Method and apparatus for determining characteristics of a path
US5781534A · kind A · utility
209Cited by
9References
12Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 31, 1995 |
| Grant date | Jul 14, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 31, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L45/26
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An information gathering mechanism efficiently acquires information about a path interconnecting a source node and a destination node in a computer network. The mechanism comprises a novel packet configuration for soliciting parameters pertaining to network characteristics from routers coupled to the path. This novel probe packet preferably has a flexible format so that it may be processed not only by routers configured to interpret this type of packet, but also those that are incapable of either supplying some of the parameters or, further, deciphering any of the contents of the packet.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.