IP Gateway Routing Table Disjoint Zone Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for calculating IP addresses in Disjoint Zones maintained by Internet routers and firewalls are inefficient, requiring naive emulation for billions of possible IP addresses and relying on manual procedures for Zone Type specification, which may not be readily available.
Innovation Solution
A method that identifies Disjoint Zones by associating routes with network interface cards, locating Critical Points in the Routing Table where routing decisions change, and using a graphical interface for users to set Zone Types, enabling automatic and manual identification of Zone Types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If naive emulation of Gateway routing decision is used to calculate all IP addresses in each Disjoint Zone, then complete zone information can be obtained, but computational efficiency deteriorates significantly due to billions of possible IP addresses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the routing table into manageable components by identifying critical points (subnet boundaries) and organizing IP address ranges into Disjoint Zones based on routing decisions. This segmentation allows the system to work with structured zone definitions rather than iterating through all possible IP addresses, dramatically improving computational efficiency while maintaining complete zone information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-identifying critical points in the routing table and pre-calculating Disjoint Zone boundaries before actual analysis is needed. This preliminary organization of routing information into structured zones with associated metadata enables efficient subsequent analysis without requiring exhaustive emulation of routing decisions for each IP address.
2Ease of operation
If manual specification of Zone Types is used, then user control over zone classification is maintained, but operational complexity increases due to required manual procedures and specific Gateway knowledge
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by automatically determining Zone Types based on the routing table structure and critical point analysis. The system autonomously classifies zones as External or Internal without requiring manual user specification, thereby simplifying operation while maintaining accuracy. The automatic determination logic embedded in the system performs the classification function that would otherwise require user expertise and manual input.
3Ease of operation
If automatic identification of Disjoint Zones and Zone Types is implemented, then operational simplicity is improved, but system complexity increases due to critical point identification and routing decision analysis algorithms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential routing decision logic from the complex routing table by identifying and isolating critical points (subnet boundaries) that define zone transitions. This extraction creates a simplified representation of routing behavior that can be processed by straightforward algorithms to determine Disjoint Zones and their types, reducing the apparent complexity while maintaining functional accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the representation parameters of routing information by transforming the raw routing table into a structured format based on critical points and IP address ranges. This parameter transformation converts complex routing decisions into manageable zone definitions with clear boundaries and types, making the system easier to operate while the underlying algorithms remain computationally efficient.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a method for analyzing an IP Gateway's Routing Table for identifying sets of IP addresses (“Disjoint Zones”) communicating through the same Gateway, said method comprising the steps of: identify subnets of IP addresses which are directly connected to the Gateway (“directly-connected subnets”) via a network interface card (“NIC”); associate every route in the Routing Table with a NIC; identify and sort the Routing Table's Critical Points, at which the routing decision may change between successive IP addresses, and identifying Disjoint Zones of IP addresses by locating all the Critical Points at which the routing decision in fact changes between successive IP addresses.According to a further option of the present invention, an External Disjoint Zone is identified in accordance with the NIC which is associated with the default route.According to alternative option of the present invention, the External Disjoint Zone is identified in accordance with trust levels as defined by the user.According to additional option of the present invention the users are enabled to identify the Disjoint Zone types in accordance with their preferences using a graphical interface.The method may be reduced to practice in the form of a software program that can be executed on a standard personal computer with a standard operating system. A preferred embodiment is an Intel x86-based PC running the RedHat Linux operating system.