Controlling distribution and routing from messaging protocol

• US 9,270,583 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Richards, Timothy C., Srivastav, Vivek Shankar
• Primary Examiner(s): Won, Michael Y
• Application Number:
  US13/836,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20140280998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/235, 709/238, 709/244
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/30 Types of network names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/695 using masks or ranges of addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery

Abstract

An apparatus can include a connection manager adapter that is configured to maintain presence for each of the plurality of non-IP endpoints in an IP messaging and presence protocol based on the endpoint presence data. The endpoint presence data includes a unique identifier and attribute data received for each of a plurality of non-internet protocol (IP) endpoints. The connection manager adapter can be configured to access the endpoint presence data and convert a message between the IP messaging and presence protocol and different protocol for communication with a given non-IP endpoint of the plurality of endpoints.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions executable by a processor, the instructions comprising:

logic configured to process a service address of a message, the service address including a service identifier and a mask, the logic comprising;

a mapping agent configured to determine at least one recipient node for the message, wherein the mapping agent being configured to determine the at least one recipient node comprises the mapping agent configured to;

determine a list of potential recipient nodes from predetermined mapping data that includes a data structure comprising a list of recipient nodes within an associated service domain, and respective metadata and service identifiers for each of the list of recipient nodes, wherein the mapping agent being configured to determine the list of potential nodes comprises the mapping agent being configured to compare the service identifier received in the service address with the service identifiers of the mapping data and determine the list of the potential recipients based on the comparison,

apply the mask on the metadata of the list of potential nodes to determine the at least one recipient node; and

a service agent to determine a service interface based on the service identifier in the message, the service interface being employed to send the message to the at least one recipient node.

2. The medium of claim 1, further comprising an address calculator configured to compute an address for the at least one recipient node in a network based on applying the mask to respective addresses for the list of recipient nodes within the associated service domain.

3. The medium of claim 2, wherein the mask is converted to a predetermined number of bits corresponding to the mask, the address calculator performing a bitwise operation between the bits corresponding to the mask relative to a binary representation of the addresses for the list of recipient nodes within the associated service domain to determine distribution parameters for delivering the message to the at least one recipient node.

4. The medium of claim 2, wherein the mapping agent further comprises a matching function configured to determine a mode of delivery for delivering the message to at least one recipient node based on the mask and computed address for at least one recipient node.

5. The medium of claim 4, wherein the mode of delivery comprises one of a unicast delivery to a single node, a multicast delivery to a plurality of N nodes, where N is a positive integer denoting a proper subset of all nodes, or a broadcast delivery to all nodes.

6. The medium of claim 5, wherein the matching function is configured to provide the message via the unicast delivery to a single node in response to determining an exact match based on the mask and the computed address for the single node computed by the address calculator.

7. The medium of claim 5, wherein the matching function is configured to provide the message via the multicast delivery to a group of nodes in response to determining a match based on the mask and the computed address for each of the nodes in the group of nodes.

8. The medium of claim 5, wherein the service address comprises a presence identifier configured to uniquely identify a service residing in a particular service domain within an internet protocol (IP) messaging and presence protocol.

9. The medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one recipient node for the message comprises a plurality of controllers in a cable network, each controller servicing a plurality of downstream nodes, groups of the downstream nodes being arranged into service groupings, the mask being programmable to identify each of the service groupings or at least a subset of the plurality of downstream nodes, and

wherein the logic further comprises distribution control configured to control distribution of the message to at least one of the plurality of controllers.

10. The medium of claim 9, wherein the distribution control comprises:

a message translation function configured to process the message into a translated message for delivery to the at least one recipient node based on the service identifier in the message and based on the mapping data; and

a protocol adaptor configured to convert the translated message from the message translation function to a protocol-adapted message based on the mapping data, the protocol-adapted message having a format to enable delivery to the at least one recipient node.

11. The medium of claim 1, wherein the service identifier comprises a qualified identifier that uniquely identifies one of a plurality of services in the service domain according to an internet protocol messaging and presence protocol, each service identifier comprising:

a unique identifier for a service in a given domain that is associated with a respective service interface; and

a domain identifier specifying a domain in the internet protocol messaging and presence protocol.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein the service interface is configured to provide the message to the at least one recipient node as a protocol-adapted message communicated according to a different protocol than the internet protocol messaging and presence protocol used to receive the message, the message provided to the at least one recipient node including the mask to specify further distribution requirements for the message.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a memory device comprising mapping data stored thereon, the mapping data comprising a data structure specifying each of a plurality of nodes and each of at least one service to which each of the plurality of nodes is associated, and respective metadata and service identifiers for each of the plurality of nodes; and

