message further indicates that the content producing device is generating the content in response to the first Interest message.

14. A computer system for facilitating forwarding of packets, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a storage device storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising;

generating, by a content requesting device, a packet that corresponds to a first Interest message, wherein the first Interest message includes a first name for requested content;

transmitting the first Interest message to a content producing device;

receiving a notification message which indicates a time period after which a second Interest message is to be sent out, wherein the notification message further indicates a second name for the second Interest message;

removing a first entry from a Pending Interest Table, wherein the first entry corresponds to the first Interest message and is based on the first name;

responsive to reaching an expiration of the time period indicated in the notification message, generating a packet that corresponds to the second Interest message;

creating a second entry in the Pending Interest Table, wherein the second entry corresponds to the second Interest message and is based on the second name; and

receiving a matching Content Object in response to the second Interest message, thereby facilitating the content requesting device to handle a potential timeout event.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

responsive to transmitting the second Interest message, receiving an additional notification message which indicates a time period after which a third Interest message is to be sent out.

16. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the second name for the second Interest message is identical to or 4 different from the first name for the first Interest message.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting the second Interest message, wherein the second Interest message includes the second name indicated in the notification message.

18. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the notification message is a Content Object which includes a third name that is a same name as the first name for the first Interest message.