EP0884873A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Internet protocol relay network
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1998-05-12
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2018-05-12
Abstract
Abstract An internetwork relay system and method for transmitting IP traffic including an edge and a core. The edge includes an ingress and egress routers and the core includes a switch network. The ingress router communicates with and receives an IP packet from a source network. The ingress router attaches to each IP packet, a globally unique label which is used to forward the IP packet across the network. The relay switch network communicates with the ingress router, receives the IP packet from the ingress router and forwards the IP packet along its transmission path based on destination information included in its attached label. The egress router receives the IP packet from the switch network and forwards it to a destination network. Once received, the destination network forwards the IP packet to its intended destination.
Inventors
- 👤 Seyhan Civanlar
- 👤 Vikram R. Saksena
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 20:50
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L45/00; H04L12/00; H04L12/28; H04L12/46; H04L12/4604; H04L12/4608; H04L67/00; H04L67/50; H04L67/56; H04L67/563; H04L69/00; H04L69/22; H04Q; H04Q11/00; H04Q11/04; H04Q11/0428; H04Q11/0478; H04L12/54; H04L12/56; H04L12/5601; H04L2012/5638; H04L2012/5665; H04L2012/5667; H04L2012/5668
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
129 words
An internetwork relay system for transmission of
internet protocol traffic along a transmission path in a
network from a source to a destination, said system
comprising: an ingress router communicating with said source
and receiving said datagram from said source; a globally unique label identifying said
destination used to forward said datagram across said
network, said label attached to said datagram at said
ingress router; a relay switch network communicating with said
ingress router and receiving said datagram therefrom
based on information included in said label, said switch
network forwarding said datagram along said transmission
path based on information included in said label; and an egress router receiving said datagram from said
relay switch network and forwarding said datagram to
said destination based on information included in said
label.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
46 words
The internetwork relay system of claim 1 wherein
said relay switch network includes a plurality of relay
switches, said switch network forwarding said datagram
from said ingress router to said egress router such that
said egress router is one router hop away from said
ingress router.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
The internetwork relay system of claim 2 wherein
said label attached to said datagram is processed as
read-only by each of said switches.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
75 words
The internetwork relay system of claim 2 wherein
each of said switches includes a forwarding table stored
in a memory device, said forwarding table including
routing information corresponding to said destination of
said datagram, each of said switches reading said label,
matching said destination information included in said
label with said routing information contained in said
forwarding table and forwarding said datagram along said
transmission path toward said egress router based on
said routing information.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
The internetwork relay system of claim 1 wherein
said ingress router includes a routing table stored in a
memory containing said destination information and
identification information corresponding to said egress
router.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
52 words
The internetwork relay system of claim 2 wherein
one of said switches within said relay switch relay
network communicating with said egress router along
said datagram transmission path is an egress switch,
said ingress router including a routing table stored in
a memory device containing identification information
corresponding to said egress switch.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
The internetwork relay system of claim 2 wherein
said ingress router includes a forwarding table stored
in a memory device containing identification information
corresponding to said egress router.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
The internetwork relay system of claim 2 wherein
said ingress router includes a forwarding table stored
in a memory device containing identification information
corresponding to a port on said egress switch that
communicates with said egress router.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
The internetwork relay system of claim 2 wherein
said ingress router includes a forwarding table stored
in a memory device containing identification information
corresponding to said egress switch.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
137 words
A method for transmitting Internet Protocol (IP)
packets across a relay network, said packets originating
from a source and forwarded to a destination, said
method comprising the steps of: receiving said IP packet from said source; forwarding said IP packet from said source to an
ingress router based on address information included in
said IP packet; parsing out said IP packet at said ingress router
in order to read the address of said destination; appending a unique label to said IP packet at said
ingress router, said label including identification
information related to the address of said destination; forwarding said IP packet from said ingress router
to a switching network; and forwarding said IP packet from said switching
network to an egress router such that said ingress
router is one router hop away from said egress router.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 10 further comprising the step
of removing said label from said IP packet at said
egress router.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 11 further comprising the step
of reassembling said IP packet at said egress router.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 10 further comprising the step
of forwarding said IP packet from said egress router to
said destination.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 10 wherein said ingress router
includes a routing table stored in a memory device, said
routing table including address information
corresponding to said egress router.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 10 wherein said ingress router
includes a routing table stored in a memory device, said
routing table including address information for said
switching network corresponding to said destination
address.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 15 wherein said routing table
further includes identification information associated
with a port of said switch network communicating with
said egress router.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
53 words
The method of claim 10 wherein said ingress router
includes a forwarding table stored in a memory device,
said forwarding table including address information
related to said information corresponding to said
destination address, said method further comprising the
step of mapping said destination address to said address
information corresponding to said egress router.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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