# US 12,192,231 B2 · Managing traffic control in a network mitigating DDOS > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,192,231 B2 - Document ID: US12192231B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/392,537 - Filed: 2023-12-21 - Published: 2024-05-16 - Granted: 2025-01-07 - Earliest claimed: 2015-02-23 - Assignees: Level 3 Communications, LLC - Applicants: Level 3 Communications, LLC - Inventors: Robert Smith; Shawn Marck - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12192231B2 ## CPC - H04L 63/1458: {Denial of Service} - H04L 41/0813: characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings - H04L 41/0816: the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events - H04L 41/0823: characterised by the purposes of a change of settings, e.g. optimising configuration for enhancing reliability (for optimising operational conditions of wireless networks H04W24/02) - H04L 41/0866: Checking the configuration - H04L 41/0889: {Techniques to speed-up the configuration process} - H04L 45/02: Topology update or discovery - H04L 45/021: Ensuring consistency of routing table updates, e.g. by using epoch numbers - H04L 45/04: {Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing} - H04L 45/42: Centralised routing - H04L 45/745: Address table lookup; Address filtering - H04L 47/80: Actions related to the user profile or the type of traffic - H04L 63/20: {for managing network security; network security policies in general (filtering policies H04L63/0227)} - H04L 41/22: comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI] - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Embodiments are provided for managing routes of data traffic within a network. The management may be performed via a graphical user interface that interacts with a Web server to update a configuration file. The configuration file can be converted to router management commands by a network management device (e.g., a BGP speaker). The commands can then be sent to border routers for controlling network traffic. Embodiments are also provided for capturing and logging routing updates made in a network. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of managing routes of data traffic within a network, the method comprising performing, by a computer system: receiving an address and a first routing action; updating a configuration file to specify the first routing action to be performed by a border router associated with the address; converting the configuration file into router management commands to be performed by the border router associated with the address based on the first routing action; and sending the router management commands to the border router. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the address is a source address. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the address is a destination address. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein updating the configuration file includes adding the address to the configuration file. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the computer system is a server. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the router management commands are Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) commands, and wherein the server acts as BGP speaker. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the computer system includes a server in a transmitting device, wherein the transmitting device converts the configuration file and sends the router management command. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the address and the first routing action are received via a user interface that provides a plurality of routing actions from which to select. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the plurality of routing actions includes a null routing action. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the plurality of routing actions includes a diversion routing action that specifies a computing device within the network that is not a destination address. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the plurality of routing actions includes a discard routing action, where the discard routing action occurs at the plurality of border routers. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method as recited in claim 10, wherein a computing device filters network traffic based on rules. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the filtering mitigates denial of service attacks on the destination address. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising: forwarding one or more router management commands from a plurality of border routers including the border router to one or more other routers based on the first routing action. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the address specifies a range of addresses. ### Claim 16 (depends on 8) The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the user interface displays a list of destination addresses and an associated routing action. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the user interface provides selection objects for editing or deleting the destination address from the list. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the user interface provides selection object to add a border router to which the router management commands are sent. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the user interface displays a time associated with each destination address on the list. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method as recited in claim 19, with the time corresponds to how long the associated routing action has been performed for each destination address on the list. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising: sending a message to each of a plurality of border routers; and updating a status on the user interface based on responses from the plurality of border routers. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The method as recited in claim 21, further comprising: sending an alert message to a system operator if no response is received from the border router. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising: querying a routing log file for routing changes; and adding any new route changes to a database of routing changes. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the address is a destination address, the method further comprising: accessing a plurality of routing tables from a plurality of routers of the network to determine possible routes to the address, the plurality of routers including a plurality of border routers; and displaying information about the possible routes to the address. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method as recited in claim 24, wherein the information about the possible routes includes where the possible routes will exit the network. ### Claim 26 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising: receiving credentials from the user; and determining a type of account of the user from a plurality of account types based on the credentials, wherein one account type is a limited account that has allowed routing actions that are a subset of all routing actions allowed. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The method as recited in claim 26, further comprising: displaying only allowed routing actions to a particular user that has the limited account. ### Claim 28 A method of configuring routers, the method comprising performing, by a computer system: receiving specification of a customer network and a routing action to route traffic to the customer network via a mitigation network, the customer network including a plurality of customer router addresses; initiating one or more connections between the mitigation network and the customer network using a plurality of routing variables; and sending, to a border router, router management commands to route the traffic destined for the customer network to the mitigation network, the border router being external to the mitigation network. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The method as recited in claim 28, wherein the customer network is specified as a plurality of network addresses. ### Claim 30 (depends on 28) The method as recited in claim 28, wherein the routing variables include a plurality of internal addresses. ### Claim 31 (depends on 28) The method as recited in claim 28, wherein the routing variables include a plurality of external addresses. ### Claim 32 (depends on 28) The method as recited in claim 28, wherein the connections are IP tunnels. ### Claim 33 (depends on 32) The method as recited in claim 32, wherein the customer network and the routing action are received via a user interface that further includes a mechanism for inputting a plurality of routing variables and wherein the routing variables are used to initiate the IP tunnels. ### Claim 34 (depends on 32) The method as recited in claim 32, wherein the user interface further includes a mechanism for inputting the number of IP tunnels to be initiated. ### Claim 35 (depends on 32) The method as recited in claim 32, wherein the IP tunnels are GRE tunnels.