Multiplex communications – Communication techniques for information carried in plural... – Adaptive
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-21
2004-11-30
Pham, Chi (Department: 2663)
Multiplex communications
Communication techniques for information carried in plural...
Adaptive
C370S395500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06826196
ABSTRACT:
I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to network switching. More particularly the present invention relates to connection establishment over data links.
II. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Multiservice network switches such as the BPX™8650 sold by Cisco Systems, Inc. of San Jose, Calif., may be used to provide a data path, or interface, between multiple sub-networks. Multiple sub-networks may operate according to different data link standard protocols. Examples of data link standard protocols supported by multiservice switches include, but are not limited to frame relay, voice, circuit emulation, T1 channelized, T3 channelized, and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM).
FIG. 1
is a block diagram illustrating a prior art network
100
of switches. Connection routing control processes on the switches communicate with each other and set up connections through the switches. Network
100
includes a number of switches
102
-
108
that are coupled therebetween by way of port cards
132
-
146
and trunks
148
-
154
. Network
100
also includes customer premises equipment (CPE) units
160
and
162
coupled to switches
106
and
108
by way of links
156
and
158
and port cards
143
and
147
, respectively. Switches
102108
include control cards
112
-
118
. The control cards include connection routing processors
122
-
128
, respectively. Each connection routing processor determines a route through a network. Connection routing processors
122
-
128
communicate therebetween by way of a connection routing protocol. The connection routing processors set up end-to-end connections, building connections out of virtual circuits on trunks
148
-
154
and cross-connects on switches
102
-
108
. A command line interface is used to input a request for an end-to-end connection in one switch. Such end-to-end connection, for example, connects one virtual circuit on a port
147
connected to CPE
162
to another virtual circuit on a port
143
connected to the other CPE
160
. In this way, end-to-end virtual connections allow different CPEs to communicate across the network of switches.
FIG. 2
shows a prior art switch
200
that may be a node of a network. Switch
200
generally comprises a data path
225
and a command bus
227
to which a controller
205
, and port cards
210
,
215
,
220
may be coupled. Port cards
210
,
215
connect switch
200
to other switches or nodes of the network. Port card
220
is coupled to CPE A. The port cards may be configured in a number of different ways to allow communication between trunks and CPE via data path
225
.
Controller
205
generally performs control functions for a single switch
200
using command bus
227
. Controller
205
includes a connection routing protocol
207
, a switch resource management software
208
, and a configuration database
206
. The configuration database
206
includes information regarding the configuration and capabilities of the port cards. Controller
205
also provides a user interface
235
that allows a user access to and control of switch
200
. The user interface
235
is also used to configure switch
200
and connection routing protocol
207
. Switch resource management
208
establishes and de-establishes switch connections under the control of the connection routing protocol
207
.
Controller
205
treats switch
200
as a single network node, addressing all communications destined for switch
200
to a network address of switch
200
. Controller
205
receives and processes connection routing protocol messages and determines which local resources are affected by the protocol message. If the protocol message affects a resource not present on controller
205
, controller
205
translates the configuration information originally contained in the protocol message to a format suitable for use by a target port card. Controller
205
then transfers the translated configuration information to the target port card via command bus
227
. A port card is a card interfacing to a link that is coupled to another link or CPE or another communication device. The port card receives and processes the configuration information. The port cards indicate to controller
205
, using command bus
227
, completion of the configuration operations. A major disadvantage of this switch and controller arrangement is that the single controller is limited to supporting a single network connection routing protocol. This limits the control of all of the resources of the switch to the single configuration supported by the connection routing protocol.
Typically, virtual circuit connections are supported by links that inherently support virtual circuits, such as ATM, frame relay, and x.25 links. Connection routing systems, such as Cisco's AutoRoute™ and the ATM forum's private network-to-network interface (PNNI), are used only on these types of links or a subset thereof. PNNI is a common standard for ATM and frame relay networks that inherently support virtual circuits. One disadvantage is that in the prior art, the combination of a connection routing system and a virtual circuit switch does not allow sending packets of data on every link type. For example, no existing switch allows the forwarding of packets on virtual circuits, set up by a PNNI controller, from ATM links that support virtual circuits to Ethernet links that do not inherently support virtual circuits.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A data switching system is described to allow arbitrary types of connections to be established over arbitrary link types that include link types that do not inherently support virtual circuits. The data switching system includes a label switching system to establish virtual circuit connections over any link types. The data switching system also includes a connection routing and signaling controller, coupled to the label switching system, to determine routes for connections over any link types.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows below.
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patent: 5737334 (1998-04-01), Prince et al.
patent: 5790522 (1998-08-01), Fichou et al.
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patent: 6466577 (2002-10-01), Humblet et al.
Faucheur, Francois. “IETF Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Architecture”. IEEE International Conference. Jun 22, 1998-Jun. 6, 24, 1998. pp. 6-15.*
MPLS Working Group. “MPLS Architecture”. Aug. 10, 1997. Slides 1-30.*
Stallings, William. Data And Computer Communications. 5thEdition, copyright 1997. pp. 510-520.*
Ryan, Jerry. Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS). The Technology Guide Series. Copyright 1998.*
White Paper. Scaling the Internet with Tag Switching. Cisco Systems, Inc. Copyright 1996.*
Rosen, Eric, et al., “Multiprotocol Label Switching Architecture,” Internet Draft, draft-ieft-mpls-arch-02.txt, Jul. 1998.
Davie, Bruce, et al., “Use of Label Switching with ATM,” Internet Draft, draft-davie-mpls-atm-01.,txt, Jul. 1998.
Nagami, Ken-Ichi, et al., “VCID Notification over ATM Link,” Internet Draft, draft-ietf-mple-vcid-atm-01.txt, Aug. 1998.
Suzuki, Muneyoshi, “The Assignment of the Information Field and Protocol Identifier in the Q.2941 Generic Identifier and Q.2957 User-touser Signaling for the Internet Protocol, Internet Draft”, draft-ietf-mpls-git-uus-00.txt, Jun. 29, 1998.
Rekhter, Yakov & Eric Rosen, “Use of Lable Switching With RSVP”, “Internet Draft”, draft-ietf-mpls-rsvp-00.txt, Sep. 1998.
Rekhter, Yakov & Eric Rosen, “Carrying Lable Information in BGP-4,” Internet Draft, draft-ietf-mpls-bgp4-mpls-00.txt, Oct. 1998.
Feldman, Nancy, et al., “LDP Specification,” Internet Draft, draft-feldman-Idp-spec-00.txt, Nov. 1997.
Davie, Bruce, et al., “Use of Lable Switching with RSVP”, Internet Draft, Draft-ietf.mpls-rsvp-00.txt, Mar. 1998.
Cisco Technology Inc.
Ferris Derrick W
Pham Chi
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