Border gateway protocol manager and method of managing the selection of communication links

• US 6,829,221 B1
• Filed: 12/27/1999
• Issued: 12/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Cable, Julian Frank, Winckles, Adrian M, Rosenberg, Catherine
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Frank
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jagannathan, Melanie
• Application Number:
  US09/472,447
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/238, 370/248, 370/252, 370/254, 370/255, 370/315, 370/316, 370/351, 370/400, 370/401, 370/410, 370/522, 370/230, 370/237, 370/235, 370/236, 709/230, 709/238
• US Class Current: 370/238
• 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 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/125 based on throughput or bandwidth

Abstract

A border gateway protocol (BGP) management system (10) dynamically determines an optimum or preferred data route (12) from wireline networks (18) into a satellite communication system (11). Multiple gateways (16, 30-34) provide access points to the wireline networks. The management system includes a connectivity matrix which processes (74) information, such as bandwidth availability and route congestion, and then generate a BGP update that is communicated (80) into at least one of the gateways. The BGP update promotes preferred gateways and so identifies a preferred access path to the satellite system. Specifically, the BGP update instruction contains a metric altering a weighting of an identified route data route, which metric effects path selection at a gateway receiving IP datagrams. The metric is derived from information pertaining to a connectivity matrix associated with the satellite system.

Claims

1. A method of routing information within a communication system having a wireline network interconnected through a plurality of gateways to a satellite system, the communication system having a network controller arranged to promote a route to the satellite system via a preferred gateway, the method comprising:

generating a BGP update instruction at the network controller, the BGP update instruction containing a metric altering a weighting of an identified route, said metric being derived from information pertaining to a connectivity matrix associated with the satellite system;

sending the BGP update instruction to at least one of the plurality of gateways; and

propagating the BGP update instruction into the wireline network from the at least one of the plurality of gateways.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metric is derived from a status of at least one gateway.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metric is determined from at least one of:

processing bandwidth;

path availability information; and

route congestion information.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metric is associated with path attributes within the BGP update instruction.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metric is generated in response to receipt of a status report from at least one of the plurality of gateways.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the status report is generated in response to interrogation of said at least one of the plurality of gateways by the network controller.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connectivity matrix is updated by the BGP update instruction.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of gateways include a memory, and the method further comprises:

updating the memory upon receipt of the BGP update instruction, the BGP update instruction providing a preferred route to the satellite system.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the BGP update instruction identifies an optimum route to the satellite system.

10. A method of routing information within a satellite system having a connectivity matrix arranged to promote a data path via a preferred gateway providing a terrestrial interface to the satellite system, the method comprising:

generating a border gateway protocol (BGP) update instruction from the connectivity matrix, said BGP update instruction providing a data path offering the best defined connectivity parameters; and

sending the BGP update instruction to terrestrial gateways to alter path selection undertaken thereby.

11. The method of routing according to claim 10, further comprising:

generating a metric within the BGP update instruction altering a weighting of an identified route.

12. The method of routing according to claim 11, wherein the metric is derived from a status of at least one gateway.

13. The method of routing according to claim 11, wherein the metric is determined from at least one of:

processing bandwidth;

path availability information; and

route congestion information.

14. The method of routing according to claim 11, wherein the metric is associated with path attributes within the BGP update instruction.

15. The method of routing according to claim 11, wherein the metric is generated in response to receipt of a status report from at least one of the plurality of gateways.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the status report is generated in response to interrogation of said at least one of the plurality of gateways by the network controller.

17. The method of routing according to claim 10, wherein the connectivity matrix is updated by the BGP update instruction.

18. The method of routing according to claim 10, further comprising a plurality of gateways each having associated memory, the method further comprising:

updating the memory upon receipt of the BGP update instruction, the BGP update instruction providing a preferred route to the satellite system.

19. The method of routing according to claim 18, wherein the BGP update instruction identifies an optimum route to the satellite system.

20. A border gateway protocol (BGP) manager for control of routes through gateways between a terrestrial wireline network and a satellite system, the BGP manager comprising:

means for generating a BGP update instruction containing a metric altering a weighting of an identified route, said metric being derived from information pertaining to a connectivity matrix associated with the satellite system; and

means for sending the BGP update instruction to at least one gateway, thereby to promote to the terrestrial wireline network a route to the satellite system via a preferred gateway.

21. The BGP manager according to claim 20, further comprising:

a connectivity matrix; and

wherein the connectivity matrix is updated by the BGP update.

22. The BGP manager according to claim 20, wherein the metric is derived from a status of at least one gateway.

23. The BGP manager according to claim 20, wherein the metric is determined from at least one of:

processing bandwidth;

path availability information; and

route congestion information.

24. The BGP manager according to claim 20, wherein the metric is associated with path attributes within the BGP update instruction.

25. The BGP manager according to claim 20, further comprising means for interrogating said gateways to determine an operational status thereof.

26. The BGP manager according to claim 20, wherein the connectivity matrix is updated by the BGP update instruction.

27. The BGP manager according to claim 20, wherein the BGP update instruction identifies an optimum route to the satellite system.

28. A network element of a wireline network coupled, in use, to a satellite communication system, the gateway comprising:

a controller and associated memory cooperating to store communication paths to the satellite system, the controller responsive to BGP update instruction containing a metric altering a weighting of an identified route; and

means for selecting a route into the satellite system in response to the BGP update.

29. The network element of claim 28, further comprising means for propagating the BGP update instruction into the wireline network.

30. The network element of claim 28, wherein the network element is one of a gateway and a router.

31. The network element of claim 30, further comprising:

means for determining an operational status of the network element; and

means for communicating the status to a network controller to affect the metric.

32. The network element of claim 30, wherein the metric is associated with path attributes within the BGP update instruction.

33. A computer program product for a border gateway protocol management system having a network controller administering routing between a wireline network interfaced to a satellite communication system through a plurality of gateways, the computer program product comprising:

code that directs the network controller to generate a BGP update instruction containing a metric altering a weighting of an identified route, said metric being derived from information pertaining to a connectivity matrix associated with the satellite system;

code that directs the network controller to send the BGP update instruction to at least one of the plurality of gateways, whereby the network controller promotes a route to the satellite system via a preferred gateway;

wherein the codes reside in a computer readable medium.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, further comprising:

code that causes propagation of the BGP update instruction into the wireline network from a recipient gateway.