System and method for dynamic name configuration in content-centric networks

• US 9,716,622 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2014
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Scott, Glenn C., Mahadevan, Priya
• Primary Examiner(s): BURGESS, BARBARA N
• Application Number:
  US14/242,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20150280984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/30 Types of network names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/036 Updating the topology between route computation elements, e.g. between OpenFlow controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/14 Routing performance; Theoretical aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/54 Organization of routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/7453 using hashing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/457 containing identifiers of data entities on a computer, e.g. file names

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for automatic configuration of a computing device in a content-centric network (CCN). During operation, the system sends, by the computing device on at least one of the computing device'"'"'s faces, an interest in configuration information. The interest has a predetermined name prefix. The system then receives a content object in response to the interest. The content object includes at least a default name prefix, to which the computing device can send other interests. The system further configures the computing device based on the received content object.

Claims

1. A computer-executable method for automatic configuration of a computing device in a content-centric network (CCN), the method comprising:

sending, by the computing device, a CCN interest packet, requesting configuration information, wherein the CCN interest packet is routed in the content-centric network based on a hierarchically structured variable-length identifier (HSVLI) that identifies the CCN interest packet and has a predetermined name prefix;

receiving a CCN content object in response to the CCN interest packet, wherein payload of the CCN content object specifies at least a service and a name prefix associated with the service;

configuring namespaces of the computing device based on the received CCN content object; and

generating a request for the service based on the configured namespaces, which involves generating a second CCN interest packet identifiable by a second HSVLI, wherein a prefix of the second HSVLI includes the name prefix associated with the service, and wherein the second CCN interest packet is routed in the content-centric network based on the second HSVLI.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the service includes one or more of:

a device registration service;

a device discovery service;

a service discovery service;

a name resolution service;

a service for obtaining or certifying signing keys; and

a printing service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the CCN interest packet is sent on all of the computing devices'"'"' faces.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a peer computing device, a second CCN content object in response to the CCN interest packet, wherein the second CCN content object includes redirection information to a configuration service, thereby facilitating the computing device to send an additional CCN interest packet to the configuration service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the CCN content object further includes a lease time associated with the specified name prefix associated with the service, indicating a predetermined time within which the specified name prefix associated with the service remains valid.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising resending the CCN interest packet having the predetermined name prefix after a termination of the lease time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the CCN content object further includes an additional name prefix associated with additional configuration information, thereby facilitating the computing device to send a subsequent CCN interest packet to request the additional configuration information.

8. A computer-implemented method for automatic configuration of a computing device in a content-centric network (CCN), comprising:

listening, by a configuration server in the content-centric network, for a CCN interest message in a predetermined namespace, wherein the CCN interest message is routed in the content-centric network based on a hierarchically structured variable-length identifier (HSVLI) that identifies the CCN interest message and has a predetermined name prefix;

in response to receiving the CCN interest message, generating a CCN content object, wherein payload of the CCN content object specifies at least a service and a name prefix associated with the service; and

sending the CCN content object to the computing device to configure namespaces of the computing device in such a way that, in order to request for the service, the computing device generates a second CCN interest message identifiable by a second HSVLI, wherein a prefix of the second HSVLI includes the name prefix associated with the service, and wherein the second CCN interest message is routed in the content-centric network based on the second HSVLI.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the service includes one or more of:

a device registration service;

a device discovery service;

a service discovery service;

a name resolution service;

a service for obtaining or certifying signing keys; and

a printing service.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the CCN content object further includes a lease time associated with the specified name prefix associated with the service, indicating a predetermined time within which the specified name prefix associated with the service remains valid.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the CCN content object further includes an additional name prefix associated with additional configuration information, thereby facilitating the computing device to send a subsequent CCN interest message to request the additional configuration information.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computing device cause the computing device to perform a method for automatic configuration of the computing device in a content-centric network (CCN), the method comprising:

sending, by the computing device, a CCN interest packet, requesting configuration information, wherein the CCN interest packet is routed in the content-centric network based on a hierarchically structured variable-length identifier (HSVLI) that identifies the CCN interest packet and has a predetermined name prefix;

