Auto-configurable transport stack

• US 9,832,291 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2015
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Solis, Ignacio, Scott, Glenn C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US14/595,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20160205226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 709220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence

Abstract

A transport-framework system facilitates instantiating a custom transport stack. During operation, the system can obtain a stack requirement for a custom stack. The stack requirement can specify component attributes and a policy for one or more components to instantiate in the custom stack. The system can select a stack component that satisfies the stack requirement for the custom stack, and can instantiate the stack component in the custom stack. For example, the system can select a stack component by analyzing the stack requirement to determine a component requirement for a component that needs to be instantiated in the custom stack. The system determines, from a component repository, a set of matching components that satisfies the component requirement. If multiple matching components exist, the system selects a matching component which is most compatible with other components in the custom stack.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving an interest of a Content Object in an Information Centric Networking architecture;

obtaining a stack requirement for a stack, wherein the stack requirement specifies at least a functionality for a stack component, and the stack requirement is obtained from a transport library component, a transport application programming interface (API) component, a network packet, or a component in the stack;

selecting the stack component, based on the functionality and at least a name prefix of the interest or the Content Object; and

instantiating the stack component in the stack.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting involves:

determining, from the stack requirement, a component requirement;

determining, from a component repository, a set of components that satisfies the component requirement; and

selecting, from the set of components, the stack component, which is compatible with other components in the stack.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the stack component from a local repository.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

searching for the stack component in a local repository; and

responsive to determining that the stack component is not available in the local repository, obtaining the stack component from a remote repository.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the remote repository includes one or more of:

a component cache;

a component storage server; and

a component marketplace.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that an updated version of the stack component exists;

determining a stack in which the stack component is instantiated; and

replacing an instantiation of the stack component with an instantiation of the updated version of the stack component.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

analyzing the updated version of the stack component to obtain a stack requirement; and

responsive to determining that the stack requirement of the stack component has changed, updating the stack'"'"'s implementation to satisfy a new stack requirement.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the functionality is a video encoding, a video decoding, security, a flow controller, restricting traffic to within a bandwidth quota, or implementing a firewall.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the functionality is an encoding, a decoding, an encapsulating, a decapsulating, a transcoding, a compression, a decompression, data storage, a data retrieval from storage, a deduplication, a segmentation, a versioning, a flow control, an in-order delivery, a retransmission, a packet rewriting, an external-service discovery, an external-service access, a data search, a data indexing, or a component search.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the stack component is selected, based on a name of the interest or the Content Object.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving an interest of a Content Object in an Information Centric Networking architecture;

obtaining a stack requirement for a stack, wherein the stack requirement specifies at least a functionality for a stack component, and the stack requirement is obtained from a transport library component, a transport application programming interface (API) component, a network packet, or a component in the stack;

selecting the stack component, based on the functionality and at least a name prefix of the interest or the Content Object; and

instantiating the stack component in the stack.

12. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the selecting involves:

determining, from the stack requirement, a component requirement;

determining, from a component repository, a set of components that satisfies the component requirement; and

selecting, from the set of components, the stack component, which is compatible with other components in the stack.

13. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

obtaining the stack component from a local repository.

14. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

searching for the stack component in a local repository; and

responsive to determining that the stack component is not available in the local repository, obtaining the stack component from a remote repository.

15. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that an updated version of the stack component exists;

determining a stack in which the stack component is instantiated; and

replacing an instantiation of the stack component with an instantiation of the updated version of the stack component.

16. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

analyzing the updated version of the stack component to obtain a stack requirement; and

responsive to determining that the stack requirement of the stack component has changed, updating the stack'"'"'s implementation to satisfy a new stack requirement.

17. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the stack component is selected, based on a name of the interest or the Content Object.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a communication module to receive an interest of a Content Object in an Information Centric Networking architecture;

a stack-updating module to obtain a stack requirement for a stack, wherein the stack requirement specifies at least a functionality for a stack component, and the stack requirement is obtained from a transport library component, a transport application programming interface (API) component, a network packet, or a component in the stack; and

a stack-selecting module to select the stack component, based on the functionality and at least a name prefix of the interest or the Content Object;

wherein the stack-updating module is further configured to instantiate the stack component in the stack.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the stack-selecting module is further configured to:

determine, from the stack requirement, a component requirement;

determine, from a component repository, a set of components that satisfies the component requirement; and

select, from the set of components, the stack component, which is compatible with other components in the stack.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a stack-obtaining module to obtain the stack component from a local repository.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the stack-obtaining module is further configured to:

search for the stack component in a local repository; and

responsive to determining that the stack component is not available in the local repository, obtain the stack component from a remote repository.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a component-updating module to;

determine that an updated version of the stack component exists;

determine a stack in which the stack component is instantiated; and

replace an instantiation of the stack component with an instantiation of the updated version of the stack component.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the component-updating module is further configured to:

analyze the updated version of the stack component to obtain a stack requirement; and

responsive to determining that the stack requirement of the stack component has changed, update the stack'"'"'s implementation to satisfy a new stack requirement.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the stack component is selected, based on a name of the interest or the Content Object.