System for routing and switching in computer networks
US6683865B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 15, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jan 27, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 15, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L45/566
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A protocol for a computer network in which routing operation codes (ROCs) in headers of packets transmitted within the network specify to a receiving router which of a number of routing or switching methods to apply to forward associated packets. The packets may be forwarded in any of the following modes: (a) a broadcast mode, (b) a hop-by-hop mode based on receiving node address information, (c) a label swapping mode, (d) a source-switching mode, (e) a flow switching mode, or (f) a hop-by-hop mode based on sending mode address information. In the label swapping mode, packets are accepted by the receiving router if the packets include a media access control address of the receiving router, and packets are forwarded from the receiving router according to a switching table indexed by a media access control address of a transmitting router. In the source switching mode, the headers include source routes specified in terms of local link identifiers used by routers in the network. Also, receiving routers are identified using local link identifiers associated with communication links between a transmitting router and an intended receiving router.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.