US 2012/0239794 A1 · Convergent network architecture and path information

Abstract

Convergent network architecture and path information. Within a convergent network composed of different respective networks, each respective network may be controlled or managed internally and independently with respect to the other networks. For example, each respective network includes a forwarding and link metrics database and is managed by its own respective control entity (e.g., which may be any one of the given devices were nodes within that network). Generally speaking, each respective network may be modeled as an Ethernet bridge such that each respective bridge natively maintains its own forwarding and link metrics database. Such link metrics are specific to a given network and may cover one or both of prioritized Quality of Service (QoS) and parameterized QoS. Relays between neighboring bridges may effectively propagate and/or forward their respective databases, and update of any given database may be made asynchronously or based on a neighboring bridge query.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of networks implemented in accordance with a convergent network;
a plurality of forwarding and link metrics databases;
and
a plurality of control modules;
and wherein:
each respective one of the plurality of networks including a respective one of the plurality of forwarding and link metrics databases and a respective one of the plurality of control modules for modeling that respective one of the plurality of networks as a respective bridge or distributed bridge and for controlling or managing that respective one of the plurality of networks internally and independently from other of the plurality of networks;
the plurality of control modules and the plurality of forwarding and link metrics databases cooperatively operative for managing the convergent network as a bridged local area network (LAN);
each respective one of the plurality of networks modeled as an Ethernet bridge;
and
each respective one of the plurality of forwarding and link metrics databases including information corresponding to respective plurality of communication links between a plurality of nodes within a respective one of the plurality of networks.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Convergent network architecture and path information

Life of this patent

Convergent network architecture and path information

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20