Cumulative Cost Route Selection in Networking Devices
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Networking devices often fail to consider additional hops when determining the most efficient route to a destination, leading to suboptimal packet forwarding due to outdated administrative distances, even when alternative paths with additional hops offer lower overall costs.
Innovation Solution
A method where networking devices calculate a cumulative cost for preferred routes by adding the cost of additional hops to the original cost, and compare this with secondary routes to determine a new, more accurate route based on actual path costs, ensuring packets are forwarded through the most efficient available path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If networking devices use traditional administrative distance for route selection, then route determination is simple and fast, but route selection accuracy deteriorates because additional hops are not considered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the routing parameter from traditional administrative distance to cumulative cost metric. The routing decision is based on summing the costs of all hops in a path rather than relying on pre-assigned administrative distances, enabling accurate comparison of routes with different numbers of hops
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the route into individual hops and calculates the cost of each hop separately before summing them to get the cumulative cost. This allows the system to consider each segment's contribution to the overall route cost, improving selection accuracy
2Productivity
If networking devices consider additional hops in route calculation, then route optimization improves, but computational overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary cumulative cost calculations for all available routes before packet forwarding decisions are made. The routing table is pre-computed with cumulative costs, allowing fast lookup during actual packet forwarding without repeated complex calculations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional administrative distance mechanism with a cumulative cost calculation system. Instead of relying on pre-assigned priority values, the system systematically calculates and compares total path costs, substituting a more accurate but computationally intensive method
3Adaptability or versatility
If networking devices use static administrative distances, then routing decisions are stable and predictable, but adaptability to network changes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static administrative distance system into a dynamic cumulative cost system. Route costs are recalculated based on current network conditions and path characteristics, allowing the routing table to adapt to network changes while maintaining stable decision-making through systematic cost comparison
Data Source
AI summary
Examples include determining a first hop for a preferred route from a networking device to a destination device, calculating a cumulative cost for the preferred route based on a cost of the first hop and an original cost of the preferred route, determining whether a secondary route is available, and, in response to a determination that the secondary route is available, determining a first hop in the secondary route. Examples also include determining a cost of the first hop in the secondary route, determining a new route from the networking device to the destination computing device based on the cumulative cost of the preferred route and the cost of the first hop in the secondary route, and entering the new route into a forwarding data structure of the networking device.