IP Country Estimation via AS Path Attributes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for accurately determining the country location of an IP address are often inaccurate, especially when dealing with multinational corporations and require extensive infrastructure, leading to low estimation accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A country estimation device that collects path information for each IP address, extracts attribute information, and estimates the country location by referencing attribute information indicating the country at the link destination of the path, using a system that includes a collection unit, extraction unit, and estimation unit to accurately determine the country of origin.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If open database registration information is used to determine country information of IP address, then implementation is simple, but accuracy is low when dealing with multinational corporations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces Autonomous System (AS) path information as an intermediary to bridge the gap between simple database lookup and accurate country determination. Instead of directly using open database registration information, the system uses AS path attributes (such as AS location and path length) as intermediate indicators to infer the actual country of the IP address, thereby improving accuracy while maintaining implementation simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters used for country determination from static registration information to dynamic path information parameters. By utilizing AS path attributes that can vary and provide more current location data, the system transforms the determination process to achieve higher accuracy, especially for multinational corporations where registration information may be outdated or inaccurate
2Measurement precision
If active searching with response time measurement is used to estimate country information, then accuracy can be improved, but implementation complexity increases due to requiring large number of nodes in each country
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the AS path information system multi-functional by using the same path information for both routing decisions and country estimation. The AS path attributes serve dual purposes: guiding network traffic and providing location indicators, thereby improving accuracy without requiring separate infrastructure nodes in each country
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses existing AS path information that is already generated and maintained by the network infrastructure for routing purposes. This self-service approach allows the country estimation function to leverage already-collected path data, eliminating the need for additional active searching nodes and reducing implementation complexity while maintaining accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
A country estimation device includes processing circuitry configured to collect path information for each IP address, extract attribute information assigned to the collected path information, and estimate a country where the IP address is located by referring to attribute information indicating a country at a link destination of a path of the path information among the extracted attribute information.