BKAS Disjoint Interval Encoding for IP Addressing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing CIDR/VLSM addressing scheme is prone to high rates of overlapping routing/filtering rules, leading to misconfigurations and performance issues in network and security devices.
Innovation Solution
The Bouhoula-Kaâniche Addressing Scheme (BKAS) uses an original disjoint address interval encoding, enabling efficient IP packet matching and reducing the number of rules by eliminating overlaps, while maintaining backward compatibility with CIDR/VLSM.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If CIDR/VLSM addressing scheme is used to optimize addressing space usage, then addressing efficiency is improved, but overlapping routing/filtering rules increase leading to misconfigurations and performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the IP address space into non-overlapping intervals using a novel encoding scheme. Each IP address is divided into network prefix and host identifier parts, with the network prefix further segmented into discrete, non-overlapping intervals. This segmentation eliminates the overlapping rules problem while maintaining the addressing efficiency of CIDR/VLSM by allowing precise interval-based routing and filtering without configuration errors.
2Reliability
If overlapping routing rules are eliminated to reduce misconfigurations, then configuration accuracy is improved, but the number of rules explodes combinatorially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple overlapping CIDR/VLSM rules into a single unified rule using interval encoding. The encoding scheme combines the network prefix and interval information into one compact representation that covers the same address space without overlaps. This merging dramatically reduces the number of routing rules while maintaining configuration accuracy, as the interval encoding inherently prevents overlaps by design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation from traditional CIDR prefix-length notation to an interval-based encoding scheme. This parameter transformation allows the system to represent the same address space more efficiently, reducing the number of rules needed while eliminating overlaps. The interval encoding parameters capture both the network prefix and the specific interval ranges, providing a more compact and accurate representation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional CIDR notation is used for IP address identification, then backward compatibility is maintained, but the number of routing/filtering rules increases due to overlapping prefixes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an interval encoding scheme as an intermediary layer between the traditional CIDR notation and the routing rule processing. This intermediary representation maintains backward compatibility with existing CIDR/VLSM address spaces while providing a non-overlapping interval structure that reduces the number of rules. The encoding acts as a mediator that translates CIDR prefixes into precise, non-overlapping intervals without losing the original addressing scheme's compatibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system provide a BKAS addressing scheme. The scheme enables the encoding of disjoint intervals in each addressing block of an IPv6/IPv4 address. This scheme permits a better flexibility in IP packet matching and an improved implementation of security policies by highly compressing the number of rules and offering much more expressivity in their semantics. This simplifies the configuration of security and network devices while significantly reducing the configuration anomalies. Furthermore, an efficient matching algorithm and a set of transitional methods are also provided. A BKAS design strategy for network subnetting is also provided, allowing for the elimination of all overlaps in the configuration rules of network and security devices while avoiding a combinatorial explosion of the number of configuration rules. The BKAS addressing scheme can be included in any hardware and software program.