Method for route propagation over a satellite link, and a system thereof

• US 9,876,561 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2015
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Ahluwalia, Sandeep, Xiao, Liqing, Wang, Ran, Jain, Neha
• Primary Examiner(s): Yuen, Kan
• Application Number:
  US14/696,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20160315691A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/185 Space-based or airborne stations; Stations for satellite systemsH04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18528 Satellite systems for providing two-way communications service to a network of fixed stations, i.e. fixed satellite service or very small aperture terminal [VSAT] system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18584 Arrangements for data networking, i.e. for data packet routing, for congestion control data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/60 Router architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses

Abstract

A communication system, an apparatus and a method to route an Internet Protocol (IP) datagram with a standard internet routing protocol over a space link. The method including: routing according to the standard internet routing protocol including a current routing table including routing via the space link; receiving an Internet Protocol (IP) datagram including a destination; querying the routing stack to determine whether the destination is linked via the space link; and forwarding the IP Datagram to a space link address when IP datagram'"'"'s destination is linked via the space link.

Claims

1. An apparatus to route an Internet Protocol (IP) datagram with a standard internet routing protocol over a space link, the apparatus comprising:

a router stack configured to route according to the standard internet routing protocol comprising a current routing table comprising routing per the standard internet routing protocol via the space link; and

a router adaptation layer configured to;

receive an Internet Protocol (IP) datagram comprising a destination,

query the router stack to determine whether the destination is linked via the space link, and

forward the IP Datagram to a space link address when IP datagram'"'"'s destination is linked via the space link,

wherein the router stack interfaces with the router adaptation layer, and

the apparatus is configured to operate as a satellite gateway comprising a plurality of satellite hubs, the router adaption layer comprises a plurality of router adaption layers, and there is a correspondence between the plurality of router adaptation layers and the plurality of satellite hubs.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the IP datagram comprises a routing packet comprising a route received over the space link interface, and the router adaptation layer is further configured to update a table mapping space link addresses to IP addresses based on the route.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the IP datagram comprises a routing packet comprising a route received over the network interface, and the router adaptation layer is further configured to forward the IP datagram to the destination via the space link.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the IP datagram is received over a network interface and transmitted over the space link.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the IP Datagram is received over the space link and the router adaptation layer is further configured to determine a space link source address from a source address in the IP datagram.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to operate as a Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT).

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to operate as a satellite hub.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the standard internet routing protocol is compliant with the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).

9. A system to route an Internet Protocol (IP) datagram with a standard internet routing protocol over a space link comprising:

a Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) comprising;

a VSAT router stack configured to route according to the standard internet routing protocol comprising a VSAT current routing table comprising routing per the standard internet routing protocol via the space link, and

a VSAT router adaptation layer configured to receive an Internet Protocol (IP) datagram comprising a destination, query the VSAT router stack to determine whether the destination is linked via the space link, and forward the IP Datagram to a space link address when IP datagram'"'"'s destination is linked via the space link; and

a satellite hub comprising;

a router stack configured to route according to the standard internet routing protocol comprising a current routing table comprising routing per the standard internet routing protocol via the space link, and

a router adaptation layer configured to receive an IP datagram comprising a destination, query the router stack to determine whether the destination is linked via the space link, and forward the IP Datagram to a space link address when IP datagram'"'"'s destination is linked via the space link; and

wherein the router stack communicates with the VSAT router stack via the space link, the router stack interfaces with the router adaptation layer, the VSAT router stack interfaces with the VSAT router adaptation layer, and the standard internet routing protocol is compliant with the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the IP datagram comprises a routing packet comprising a route received over the space link interface, and the router adaptation layer is further configured to update a table mapping IP addresses to space link addresses based on the route.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the IP datagram comprises a routing packet comprising a route received over the network interface, and the router adaptation layer is further configured to forward the IP datagram to the destination via the space link.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the IP Datagram is received over a network interface at the satellite hub and transmitted over the space link.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the IP datagram is received over the space link and the router adaptation layer is further configured to determine a space link source address from a source address in the IP datagram.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the router adaption layer comprises a plurality of router adaption layers.

15. A method to route an Internet Protocol (IP) datagram with a standard internet routing protocol over a space link, the method comprising:

routing, by a router stack, according to the standard internet routing protocol comprising a current routing table comprising routing per the standard internet routing protocol via the space link;

receiving, by a router adaptation layer, an IP datagram comprising a destination;

querying, by the router adaptation layer, a router stack to determine whether the destination is linked via the space link;

forwarding, by the router adaptation layer, the IP Datagram to a space link address when IP datagram'"'"'s destination is linked via the space link;

wherein the router stack interfaces with the router adaptation layer;

wherein the method is operated by a satellite gateway comprising a plurality of satellite hubs, the router adaption layer comprising a plurality of router adaption layers, and there is a one-to-one correspondence between the plurality of router adaptation layers and the plurality of satellite hubs.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the IP datagram comprises a routing packet comprising a route received over the space link interface, and the method further comprises updating a table mapping space link addresses to IP addresses based on the route.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the IP datagram comprises a routing packet comprising a route received over the network interface, and the method further comprises forwarding the IP datagram to the destination via the space link.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving the IP datagram over a network interface; and

transmitting the IP datagram over the space link.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving the IP Datagram over the space link; and

determining a space link source address from a source address in the IP datagram.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the standard internet routing protocol is compliant with the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).