logic configured to receive a message according to a messaging protocol, the message including a service address comprising a service identifier, a domain identifier and a mask, the logic being further configured to determine at least one recipient node for the message, wherein the logic being configured to determine the at least one recipient node comprises the logic being further configured to;

determine a list of potential recipient nodes from predetermined mapping data, wherein the mapping agent being configured to determine the list of potential nodes comprises the mapping agent being configured to compare the service identifier received in the service address with the service identifiers of the mapping data and determine the list of the potential recipients based on the comparison, and

apply the mask of the message on the metadata of the list of potential nodes to determine the at least one recipient node of the plurality of nodes to which the message is to be communicated, the logic also being configured to communicate the message to a recipient node via a corresponding service interface selected according to the service identifier.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the logic further comprises:

an address calculator configured to compute a network address for the at least one recipient node based on applying the mask to respective identifiers stored in the mapping data for each of the plurality of nodes based on the service identifier; and

a matching function configured to control delivery of the message to the at least one recipient node based on the mask and the network address computed for the at least one recipient node.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the logic further comprises

a service agent configured to select the service interface for each of the at least one recipient node based on the service identifier;

a message translator configured to provide a translated version of the message for delivery to the at least one recipient node; and

a protocol adaptor configured to convert the translated message provided by the message translator to a protocol-adapted message based on the mapping data, the protocol-adapted message having a format to enable delivery to the at least one recipient node.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one recipient node for the message comprises a plurality of controllers in a cable access network,

wherein the logic further comprises distribution control configured to control distribution of the message to at least one of the plurality of controllers.

17. A method comprising:

receiving a message at a device via a messaging protocol based on a service address of the message, the message including the service address comprising a service identifier and a mask;

determining at least one recipient node from mapping data of a plurality of nodes, the mapping data specifying a location for each of the plurality of nodes and specifying service interfaces operative to provide the message to each of the plurality of nodes, and respective metadata and service identifiers for each of the plurality of nodes, wherein determining the at least one recipient node comprises;

comparing the service identifier received in the service address with the service identifiers of the mapping data,

determining a list of the potential recipients based on the comparison, and

applying the mask on the metadata of the list of potential nodes to determine the at least one recipient node;

selecting a service interface based on the service identifier of the service address; and

sending the message to the at least one recipient node using the selected service interface.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein applying the mask further comprises:

computing a network address for each of the list of recipient nodes;

applying the mask to each computed network address to control delivery of the message to the at least one recipient node;

translating the message to provide a translated version of the message for delivery to the at least one recipient node; and

converting the translated message to a protocol-adapted message based on the mapping data, the protocol-adapted message having a format to enable delivery to the at least one recipient node.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one recipient node for the message comprises a plurality of controllers in a cable network, each controller servicing a plurality of downstream nodes, groups of selected downstream nodes being arranged into predetermined service groupings, the mask being programmable to identify each of the service groupings or at least a subset of the plurality of downstream nodes, the method further comprising controlling the distribution of the message to at least one of the plurality of controllers.

20. A system comprising:

a memory device configured to store mapping data and instructions executable by a processor, the mapping data comprising a data structure specifying a plurality of nodes and at least one service to which each of the plurality of nodes is associated, and respective metadata and service identifiers for each of the plurality of nodes, the instructions comprising;

logic configured to receive a message according to a messaging protocol, the message including a service address that includes a service identifier, a domain identifier and a mask, the logic being configured determine at least one recipient node for the message from the mapping table associated with the domain, wherein the logic being configured to determine the at least one recipient node comprises the logic being configured to;

determine a list of potential recipient nodes from the mapping data, logic being configured to determine the list of potential nodes comprises the mapping agent being configured to compare the service identifier received in the service address with the service identifiers of the mapping data and determine the list of the potential recipients based on the comparison, and

apply the mask of the message on the metadata associated with the list of potential nodes to determine the at least one recipient node of the plurality of nodes to which the message is to be communicated, the logic also being configured to communicate the message to at least one recipient node via a corresponding service interface selected according to the service identifier.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising the plurality of nodes connected to a device that includes the memory and the processor, wherein the plurality of nodes comprises a plurality of controllers in a cable access network.

22. The system of claim 21, each of the plurality of controllers servicing a plurality of downstream nodes, selected groups of the downstream nodes being arranged into predetermined service groupings, the mask being programmable to identify each of the service groupings or at least a subset of the plurality of downstream nodes.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein each of the controllers further comprises endpoint mapping data that specifies a distribution for the message that varies depending on the mask, each of the controllers being configured to control distribution of the message to at least one of the service groupings or the subset of the plurality of downstream nodes based on the mask and the endpoint mapping data.

24. The system of claim 21, further comprising a control plane service configured to provide the message to the device via the messaging protocol, such that the logic of the device controls translation, routing and distribution of the message to at least one recipient controller based on applying the mask to the mapping data.