Subnet Address Generation Using Virtual LPM Tree Counters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Generating network addresses that are an LPM on a specific subnet but not on other subnets is a high-complexity operation, requiring checks against all network addresses in a subnet scope, which is time and processor intensive.
Innovation Solution
A virtual arrangement of nodes with respective counters is used to generate network addresses, allowing for O(1) time complexity in finding an LPM on a requested subnet by traversing a binary tree structure and updating counters to manage network address assignments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If all network addresses in a subnet scope are checked against all other subnets to determine LPM, then accurate LPM matching is achieved, but time complexity and processor usage increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-processes subnet information into a hierarchical tree structure before address generation, organizing subnets by prefix length and relationship. This preliminary organization allows O(1) time complexity during actual address generation, as the tree structure pre-computes prefix relationships and eliminates the need for runtime checking of all network addresses against all subnets.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hierarchical tree structure as an intermediary data structure between the input subnets and the LPM address generation process. This tree acts as a mediator that captures prefix relationships and subnet hierarchies, enabling efficient query operations without directly comparing every address against every subnet, thus reducing time complexity while maintaining accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If all network addresses in a subnet scope are checked against all other subnets to determine LPM, then accurate LPM matching is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the subnet space into a hierarchical tree structure where subnets are organized by prefix length and inclusion relationships. This segmentation transforms the complex problem of checking all addresses against all subnets into a structured traversal of hierarchical levels, where each node represents a prefix and children represent more specific subnets, simplifying the overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the flat, two-dimensional problem of address-subnet matching into a three-dimensional hierarchical structure with levels representing prefix lengths, nodes representing prefixes, and edges representing inclusion relationships. This dimensional transformation allows the system to exploit hierarchical properties and prefix relationships, reducing complexity while maintaining LPM matching accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for coverage of network addresses in a network enables a network end point to provide communication in the network based in part on a virtual arrangement of the network that includes a root node with a root counter and includes one or more sub-nodes with respective sub-node counters, where the virtual arrangement can be used to provide at least one network address that may be associated with a representative longest prefix match (LPM) having a prefix from the root node to a representative node and using a suffix that is based in part on a node level of the representative node with respect to the root node, and where the representative node can be a lower absent sub-node relative to a subnet node in the virtual arrangement.