Node device and method for controlling label switching path set up in inter-connected networks

• US 6,341,127 B1
• Filed: 07/13/1998
• Issued: 01/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Saito, Takeshi, Hashimoto, Mikio, Tanaka, Hisako, Katsube, Yasuhiro, Takabatake, Yoshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOM, SHICK C
• Application Number:
  US09/114,177
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/230, 370/388, 370/351, 370/411, 370/422, 370/427, 370/355, 370/357, 370/360, 370/361, 370/381, 370/389, 370/392, 370/394, 370/412, 370/413, 370/428, 370/430, 370/395, 370/401, 370/402, 370/465, 370/468, 370/231, 709/238, 359/124
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/04 for time-division multiplexing H04Q11/0001 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13104 Central control, computer control
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13296 Packet switching, X.25, frame relay

Abstract

A router device for controlling label switching path set up is disclosed. In the router device, a,policy information indicating a permitted starting point of a label switching path is stored, and a request message that contains a starting point information indicating a starting point node/network of the requested label switching path and a stream information indicating a desired packet stream to be transferred through the requested label switching path is received. Then, whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path is judged by comparing the starting point information contained in the request message with the stored policy information, and the requested label switching path through the router device for the desired packet stream indicated by the stream information contained in the request message is set up when the set up of the requested label switching path is judged as permitted. Instead of the starting point information, a neighbor information, a stream information, or an ending point information may be used.

Claims

1. A router device, comprising:

a switch unit for carrying out a label switching with respect to entered packets according to a correspondence between an input side label for identifying a channel from which a packet stream is to be entered and an output side label for identifying a channel from which the packet stream is to be outputted;

a memory unit for storing a policy information indicating a permitted starting point of a label switching path for which a packet transfer by the label switching is to be permitted;

a receiving unit for receiving a request message for requesting a set up of a requested label switching path through the router device, the request message containing a starting point information indicating a starting point node/network of the requested label switching path and a stream information indicating a desired packet stream to be transferred through the requested label switching path; and

a control unit for judging whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path by comparing the starting point information contained in the request message as received by the receiving unit with the policy information as stored in the memory unit, and setting up the requested label switching path through the router device for the desired packet stream indicated by the stream information contained in the request message as received by the receiving unit when the set up of the requested label switching path is judged as permitted.

2. The router device of claim 1, wherein the control unit judges the set up of the requested label switching path as permitted when the packet transfer by the label switching is judge as permitted for any packet stream from the starting point node/network of the requested label switching path.

3. The router device of claim 1, wherein the control unit also checks authentication of the request message, and judges the set up of the requested label switching path as permitted when the request message is authenticated as a message truly transmitted from the starting point node/network of the requested label switching path.

4. The router device of claim 1, wherein the policy information stored in the memory unit also indicates a permitted packet stream for which the packet transfer by the label switching is to be permitted from each permitted starting point, and the control unit judges whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path by also comparing the stream information contained in the request message as received by the receiving unit with the policy information as stored in the memory unit.

5. The router device of claim 1, wherein the stream information contained in the request message received by the receiving unit indicates the desired packet stream to be transferred through the requested label switching path by specifying a source of the desired packet stream.

6. The router device of claim 1, wherein the control unit also controls the switch unit to discard received packets belonging to the desired packet stream, when the set up of the requested label switching path is judged as not permitted.

7. The router device of claim 1, further comprising a unit for applying a network layer processing to received packets belonging to the desired packet stream so as to transfer the received packets to a path for hop-by-hop transfer or an existing label switching path for the desired packet stream of which the router device is a starting point, when the set up of the requested label switching path is judged as not permitted.

8. The router device of claim 1, wherein the policy information stored in the memory unit also indicates a permitted communication quality by which the packet transfer by the label switching is to be permitted from each permitted starting point, the request message received by the receiving unit also contains a communication quality information indicating a desired communication quality for the requested label switching path, and the control unit judges whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path by also comparing the communication quality information contained in the request message as received by the receiving unit with the policy information as stored in the memory unit.

9. The router device of claim 8, wherein the control unit also controls the switch unit to transfer the received packets to an existing label switching path for the desired packet stream with a communication quality lower than the desired communication quality, when the set up of the requested label switching path is judged as not permitted because the desired communication quality is higher than the permitted communication quality.

10. The router device of claim 1, wherein the router device is located at a boundary of a network segment, and

the control unit also transmits a control message indicating a permission of the set up of the requested label switching path to an internal router of the network segment, so as to enable the internal router to carry out the set up of the requested label switching path through the internal router without judging whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path based on the policy information at the internal router, when the set up of the requested label switching path is judged as permitted.

