Utilizing multiple mesh network gateways in a shared access network

• US 9,602,399 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2013
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FireTide Incorporated (UNICOM Global, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: FireTide Incorporated (UNICOM Global, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jetcheva, Jorjeta Gueorguieva, Kanodia, Sachin, Repakula, Murali Sundaramoorthy, Kailas, Sivakumar
• Primary Examiner(s): BLANTON, JOHN D
• Application Number:
  US14/046,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20150110104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,263 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• 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 45/124 using a combination of metrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/44 Distributed routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A mesh network, operating as a virtual Ethernet switch, includes multiple nodes operating as Mesh Network Gateway Interfaces (mesh NGIs) enabled for communication with one or more shared access networks. Selectively coupling the multiple NGIs to the same shared access network provides redundancy and load balancing aimed at improving the reliability and performance of the network. A first architecture is based on a gateway group, including a plurality of NGIs enabled to communicate with a single shared access network via a designated broadcast server elected from among the NGIs. A second architecture is based on a plurality of (physical) NGIs enabled to communicate with a single shared access network via one or more designated nodes in the shared access network. The designated nodes, or Mesh Servers (MSs), operate as virtual NGIs, and traffic entering or exiting the mesh flows through one of the MSs, thus improving packet broadcast efficiency.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

means for communicating packet data between a self-organizing network and a same shared access network via a group of network interface nodes, each node being a member of the self-organizing network and having a respective communication link with the same shared access network;

means for executing a control protocol to enable network performance improvements;

wherein the network performance improvements comprise at least one of

preventing broadcast loops between the self-organizing network and the same shared access network,

avoiding forwarding of more than one copy of a packet from the same shared access network onto the self-organizing network, and

routing a packet that specifies a source and a destination via a best path within the self-organizing network according to the source and the destination; and

wherein a particular one of the nodes in the self-organizing network is operated as a first endpoint, a particular endpoint accessible via the shared-access network is operated as a second endpoint, and the communicating comprises splitting traffic communicated between the first endpoint and the second endpoint between a plurality of the communication links.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the splitting traffic is in accordance with a load-balancing objective.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for communicating is in accordance with a means for failure recovery comprising means for shifting traffic communicated between an endpoint in the self-organizing network and an endpoint accessible via the same shared access network from a first one of the communication links to a second one of the communication links when the first one of the communication links fails.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the group of network interface nodes is a gateway group, and each node of the group of network interface nodes is operable as a respective network gateway interface;

the control protocol is a distributed control protocol executable on the gateway group; and

the distributed control protocol enables communicating control information between the network gateway interfaces.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising means for communicating data between the self-organizing network and another shared access network via another gateway group.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each of the gateway groups are identified by unique respective gateway group identifiers.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for allocating an endpoint in the same shared access network as a mesh server; and

in each of the network interface nodes, means for communicating the packet data via a respective point-to-point link established with the mesh server.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the control protocol is executable by all nodes of the self-organizing network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the control protocol is enabled to control routing of packets within the self-organizing network.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein:

each of the network interface nodes is operable as a respective physical network gateway interface;

a node in the same shared access network is operable as a virtual network gateway interface; and

the control protocol is enabled to direct the means for communicating to use the virtual network gateway interface as a terminus.

11. A method comprising:

communicating packet data between a self-organizing network and a same shared access network via a group of network interface nodes, each node being a member of the self-organizing network and having a respective communication link with the same shared access network;

executing a control protocol to enable network performance improvements;

wherein the network performance improvements comprise at least one of

preventing broadcast loops between the self-organizing network and the same shared access network,

avoiding forwarding of more than one copy of a packet from the same shared access network onto the self-organizing network, and

routing a packet that specifies a source and a destination via a best path within the self-organizing network according to the source and the destination; and

wherein a particular one of the nodes in the self-organizing network is operated as a first endpoint, a particular endpoint accessible via the shared-access network is operated as a second endpoint, and the communicating comprises splitting traffic communicated between the first endpoint and the second endpoint between a plurality of the communication links.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the splitting traffic is in accordance with a load-balancing objective.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the communicating is in accordance with a failure recovery operation comprising shifting traffic communicated between an endpoint in the self-organizing network and an endpoint accessible via the same shared access network from a first one of the communication links to a second one of the communication links when the first one of the communication links fails.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the group of network interface nodes is a gateway group, and each node of the group of network interface nodes operates as a respective network gateway interface;

the control protocol is a distributed control protocol executed on the gateway group; and

the distributed control protocol comprises communicating control information between the network gateway interfaces.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising communicating data between the self-organizing network and another shared access network via another gateway group.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the gateway groups are identified by unique respective gateway group identifiers.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

allocating an endpoint in the same shared access network as a mesh server; and

in each of the network interface nodes, communicating the packet data via a respective point-to-point link established with the mesh server.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the control protocol is executed by all nodes of the self-organizing network.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the control protocol controls routing of packets within the self-organizing network.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein:

each of the network interface nodes is operable as a respective physical network gateway interface;

a node in the same shared access network is operable as a virtual network gateway interface; and

the control protocol is enabled to direct the means for communicating to use the virtual network gateway interface as a terminus.