TRANSFERRING STATE IN CONTENT CENTRIC NETWORK STACKS

• US 20170041420A1
• Filed: 08/03/2015
• Published: 02/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Solis, Ignacio
• Granted Patent: US 9,986,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/7453 using hashing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• 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 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates the transfer of the state of a stack in a content centric network. During operation, the system receives, by a communication component from a coordinating entity, a command message to store a current state of the component, wherein the communication component is used in processing messages based on a name, and wherein a name is a hierarchically structured variable length identifier (HSVLI) which comprises contiguous name components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level. The system determines a current state for the communication component. Subsequently, the system stores the current state for the communication component in a data structure.

Claims

1. A computer system for forwarding packets, the system comprising:

a processor; and

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

receiving, by a communication component from a coordinating entity, a command message to store a current state of the component, wherein the communication component is used in processing messages based on a name, and wherein a name is a hierarchically structured variable length identifier (HSVLI) which comprises contiguous name components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level;

determining a current state for the communication component; and

storing the current state for the communication component in a data structure.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a first packet that corresponds to an interest message, wherein the interest message indicates a request for the data structure and includes a name for the data structure.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the first packet is received from one or more of:

a manager component of a stack of communication modules, wherein a manager component is used in processing messages between the coordinating entity and the communication modules, wherein a stack does not require a respective communication module to communicate only with a layer above or below thereof, and wherein the communication component belongs to the stack; and

the coordinating entity, which is one or more of;

an entity or a service external to the stack; and

an application associated with the stack.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

generating a second packet that corresponds to a content object message, wherein the content object message includes the data structure and a name for the data structure.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

generating a notification message indicating that the current state is stored in the data structure, wherein the notification message includes a name for the data structure.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the data structure indicates one or more interest or content object messages stored by the communication component in processing the messages.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the data structure is a manifest, wherein a manifest indicates a set of content objects and their corresponding digests, wherein a respective content object is a data object or another manifest, and wherein a manifest and a content object each indicate a name.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

responsive to receiving a request for the current state, transmitting the current state.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the communication component is a component of a stack of communication modules, wherein the stack does not require a respective communication module to communicate only with a layer above or below thereof.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein determining the current state further comprises:

determining a current state for one or more other communication components of the stack;

responsive to determining that the current state for the other communication components is a pending state, waiting for an indicator of a ready state for the other communication components.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the coordinating entity is one or more of:

an entity or a service external to the stack; and

an application associated with the stack.

12. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the command message is received from the coordinating entity via a manager component of the stack, wherein a manager component is used in processing messages between the coordinating entity and the communication modules.

13. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a communication component from a coordinating entity, a command message to store a current state of the component, wherein the communication component is used in processing messages based on a name, and wherein a name is a hierarchically structured variable length identifier (HSVLI) which comprises contiguous name components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level;

determining a current state for the communication component; and

storing the current state for the communication component in a data structure.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a first packet that corresponds to an interest message, wherein the interest message indicates a request for the data structure and includes a name for the data structure.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first packet is received from one or more of:

a manager component of a stack of communication modules, wherein a manager component is used in processing messages between the coordinating entity and the communication modules, wherein a stack does not require a respective communication module to communicate only with a layer above or below thereof, and wherein the communication component belongs to the stack; and

the coordinating entity, which is one or more of;

an entity or a service external to the stack; and

an application associated with the stack.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

generating a second packet that corresponds to a content object message, wherein the content object message includes the data structure and a name for the data structure.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

generating a notification message indicating that the current state is stored in the data structure, wherein the notification message includes a name for the data structure.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the data structure indicates one or more interest or content object messages stored by the communication component in processing the messages.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the data structure is a manifest, wherein a manifest indicates a set of content objects and their corresponding digests, wherein a respective content object is a data object or another manifest, and wherein a manifest and a content object each indicate a name.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

responsive to receiving a request for the current state, transmitting the current state.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the communication component is a component of a stack of communication modules, wherein the stack does not require a respective communication module to communicate only with a layer above or below thereof.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein determining the current state further comprises:

determining a current state for one or more other communication components of the stack;

responsive to determining that the current state for the other communication components is a pending state, waiting for an indicator of a ready state for the other communication components.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the coordinating entity is one or more of:

an entity or a service external to the stack; and

an application associated with the stack.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the command message is received from the coordinating entity via a manager component of the stack, wherein a manager component is used in processing messages between the coordinating entity and the communication modules.