Determination of distance between nodes in a computer network
US6192404A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 14, 1998 |
| Grant date | Feb 20, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 14, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L45/20
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A base node of a computer network sends concurrent TTL query messages using multicast to other receiving nodes of the computer network. Each of the TTL query messages has a different time-to-live (TTL) parameter value and records the TTL parameter of the TTL query message into a message body. The receiving nodes receive one or more of the TTL query messages, namely, those TTL query messages whose TTL parameter values are sufficient to allow the TTL query message to reach the receiving node. Each receiving node can determine the TTL distance to the receiving node from the base node by determining the lowest TTL parameter value of all TTL query messages which reached the receiving node. Each receiving node communicates the TTL distance by sending to the base node a TTL query response message which indicates, in the message body, the least TTL parameter value of all TTL query messages received by the receiving node. Accordingly, the base node can determine TTL distances to other nodes of the computer network very quickly.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.