Method and apparatus for managing route information and forwarding data in access devices

• US 20090323693A1
• Filed: 08/14/2007
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Yin, Qin, Miu, Yingzhong, Yao, Yifeng, Zhu, Jianhua
• Granted Patent: US 8,451,839 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2874 Processing of data for distribution to the subscribers

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for creating routes in access devices of the communication network by using access response messages. With the method provided by the present invention, services can be distinguished and forwarded based on destination IP sub-networks, so that different services can be distributed in access devices. In this way, on the premise that services are distinguished based on layer 3, the requirements for access devices are reduced and layer 2 networks on the user side are not required to carry out route protocols, which decreases administrators'"'"' maintenance work and is the important condition for the realization of plug&play and reduces the requirements for marginal routers.

Claims

1. A method, in an access device of the communication network, for managing route information, comprising:

a. receiving an access response message which is from a server and sent to a user terminal;

b. obtaining route-related information from said access response message;

c. based on said route-related information, creating or updating a route table item.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step b further comprises:

obtaining a predefined using time from said access response message, said predefined using time indicates a using time of said route;

wherein said step c further comprises;

based on said predefined using time, updating said route table item.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said step of updating said route table item based on said predefined using time further comprises:

judging whether a route table item corresponding to said route-related information exists in said route table;

if a route table item corresponding to said route-related information exists in said route table and the remaining time of said route table item is shorter than said predefined using time, then updating the remaining time of said route table item to said predefined using time;

if a route table item corresponding to said route-related information doesn'"'"'t exist in said route table, then creating a route table item corresponding to said route-related information.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising steps of:

obtaining correlated information of said route table item and a virtual local area network from an address resolution protocol message or an access response message;

wherein said virtual local area network configuration is employed between said access device and each marginal router connected with said access device.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said access response message refers to a dynamic host configuration protocol response message, said predefined using time refers to the lease time in said dynamic host configuration protocol response message.

6. A route management apparatus, in an access device of the communication network, for managing route information, comprising:

a receiving means, configured to receive an access response message which is from a server and sent to a terminal;

a first obtaining means, configured to obtain said route-related information from said access response message;

a route maintenance means, configured to create or update a route table based on said route-related information.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said obtaining means is further configured to obtain a predefined using time from said access response message, said predefined using time is used to indicate the using time of said router;

wherein, said route maintenance means updates said route table item further based on said predefined using time.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said route maintenance means comprises:

a first judging means, configured to judge whether a route table item corresponding to said route-related information exists in said route table;

a second judging means, configured to judge whether the remaining time of said route table item is shorter than said predefined using time when a route table item corresponding to said route-related information exists in said route table;

a updating means, configured to update the remaining time of said route table item to said predefined using time when a route table item corresponding to said route-related information exists in said route table and the remaining time of said route table item is shorter than said predefined using time;

a creating means, configured to create a route table item corresponding to said route-related information when no route table item corresponding to said route-related information exists in said route table.

9. An apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a second obtaining means, configured to obtain correlated information of said route table item and a virtual local area network;

wherein, said virtual local area network configuration is employed between said access device and each marginal routers connected with said access device.

10. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said access response message refers to a dynamic host configuration protocol, said predefined using time refers to the lease time in said dynamic host configuration protocol response message.

15. An access device in the communication network, wherein said access device comprises a route management apparatus according to claim 6.

16. A device according to claim 15, wherein said access device is a digital subscriber line-access multiplexer.

11. A method, in an access device of the communication network, for forwarding data, wherein data coming from user terminals of different sub-networks is forwarded to corresponding sub-network gateway.

12. A method according to claim 11, comprising steps of:

a. receiving a packet from a user terminal;

b. obtaining the source network address of the destination network address from said packet;

c. based on said source network address and destination network address, inquiring a gateway which can get to the destination network and matches the source network address from a route table, and a forwarding port corresponding to said gateway;

d. sending said packet to the gateway of said corresponding sub-network via said forwarding port.

13. A forwarding apparatus, in an access device of the communication network, for forwarding data, wherein data coming from user terminals of different sub-networks is forwarded to gateways of corresponding sub-networks.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, comprising:

a receiving means, configured to receive a packet from a user terminal;

an obtaining means, configured to obtain the source network address and the destination network address from said packet;

an inquiring means, configured to inquire a gateway which can get to the destination network and matches the source network address from a route table, and a forwarding port corresponding to said gateway;

a sending means, configured to send said packet to the gateway of said corresponding sub-network via said forwarding port.

17. An access device in the communication network, wherein said access device comprises a forwarding apparatus according to claim 13.