BGP Community Attribute Routing for Network Proximity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Internet service providers face inefficiencies in routing requests due to policies that often result in suboptimal routes to providers that are not best suited to handle the requests, leading to inefficient service delivery.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) community attributes to rank providers based on network distance, allowing routers to transmit requests to the highest-ranked providers capable of efficiently servicing the requests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional routing policies are used, then requests are routed to providers according to administrator policies, but the routes may be inefficient and providers may not be best suited to handle the requests
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the routing decision parameters from simple administrator-defined policies to multi-dimensional BGP community attributes including network distance, provider capabilities, and request characteristics. This allows dynamic parameter adjustment based on real-time network conditions and provider states, resolving the contradiction by making routing more efficient through enriched parameters while managing complexity through structured attribute frameworks.
Solution Approach 2:
The routing system transitions from static administrator policies to dynamic routing decisions that adapt based on current network conditions, provider capabilities, and request types. The system continuously evaluates BGP community attributes and adjusts routing paths in real-time, enabling providers to be selected based on their current suitability rather than fixed policies, thus improving service delivery efficiency.
2Measurement precision
If routing is based on simple policies, then the routing process is simple, but the routes may not be optimal for service efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the routing evaluation process into distinct components: network distance calculation, provider capability assessment, request characteristic analysis, and BGP community attribute matching. Each segment handles a specific aspect of routing decision-making, allowing the system to achieve high routing accuracy through multiple specialized evaluation modules while managing overall complexity through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces BGP community attributes as intermediary elements that mediate between routing requirements and provider capabilities. These attributes serve as standardized intermediaries that encode network distance, provider characteristics, and service capabilities, enabling precise routing measurements without directly implementing complex evaluation logic in each routing decision.
3Reliability
If providers are ranked using multiple BGP community attributes, then the most suitable provider can be identified, but the ranking process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The ranking algorithm uses parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the weight and importance of different BGP community attributes based on request characteristics and network conditions. Instead of using fixed multi-attribute evaluation, the system modifies parameter priorities in real-time, allowing reliable provider selection adapted to specific routing scenarios while managing algorithmic complexity through conditional parameter adjustment rather than universally complex algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-evaluating and caching BGP community attributes for providers before actual routing decisions are needed. Network distance metrics, provider capabilities, and attribute relationships are pre-computed and stored, so that during runtime, the ranking process can quickly retrieve and compare pre-processed data rather than performing complex calculations from scratch, thereby improving reliability while reducing operational complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, an apparatus that makes improved routing decisions is provided that includes a receiver, a retriever, a proximity engine, and a transmitter. The receiver may be configured to receive a request from a source. The retriever may be configured to retrieve a plurality of providers capable of servicing the request. The proximity engine may be configured to rank the plurality of providers based on weights indicative of a network distance. The weights may correspond to a first Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) community attribute associated with the source and at least a second BGP community attribute associated with at least one of the providers in the plurality of providers. The transmitter may be configured to transmit the request to the provider in the plurality of providers with the highest ranking.