Router Redundancy Protocol Server Mediator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Router Redundancy Protocol (RRP) implementations are limited to two routers from the same manufacturer, lack built-in RRP support, and restrict the number of potential fail-over routers, making them vendor-specific and inflexible.
Innovation Solution
An external RRP application software monitors primary routers for failures and selects a fail-over router from a pool of routers, allowing any network device to be configured as a redundant router, regardless of manufacturer or built-in RRP support, enabling multiple fail-over options.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If current RRP implementations use firmware within router devices to provide fault detection and fail-over functionality, then the routers can provide built-in RRP support, but the number of potential fail-over routers is limited to two routers from the same manufacturer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary component that hosts the RRP application. This server mediates between multiple router devices and coordinates fail-over functionality, allowing any router in the network to potentially serve as a fail-over router rather than being limited to two dedicated routers with built-in RRP firmware.
Solution Approach 2:
The RRP application deployed on the server provides universal fail-over management capability that can work with any router device in the network, regardless of manufacturer or specific router model. This multi-functional approach replaces the manufacturer-specific firmware limitation, enabling any router to participate in the fail-over mechanism.
2Ease of operation
If RRP is implemented through vendor-specific firmware in router devices, then the protocol can be directly executed by the routers, but the implementation is restricted to routers from the same manufacturer
Solution Approach 1:
The server acts as an intermediary that hosts the RRP application and communicates with router devices through standardized protocols. This eliminates the need for vendor-specific firmware while maintaining direct execution capability, as the server mediates all RRP operations between the application and diverse router hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/firmware-based RRP implementation within router devices with a software-based implementation on a server. This substitution allows the same RRP functionality to be provided through networked software communication rather than embedded firmware, enabling vendor-neutral operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the RRP application is hosted on a server rather than embedded in router firmware, then any network device can be configured as a fail-over router, but the direct fault detection capability within the router is removed
Solution Approach 1:
The RRP application on the server implements feedback mechanisms by monitoring communication with router devices and detecting failure events through lack of response or explicit status messages. This feedback loop allows the server to detect router failures and trigger fail-over operations even though the detection logic resides externally rather than within the router firmware.
Data Source
AI summary
In an embodiment of the invention, a method for providing a router redundancy in a network, includes: monitoring a primary router for a failure event; and selecting a fail-over router to assume the role of the primary router if the failure event occurs in the primary router. The fail-over router is selected and configured by the use of a Router Redundancy Protocol (RRP) application software in a computer.