11. The router device of claim 1, wherein the policy information stored in the memory unit also indicates a permitted neighboring node/network from which the packet transfer by the label switching is to be permitted, the request message received by the receiving unit also contains a message source information indicating a source of the request message, and the control unit judges whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path by also comparing the message source information contained in the request message as received by the receiving unit with the policy information as stored in the memory unit.

12. The router device of claim 11, wherein the control unit also checks authentication of the request message, and judges the set up of the requested label switching path as permitted when the request message is authenticated as a message truly transmitted from the starting point node/network of the requested label switching path through the permitted neighboring node/network.

13. The router device of claim 1, wherein the policy information stored in the memory unit also indicates a permitted ending point of a label switching path for which the packet transfer by the label switching is to be permitted, and the control unit judges whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path by also comparing an ending point information, which is either contained in the request message as received by the receiving unit or derived from the stream information contained in the request message as received by the receiving unit, with the policy information as stored in the memory unit.

14. A router device, comprising:

a switch unit for carrying out a label switching with respect to entered packets according to a correspondence between an input side label for identifying a channel from which a packet stream is to be entered and an output side label for identifying a channel from which the packet stream is to be outputted;

a memory unit for storing a policy information indicating a permitted neighboring node/network from which a packet transfer by the label switching is to be permitted;

a receiving unit for receiving a request message for requesting a set up of a requested label switching path through the router device, the request message containing a message source information indicating a source of the request message and a stream information indicating a desired packet stream to be transferred through the requested label switching path; and

a control unit for judging whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path by comparing the message source information contained in the request message as received by the receiving unit with the policy information as stored in the memory unit, and setting up the requested label switching path through the router device for the desired packet stream indicated by the stream information contained in the request message as received by the receiving unit when the set up of the requested label switching path is judged as permitted.

15. The router device of claim 14, wherein the control unit also checks authentication of the request message, and judges the set up of the requested label switching path as permitted when the request message is authenticated as a message truly transmitted from the permitted neighboring node/network.

16. The router device of claim 14, wherein the policy information stored in the memory unit also indicates a packet stream for which the packet transfer by the label switching is to be permitted from each permitted neighboring node/network, and the control unit judges whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path by also comparing the stream information contained in the request message as received by the receiving unit with the policy information as stored in the memory unit.

17. The router device of claim 14, wherein the control unit also controls the switch unit to discard received packets belonging to the desired packet stream, when the set up of the requested label switching path is judged as not permitted.

18. The router device of claim 14, further comprising a unit for applying a network layer processing to received packets belonging to the desired packet stream so as to transfer the received packets to a path for hop-by-hop transfer or an existing label switching path for the desired packet stream of which the router device is a starting point, when the set up of the requested label switching path is judged as not permitted.

19. The router device of claim 14, wherein the policy information stored in the memory unit also indicates a permitted communication quality by which the packet transfer by the label switching is to be permitted from each permitted neighboring node/network, the request message received by the receiving unit also contains a communication quality information indicating a desired communication quality for the requested label switching path, and the control unit judges whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path by also comparing the communication quality information contained in the request message as received by the receiving unit with the policy information as stored in the memory unit.

20. The router device of claim 19, wherein the control unit also controls the switch unit to transfer the received packets to an existing label switching path for the desired packet stream with a communication quality lower than the desired communication quality, when the set up of the requested label switching path is judged as not permitted because the desired communication quality is higher than the permitted communication quality.

21. The router device of claim 14, wherein the router device is located at a boundary of a network segment, and

the control unit also transmits a control message indicating a permission of the set up of the requested label switching path to an internal router of the network segment, so as to enable the internal router to carry out the set up of the requested label switching path through the internal router without judging whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path based on the policy information at the internal router, when the set up of the requested label switching path is judged as permitted.

22. The router device of claim 14, wherein the control unit sets up the requested label switching path through the router device without judging whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path-when the source of the request message is judged as a node located within a network segment to which the router device belongs.

23. A router device, comprising:

a switch unit for carrying out a label switching with respect to entered packets according to a correspondence between an input side label for identifying a channel from which a packet stream is to be entered and an output side label for identifying a channel from which the packet stream is to be outputted;

a memory unit for storing a policy information indicating a permitted packet stream for which a packet transfer by the label switching is to be permitted;

a receiving unit for receiving a request message for requesting a set up of a requested label switching path through the router device, the request message containing a stream information indicating a desired packet stream to be transferred through the requested label switching path; and

a control unit for judging whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path by comparing the stream information contained in the request message as received by the receiving unit with the policy information as stored in the memory unit, and setting up the requested label switching path through the router device for the desired packet stream indicated by the stream information contained in the request message as received by the receiving unit when the set up of the requested label switching path is judged as permitted.

