Routing Methods, Systems, And Computer Program Products

What is this patent about?

’756 is related to the field of network routing, specifically addressing the challenges of scalability and efficiency in large networks. Traditional routing protocols often rely on complex routing tables and algorithms, leading to increased latency and overhead as network size grows. The patent seeks to improve routing by encoding path information directly into network addresses.

The underlying idea behind ’756 is to embed path information within a set of segment identifiers that constitute a network address. These identifiers, at least one of which resides in an address space with a span in the current region, encode the path from a source node to a destination node. This approach allows routers to make forwarding decisions based on the address itself, rather than relying on extensive routing tables.

The claims of ’756 focus on a method and apparatus for generating a set of one or more segment identifiers that encode a path from a first node to a second node. A key aspect is that at least one of these segment identifiers is in an address space having a span in the current region where the first node resides. This identifier is configured to identify a next region and represents at least one network path segment. The segment identifier includes a value that is identical to that of another segment identifier of the set that is representative of another network path segment that is different from the at least one network path segment.

In practice, the invention allows a source node to determine the path to a destination and encode this path as a sequence of segment identifiers in the destination address. Each router along the path can then examine the address, extract the relevant segment identifier for its location, and forward the packet accordingly. The use of an address space with a span in the current region allows for efficient routing within the local area, while the segment identifiers guide the packet towards the destination through different regions.

This approach differs from traditional routing in that it eliminates the need for routers to maintain large, constantly updated routing tables. Instead, the path information is carried within the packet itself, enabling source-based routing and potentially reducing network latency. The use of identical values for different path segments further optimizes the address space and simplifies the routing process, allowing for a more compact and efficient address encoding scheme.