Virtualized Path Identifier for Flexible Routing Protocol Translation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing routing systems are limited in translating between different routing protocols, requiring pre-configuration of network devices to recognize and translate between specific protocols, which restricts flexibility and adaptability in traversing various physical routing domains.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a virtualized path identifier (VPR) that provides generic descriptors, allowing network devices to determine a routing context from a route method database based on the specified path determination method, enabling traversal across multiple physical routing domains using distinct path determination methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If network devices are pre-configured to recognize and translate between specific routing protocols, then translation between routing protocols is enabled, but flexibility and adaptability in traversing various physical routing domains is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a universal path determination method that can handle multiple different routing protocols through a single standardized interface. The virtualized path identifier (VPI) acts as a universal descriptor that can represent different physical routing domains (IPv4, IPv6, MPLS, etc.) without requiring separate pre-configuration for each protocol type, enabling one system to perform multiple routing functions adaptively
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a virtualized path identifier (VPI) as an intermediary layer between the routing decision and actual protocol implementation. The VPI serves as a mediator that abstracts the differences between various routing protocols, allowing the network device to translate from a high-level path determination to multiple different physical routing protocols without direct configuration of each protocol pair
2Reliability
If network devices are pre-configured to translate between routing protocols, then protocol translation is achieved, but device complexity increases due to requiring recognition and translation configuration for multiple protocols
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the protocol translation functionality from the individual network device configurations and consolidates it into a centralized path determination system. By removing the need for each device to be pre-configured with multiple protocol translation rules, the complexity is shifted to a higher-level abstraction that manages protocol mapping centrally
Solution Approach 2:
The virtualized path identifier provides a universal interface that handles all protocol translation needs through a single standardized mechanism, eliminating the need for separate configuration mechanisms for each protocol pair and reducing overall device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a method comprises: acquiring a data structure containing a virtualized path identifier, the virtualized path identifier specifying a path determination method and a destination identifier that identifies a destination that is reachable according to the path determination method; determining in a route method database based on the virtualized path identifier, from among distinct types of available path determination methods identified in the route method database, a routing context for reaching the destination according to the corresponding path determination method; and causing reaching of the destination in response to executing the path determination method on the destination identifier according to the routing context obtained from the route method database.