24. The router device of claim 23, wherein the policy information stored in the memory unit also indicates a permitted communication quality by which the packet transfer by the label switching is to be permitted for each permitted packet stream, the request message received by the receiving unit also contains a communication quality information indicating a desired communication quality for the requested label switching path, and the control unit judges whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path by also comparing the communication quality information contained in the request message as received by the receiving unit with the policy information as stored in the memory unit.

25. The router device of claim 24, wherein the control unit also controls the switch unit to transfer the received packets to an existing label switching path for the desired packet stream with a communication quality lower than the desired communication quality, when the set up of the requested label switching path is judged as not permitted because the desired communication quality is higher than the permitted communication quality.

26. The router device of claim 23, wherein the router device is located at a boundary of a network segment, and

the control unit also transmits a control message indicating a permission of the set up of the requested label switching path to an internal router of the network segment, so as to enable the internal router to carry out the set up of the requested label switching path through the internal router without judging whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path based on the policy information at the internal router, when the set up of the requested label switching path is judged as permitted.

27. A router device, comprising:

a switch unit for carrying out a label switching with respect to entered packets according to a correspondence between an input side label for identifying a channel from which a packet stream is to be entered and an output side label for identifying a channel from which the packet stream is to be outputted;

a memory unit for storing a policy information indicating a permitted ending point of a label switching path for which a packet transfer by the label switching is to be permitted;

a receiving unit for receiving a request message for requesting a set up of a requested label switching path through the router device, the request message containing a stream information indicating a desired packet stream to be transferred through the requested label switching path; and

a control unit for judging whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path by comparing an ending point information, which is either contained in the request message as received by the receiving unit or derived from the stream information contained in the request message as received by the receiving unit, with the policy information as stored in the memory unit, and setting up the requested label switching path through the router device for the desired packet stream indicated by the stream information contained in the request message as received by the receiving unit when the set up of the requested label switching path is judged as permitted.

28. A method for controlling label switching path set up at a router device, comprising the steps of:

storing a policy information indicating a permitted starting point of a label switching path for which a packet transfer by a label switching is to be permitted;

receiving a request message for requesting a set up of a requested label switching path through the router device, the request message containing a starting point information indicating a starting point node/network of the requested label switching path and a stream information indicating a desired packet stream to be transferred through the requested label switching path;

judging whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path by comparing the starting point information contained in the request message as received by the receiving step with the policy information as stored by the storing step; and

setting up the requested label switching path through the router device for the desired packet stream indicated by the stream information contained in the request message as received by the receiving step when the set up of the requested label switching path is judge as permitted by the judging step.

29. A method for controlling label switching path set up at a router device, comprising the steps of:

storing a policy information indicating a permitted neighboring node/network from which a packet transfer by a label switching is to be permitted;

receiving a request message for requesting a set up of a requested label switching path through the router device, the request message containing a message source information indicating a source of the request message and a stream information indicating a desired packet stream to be transferred through the requested label switching path;

judging whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path by comparing the message source information contained in the request message as received by the receiving step with the policy information as stored by the storing step; and

setting up the requested label switching path through the router device for the desired packet stream indicated by the stream information contained in the request message as received by the receiving step when the set up of the requested label switching path is judged as permitted by the judging step.

30. A method for controlling label switching path set up at a router device, comprising the steps of:

storing a policy information indicating a permitted packet stream for which a packet transfer by a label switching is to be permitted;

receiving a request message for requesting a set up of a requested label switching path through the router device, the request message containing a stream information indicating a desired packet stream to be transferred through the requested label switching path;

judging whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path by comparing the stream information contained in the request message as received by the receiving step with the policy information as stored by the storing step; and

setting up the requested label switching path through the router device for the desired packet stream indicated by the stream information contained in the request message as received by the receiving step when the set up of the requested label switching path is judged as permitted by the judging step.

31. A method for controlling label switching path set up at a router device, comprising the steps of:

storing a policy information indicating a permitted ending point of a label switching path for which a packet transfer by a label switching is to be permitted;

receiving a request message for requesting a set up of a requested label switching path through the router device, the request message containing a stream information indicating a desired packet stream to be transferred through the requested label switching path;

judging whether or not to permit the set up of the requested label switching path by comparing an ending point information, which is either contained in the request message as received by the receiving step or derived from the stream information contained in the request message as received by the receiving step, with the policy information as stored by the storing step; and

setting up the requested label switching path through the router device for the desired packet stream indicated by the stream information contained in the request message as received by the receiving step when the set up of the requested label switching path is judge as permitted by the judging step.