Method for routing information over a network
AssigneeCisco Technology, Inc.
InventorsAli Najib Saleh, Haig Michael Zadikian, Zareh Baghdasarian, Vahid Parsi
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Abstract
A method of operating an network is described. The network includes a number of nodes connected by a number of links. A method according to the present invention provisions a virtual path between a first and a second one of the plurality of nodes by: identifying the first and the second nodes, discovering a physical path from the first node to the second node, and establishing the virtual path. The method discovers a physical path from the first node to the second node by automatically identifying nodes forming the physical path. The method establishes the virtual path by configuring a set of connections between the nodes forming the physical path.
Claims16
A method of operating a network, the network comprising a plurality of nodes coupled by a plurality of optical links, comprising:
- provisioning a virtual path between a first node and a second node of said plurality of nodes, wherein said first node comprises a source node, said second node comprises a destination node, and said provisioning comprises:
- identifying said first node and said second node of said plurality of nodes,
- dynamically discovering a physical path from said first node to said second node by sending a message from said first node to said second node and dynamically identifying any intermediary nodes comprising said physical path in response to sending said message, and
- dynamically establishing said virtual path by dynamically configuring a set of connections between said first node, said second node, and said intermediary nodes, if any, using intermediary links of said plurality of optical links by sending a reply message in reply to said message over said intermediary links.
An optical network comprising:
- a plurality of optical links;
- a plurality of nodes, each one of said plurality of nodes coupled to at least one other of said plurality of nodes by at least one of said plurality of optical links, wherein said nodes are configured to provision a virtual path between a source node and a destination node of said plurality of nodes by virtue of being configured to:
- identify said source node and said destination node of said plurality of nodes,
- dynamically discover a physical path from said source node to said destination node by virtue of being configured to send a message from said source node to said destination node and dynamically identify any intermediary nodes of said physical path in response to sending said message, and
- dynamically establish said virtual path by virtue of being configured to dynamically configure a set of connections between said nodes of said physical path using intermediary links of said plurality of optical links by sending a reply message in reply to said message over said intermediary links.
A network comprising:
- a plurality of nodes coupled by a plurality of optical links, wherein said plurality of nodes are configured to provision a virtual path between a source node and a destination node of said plurality of nodes, wherein each of said plurality of nodes comprises:
- identifying means for identifying said source node and said destination node of said plurality of nodes,
- discovering means for dynamically discovering a physical path from said source node to said destination node by sending a message from said source node to said destination node and dynamically identifying any intermediary nodes of said physical path in response to sending said message, and
- establishing means for dynamically establishing said virtual path by dynamically configuring a set of connections between said nodes of said physical path using intermediary links of said plurality of optical links by sending a reply message in reply to said message over said intermediary links.
A method of provisioning a virtual path between a first node and a second node of a network comprising a plurality of nodes coupled by a plurality of optical links, said method comprising:
- sending a message from said first node to said second node on each of one or more available physical paths between said first node and said second node;
- identifying a first instance of said message to arrive at said second node, wherein
- said first instance of said message is associated with a first physical path of said one or more available physical paths;
- and
- configuring a set of connections between said first node, said second node, and any intermediate nodes of said plurality of nodes associated with said first physical path by sending a reply message from said second node to said first node in reply to said first instance of said message using at least one intermediary link of said plurality of optical links, wherein
- said at least one intermediary link is associated with said first physical path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.