Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer data addressing
Reexamination Certificate
1997-03-17
2001-04-10
Harrell, Robert B. (Department: 2152)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer data addressing
C709S206000, C709S230000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216168
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for address mapping and resolution in a communications network, and more particularly to a method and apparatus wherein network mappings that are more specific from the requesting entity's point of view, perspective of the network, are used before network mappings that are less specific relative to the requesting entity.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Resources in a network are located and manipulated according to their associated network addresses. These resources may be hardware and/or software, including physical devices (routers, hubs, end stations, processors, components of larger physical entities, etc.) and processes. Any one resource may have a number of different types of network addresses. Each type may be used by a different network protocol to sustain that protocol's operation. The different network addresses for a particular resource are referred to as “aliases”.
An alias can also be considered a mapping from one set, consisting of an address type and an associated value, to another set, of a different address type and associated value. For example, a resource may have an IP (Internet Protocol) address as well as a MAC (Media Access Control) address. In an application, it is useful to consider that the IP address maps to the MAC address and that one address type can be resolved to another address type, as long as a mapping is set up beforehand. To find a related MAC address of a known IP resource, the address mapping of the known IP address can be resolved to its MAC type, thereby obtaining its MAC value. The MAC value can then be used by the requesting resource (application).
Because of their importance to the overall operation of a network, there is an ongoing need for more efficient mapping techniques for resolving addresses.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, address mapping for end-stations and their associated processes are resolved as a function of a requesting end-station's network perspective. A relationship between one address and another is first established within a hierarchical directory, i.e., a tree structure. When an end-station desires to connect to a target end-station or resource, the tree structure is searched, starting at the lowest scope (level), i.e., the level at which the requesting end-station is located.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a system resolves a first address type and value to a target address type and value in a network. The system includes a computer-readable medium encoded with a data structure, including a hierarchical directory (tree structure) having a plurality of nodes, where each node represents a hierarchical level within the network and defines the address mappings. Further included on the computer-readable medium is a plurality of executable methods (processes) including a method for resolving the first address type and value to the target address type and value in a first node at a first hierarchical level.
Another embodiment is a method of resolving a first address type and value to a target address type and value, including the steps of: starting at the first node, resolving the first address type and value to the target address type and value according to a mapping set and when the first address type and value cannot be resolved to the target address type, resolving the first address type and value to the target address type and value in a second node at a second hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level.
These and other features and benefits of the present invention will be more particularly described with the following detailed description.
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Routing on Longest-Matching Prefixes. Doering et al .IEEEVI 4 ,No. 1, Feb. 1996.
Dev Roger
Jeffords Jason
Quinn Martin S.
Cabletron Systems Inc.
Harrell Robert B.
Vu Thong
Wolf Greenfield & Sacks
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