Traffic balancing apparatus and method, and network forwarding apparatus and method using the same
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsYi Ge, Dan Li, Zhiyong Liang, Yonghua Lin, Yan Wang
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Abstract
The present invention reduces the burden of the network having heavier load, maintains the load balance among different networks, and improves the overall resource utilization efficiency and transmission qualities of the networks, by providing a network forwarding apparatus for selectively distributing the IP packets to be forwarded to the network having less traffic for transmission by monitoring in real-time the traffic in the different networks.
Claims21
A network forwarding apparatus for forwarding IP packets in different networks employing two or more IP protocols, the network forwarding apparatus supporting the two or more IP protocols and holding a routing table for storing routing information employing one of the IP protocols as a direct path toward a destination address, said network forwarding apparatus comprising a traffic balancing part and a forwarding part, said traffic balancing part comprising:
- a tunnel managing part for determining, for the destination address employing the one of the IP protocols in the routing table of said network forwarding apparatus, one or more routing information employing other IP protocols, as tunnel paths toward the destination address;
- a traffic monitoring part for monitoring traffic in said different networks;
- a path determining part for determining, for the IP packet to be forwarded containing the destination address, a forward path from said direct path and said tunnel paths, to balance the traffic among said different networks, when said traffic monitoring part judges that traffic imbalance occurs among said different networks, and
- said forwarding part comprising:
- encapsulating means for converting the IP packet to be forwarded into the packet of the IP protocol employed by the determined forwarding path, when the IP protocol employed by the forwarding path determined by the path determining part is different from the IP protocol employed by the IP packet to be forwarded.
An IP packet forwarding method performed in a network forwarding apparatus for forwarding IP packets in different networks employing two or more IP protocols, the network forwarding apparatus supporting the two or more IP protocols and holding a routing table for storing routing information employing one of the IP protocols as a direct path toward a destination address, said IP packet forwarding method comprises the steps of:
- determining, for the destination address employing the one of the IP protocols in the routing table of said network forwarding apparatus, one or more routing information employing other IP protocols, as tunnel paths toward the destination address;
- monitoring traffic in said different networks to judge whether the traffic among said different networks is balanced or not;
- determining, for the IP packet to be forwarded containing the destination address, a forward path from said direct path and said tunnel paths, to balance the traffic among said different networks, when it is judged that traffic imbalance occurs among the different networks, and
- converting the IP packet to be forwarded into the packet of the IP protocol employed by the determined forwarding path, when the IP protocol employed by the determined forwarding path is different from the IP protocol employed by the IP packet to be forwarded.
A traffic balancing apparatus for traffic balancing among different networks employing two or more IP protocols, the traffic balancing apparatus supporting a network forwarding apparatus employing the two or more IP protocols, the network forwarding apparatus holding a routing table for storing routing information as a direct path towards a destination address, said traffic balancing apparatus comprising:
- a tunnel managing part for determining, for the destination address employing the one of the IP protocols in the routing table of said network forwarding apparatus, one or more routing information employing other IP protocols, as tunnel paths toward the destination address;
- a traffic monitoring part for monitoring traffic in said different networks;
- a path determining part for determining, for the IP packet to be forwarded containing the destination address, a forward path from said direct path and said tunnel paths, to balance the traffic among said different networks, when said traffic monitoring part judges that traffic imbalance occurs among said different networks.
A traffic balancing method performed in a network forwarding apparatus for forwarding IP packets in different networks employing two or more IP protocols, the network forwarding apparatus supporting the two or more IP protocols and holding a routing table for storing routing information employing one of the IP protocols as a direct path toward a destination address, said traffic balancing method comprises the steps of:
- determining, for the destination address employing the one of the IP protocols in the routing table of said network forwarding apparatus, one or more routing information employing other IP protocols, as tunnel paths toward the destination address;
- monitoring traffic in said different networks to judge whether the traffic among said different networks is balanced or not;
- determining, for the IP packet to be forwarded containing the destination address, a forward path from said direct path and said tunnel paths, to balance the traffic among said different networks, when it is judged that traffic imbalance occurs among the different networks.
A program storage device readable by machine tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said machine for forwarding IP packets in different networks employing two or more IP protocols, the networks supporting the two or more IP protocols and comprising at least one routing table for storing routing information employing one of the IP protocols as a direct path toward a destination address, said IP packet forwarding method comprises the steps of:
- determining, for the destination address employing the one of the IP protocols in the routing table of said network forwarding apparatus, one or more routing information employing other IP protocols, as tunnel paths toward the destination address;
- monitoring traffic in said different networks to judge whether the traffic among said different networks is balanced or not;
- determining, for the IP packet to be forwarded containing the destination address, a forward path from said direct path and said tunnel paths, to balance the traffic among said different networks, when it is judged that traffic imbalance occurs among the different networks, and
- converting the IP packet to be forwarded into the packet of the IP protocol employed by the determined forwarding path, when the IP protocol employed by the determined forwarding path is different from the IP protocol employed by the IP packet to be forwarded.
A program storage device readable by machine tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a traffic balancing method performed in a network forwarding apparatus for forwarding IP packets in different networks employing two or more IP protocols, the network forwarding apparatus supporting the two or more IP protocols and holding a routing table for storing routing information employing one of the IP protocols as a direct path toward a destination address, said traffic balancing method comprises the steps of:
- determining, for the destination address employing the one of the IP protocols in the routing table of said network forwarding apparatus, one or more routing information employing other IP protocols, as tunnel paths toward the destination address;
- monitoring traffic in said different networks to judge whether the traffic among said different networks is balanced or not;
- determining, for the IP packet to be forwarded containing the destination address, a forward path from said direct path and said tunnel paths, to balance the traffic among said different networks, when it is judged that traffic imbalance occurs among the different networks.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.