System, device, and method for address management in a distributed communication environment

Abstract

A distributed address database management technique involves maintaining an address database by each of a number of interconnected modules. Each module maintains a number of locally owned address entries and a number of remotely owned address entries in the address database. Each module monitors the status of its locally owned address entries, maintains the locally owned address entries based upon the status, and provides the status to the other interconnected modules. Each module maintains the remotely owned address entries based upon the status received from the other interconnected modules. When a module adds a locally owned address entry to its address database, the module notifies the other interconnected modules, which in turn add a corresponding remotely owned address entry to their respective address databases. When a module purges a locally owned address entry from its address database, the module notifies the other interconnected modules, which in turn purge the corresponding remotely owned address entries from their respective address databases. Each module may periodically send a keep-alive message including a list of active addresses to the other interconnected modules, which maintain a persistence timer for each of the remotely owned address entries and purge a particular remotely owned address entry if the corresponding persistence timer expires before receiving a keep-alive message identifying the remotely owned address entry as an active remotely owned address entry. Upon receiving a keep-alive message, a module adds a remotely owned address entry for a particular address to its address database if such a remotely owned address entry is not already maintained in the address database. A module purges all remotely owned address entries from its address database if the module is reconfigured to operate in a stand-alone mode. A module purges all remotely owned address entries associated with a particular interconnected module if that particular interconnected module is removed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The following commonly-owned United States patent applications may be related to the subject patent application, and are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties: [0002] Application Ser. No. XX / XXX,XXX entitled SYSTEM, DEVICE, AND METHOD FOR ADDRESS REPORTING IN A DISTRIBUTED COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENT, filed in the names of Sandeep P. Golikeri, Da-Hai Ding, and Nicholas Ilyadis on even date herewith (Attorney Docket No. 2204 / 151); [0003] application Ser. No. XX / XXX,XXX entitled SYSTEM, DEVICE, AND METHOD FOR NETWORK MANAGEMENT IN A DISTRIBUTED COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENT, filed in the names of Da-Hai Ding, Luc Pariseau, and Brenda Thompson on even date herewith (Attorney Docket No. 2204 / 148); [0004] application Ser. No. 09 / 274,940 entitled NETWORK ADDRESS TRANSLATION IN A NETWORK HAVING MULTIPLE OVERLAPPING ADDRESS DOMAINS, filed in the names of Timothy Cunningham, Thomas Meehan, and Manish Patel on Mar. 23, 1999 (Attorney Doc...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Because an intermediate device typically has a limited amount of memory in which to store address entries, the intermediate device typically purges address entries that become obsolete.

Unfortunately, a particular address entry may be purged by some modules and not by others, or may be purged by various modules at different times. This can result in the address databases becoming unsynchronized.

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