Network Path Naming to Preserve NIC Location Information
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current internet addresses do not adequately indicate the location of network interface components (NICs) within nodes, leading to unnecessary duplication with domain name spaces and inefficiencies in network routing.
Innovation Solution
Methods and systems are developed to associate a name with a network path by identifying symbolic identifiers and hop information, allowing for improved network path association through the use of processors and logic encoded in data storage media to send messages with hop identifiers, thereby enhancing network topology representation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If current internet addresses are used to identify nodes, then global address space is provided, but location information of network interface components is lost and duplication with domain name spaces occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the address into multiple components: a path identifier (indicating location through network path) and a node identifier (identifying the specific node). This segmentation allows the address to simultaneously provide location information and avoid duplication with domain name spaces, resolving the contradiction between information completeness and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a new dimension to the address structure by incorporating path information as a separate identifier dimension. Instead of using only traditional IP addresses, the system uses path-based identifiers that operate in an additional dimensional space, enabling simultaneous location indication and eliminating the need for domain name space duplication.
2Productivity
If path-based protocol addresses are used to indicate network path, then routing efficiency is improved, but address space management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The path-based protocol address serves multiple functions simultaneously: it identifies the network path, provides location information, and enables efficient routing. By making the address structure multi-functional, the patent improves routing efficiency without proportionally increasing management complexity, as the same structural elements serve multiple purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges path identification and node identification into a unified address structure. The path-based protocol address combines path information and node identifiers in a single integrated format, simplifying management by eliminating the need for separate path and node identification mechanisms while maintaining routing efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If symbolic identifiers are associated with network paths, then name resolution is improved, but processing time for path association increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-establishing associations between symbolic identifiers and network paths in a database or lookup structure. This allows for fast resolution during actual communication, as the system can quickly query pre-computed associations rather than performing complex real-time analysis, thus improving ease of operation without significant time penalty.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are described for associating a name with a network path. In an aspect, a first message is received, from a first node by a second node via a first network path in a network. A first symbolic identifier of the first node is identified, wherein the first network path includes a first hop included in communicatively coupling the first node and the second node. Second path information is identified that identifies a second hop in a second network path included in communicatively coupling the second node and a third node. A second message is sent, identifying the first symbolic identifier and the first hop, to the third node via the second hop to associate the first symbolic identifier with a third network path that includes a node included in at least one of the first hop and the second hop.