Method and arrangement for handling information packets via user selectable relay nodes

#This application is a national stage entry of PCT/EP01/05647, filed May 17, 2001, and claims priority of European Application No. 00112673.9, which was filed Jun. 15, 2000.

#The present invention relates to communication in a communication network. In particular, the present invention relates to a method, a corresponding computer program and an arrangement for enabling users to influence the routing of their information packets.

#An internet is any set of networks interconnected with routers. The Internet is the biggest example of an internet. An internet may by functioning over wireline links, or over air interfaces, e.g. by means of short range radio waves, such as Bluetooth, or a mobile network.

#FIG. 1 is a diagram of a conventional Internet.

#FIG. 2 is a diagram of a conventional node.

#FIG. 3 is a diagram of a conventional packet structure.

#The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to preferred exemplifying embodiments thereof and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

#An Internet communication network 100 is depicted in FIG. 1 including five transit or backbone networks A, B, C, D, and E and three stub networks R, Y, and Z. A “backbone” network is an intermediary network which conveys communicated data from one network to another network. A “stub” network is a terminal or endpoint network from which communicated data may only initially originate or ultimately be received. Each network, such as the stub network R, includes one or more interconnected sub-networks I, J, L and M. As used herein, the term “sub-network” refers to a collection of one or more nodes, e.g., (d), (a), (b, x, y), (q, v), (r, z), (s, u), (e, f, g), (h, i), (j, k, l), (m, n), and (o, p), interconnected by wires or switches for local inter-nodal communication. Nodes within a parenthesis belong to the same sub-network. Each sub-network may be a local area network or LAN. Each sub-network has one or more interconnected nodes of which nodes u, v, w, x, y, z are host computers (“hosts”) and nodes a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s are routers. A host is an endpoint node at which communicated data may initially originate, or ultimately be received. A router is a node that serves solely as an intermediary node forwarding packets between two other nodes. The routers receive communicated data from one node, and retransmit the data to another node. Collectively, backbone networks, stub networks, sub-networks and nodes are referred to herein as “Internet systems”.

#FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a host or router node 10. As shown, the node 10 includes a CPU 11, a memory 12 and one or more I/O ports 13-1, 13-2, . . . , 13-N connected to a bus 14. Illustratively, each I/O port 13-1, 13-2, . . . , 13-N is connected by wires, optical fibers, and/or switches to the I/O port or another node. The I/O ports 13-1, 13-2, . . . , 13-N are for transmitting communicated data in the form of a bit stream organized into one or more packets to another node and for receiving a packet from another node. An exemplary packet 40 is shown in FIG. 3 having a payload 41 which contains communicated data and a header 42 which contains control and/or address information.