Selective Data Packet Routing to Reduce Gateway Router Load
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Solution Overview
Problem
The transfer of large data sets and high bandwidth applications across networks can tax the performance of gateway routers and firewalls, leading to slow network performance, potential device failure, and inefficiencies in scaling to handle sporadic high-speed data transfers.
Innovation Solution
A selective routing method and apparatus that determines whether data packets should be routed by a communication device or a gateway router, allowing for the switching of packets between the communication device and the gateway router to optimize data transfer and alleviate the burden on the gateway router.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all data traffic passes through the gateway router and firewall, then network security and routing control are maintained, but network performance degrades and the gateway router becomes overwhelmed during large data set transfers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments data traffic into two categories: regular traffic that requires gateway router processing for security and routing control, and bulk data transfer traffic that can be routed directly between network nodes. This segmentation allows the gateway router to focus on security-critical traffic while bulk transfers use optimized direct paths, resolving the contradiction between maintaining security control and preserving network performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a network node that acts as an intermediary between the gateway router and end hosts. This intermediary receives bulk data transfer requests, establishes direct routing paths, and manages data flow without requiring gateway router involvement for each packet, thereby maintaining security oversight while enabling high-performance direct transfers.
2Productivity
If the gateway router is scaled to handle occasional and sporadic transfer of large data sets, then data transfer capability is improved, but cost and efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic routing where the path selection for data traffic changes based on traffic type and conditions. Regular traffic dynamically routes through the gateway router for security processing, while bulk transfer traffic dynamically uses direct paths between network nodes. This dynamic approach allows the system to optimize for different workloads without requiring permanent scaling of the gateway router infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the network infrastructure universal by enabling the same network nodes to handle both regular security-monitored traffic and optimized bulk transfers. The gateway router maintains its security function while network nodes gain the additional capability to perform direct routing for bulk transfers, eliminating the need for specialized high-capacity gateway router scaling.
3Measurement precision
If the gateway router provides detailed flow measurement and control for high speed data transfers, then traffic management precision is improved, but the gateway router performance and reliability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the bulk data transfer routing function from the gateway router and places it at network nodes. This extraction removes the burden of handling high-volume bulk transfer packets from the gateway router, preventing it from becoming overwhelmed. The gateway router retains flow measurement and control capabilities for security-critical traffic, maintaining measurement precision without compromising stability.
Data Source
AI summary
Data packets are received at a communication device that is coupled to a network node in a communication network, to a gateway router that is coupled to other network nodes in the communication network, and to a further communication network. For each received data packet, a determination is made as to whether the received data packet is to be routed toward a destination by the communication device instead of by the gateway router. The received data packet is routed toward the destination by the communication device based on determining that the received data packet is to be routed toward the destination by the communication device instead of by the gateway router. Otherwise, the received data packet is switched from the communication device to the gateway router to be routed by the gateway router toward the destination.