receiving a CCN content object in response to the CCN interest packet, wherein payload of the CCN content object specifies at least a service and a name prefix associated with the service;

configuring namespaces of the computing device based on the received CCN content object; and

generating a request for the service based on the configured namespaces, which involves generating a second CCN interest packet identifiable by a second HSVLI, wherein a prefix of the second HSVLI includes the name prefix associated with the service, and wherein the second CCN interest packet is routed in the content-centric network based on the second HSVLI.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the service includes one or more of:

a device registration service;

a device discovery service;

a service discovery service;

a name resolution service;

a service for obtaining or certifying signing keys; and

a printing service.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the CCN interest packets is sent on all of the computing devices'"'"' faces.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, from a peer computing device, a second CCN content object in response to the CCN interest packet, wherein the second CCN content object includes redirection information to a configuration service, thereby facilitating the computing device to send an additional CCN interest packet to the configuration service.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the CCN content object further includes a lease time associated with the specified name prefix associated with the service, indicating a predetermined time within which the specified name prefix associated with the service remains valid.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises resending the CCN interest packet having the predetermined name prefix after a termination of the lease time.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the content object further includes an additional name prefix associated with additional configuration information, thereby facilitating the computing device to send a subsequent CCN interest packet to request the additional configuration information.

19. A computer system for automatic configuration of a computing device in a content-centric network (CCN), the system comprising:

a processor; and

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

sending, by the computing device, a CCN interest packet, requesting configuration information, wherein the CCN interest packet is routed in the content-centric network based on a hierarchically structured variable-length identifier (HSVLI) that identifies the CCN interest packet and has a predetermined name prefix;

receiving a CCN content object in response to the CCN interest packet, wherein payload of the CCN content object specifies a service and a name prefix associated with the service;

configuring namespaces of the computing device based on the received CCN content object; and

generating a request for the service based on the configured namespaces, which involves generating a second CCN interest packet identifiable by a second HSVLI, wherein a prefix of the second HSVLI includes the name prefix associated with the service, and wherein the second CCN interest packet is routed in the content-centric network based on the second HSVLI.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the service includes one or more of:

a device registration service;

a device discovery service;

a service discovery service;

a name resolution service;

a service for obtaining or certifying signing keys; and

a printing service.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein CCN interest packet is sent on all of the computing devices'"'"' faces.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises receiving, from a peer computing device, a second CCN content object in response to the CCN interest packet, wherein the second CCN content object includes redirection information to a configuration service, thereby facilitating the computing device to send an additional CCN interest packet to the configuration server.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the content object further includes a lease time associated with the specified name prefix associated with the service, indicating a predetermined time within which the specified name prefix associated with the service remains valid.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the method further comprises resending the CCN interest packet having the predetermined name prefix after a termination of the lease time.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the CCN content object further includes an additional name prefix associated with additional configuration information, thereby facilitating the computing device to send a subsequent CCN interest packet to request the additional configuration information.

26. A computer system for automatic configuration of a computing device in a content-centric network (CCN), the system comprising:

a processor; and

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

listening, by a configuration server in the content-centric network, for a CCN interest message in a predetermined namespace, wherein the CCN interest message is routed in the content-centric network based on a hierarchically structured variable-length identifier (HSVLI) that identifies the CCN interest message and has a predetermined name prefix;

in response to receiving the CCN interest message, generating a CCN content object, wherein payload of the CCN content object specifies at least a service and a name prefix associated with the service; and

sending the CCN content object to the computing device to configure namespaces of the computing device in such a way that, in order to request for the service, the computing device generates a second CCN interest message identifiable by a second HSVLI, wherein a prefix of the second HSVLI includes the name prefix associated with the service, and wherein the second CCN interest message is routed in the content-centric network based on the second HSVLI.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the service includes one or more of:

a device registration service;

a device discovery service;

a service discovery service;

a name resolution service;

a service for obtaining or certifying signing keys; and

a printing service.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the content object further includes a lease time associated with the specified name prefix associated with the service, indicating a predetermined time within which the specified name prefix associated with the service remains valid.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the CCN content object further includes an additional name prefix associated with additional configuration information, thereby facilitating the computing device to send a subsequent CCN interest packet to request the additional configuration information.