US7769873B1 — Dynamically inserting filters into forwarding pat…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 237 words

A method comprising: executing a routing protocol process on a processor of a first network router; receiving, with the routing protocol process, routing communications from a second router in accordance with a routing protocol, wherein the routing communications from the second router specify routing information that informs the first network router of routes to a plurality of network destinations within a network, and wherein at least one of the routing communications further specifies a hardware-independent filter description, the filter description including: (1) at least one filtering rule specifying filtering criteria for identifying packets, and (2) an action to be applied to packets matching the filtering criteria; processing the routing information with the routing protocol process to generate forwarding information for forwarding hardware of the first network router, wherein the routing protocol process analyzes the routes received by the routing protocol and generates the forwarding information to associate each of the network destinations with specific next hops; dynamically inserting a filter within a packet forwarding path of the forwarding hardware of the first network router in accordance with the received filter description, wherein the forwarding hardware is communicatively coupled to the processor of the first network router; applying the action included in the filter description to packets matching the filtering criteria to filter packets in the forwarding hardware in accordance with the filter; and forwarding packets in accordance with forwarding information that is generated from the routing information.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 237 words

A method comprising: executing a routing protocol process on a processor of a first network router; receiving, with the routing protocol process, routing communications from a second router in accordance with a routing protocol, wherein the routing communications from the second router specify routing information that informs the first network router of routes to a plurality of network destinations within a network, and wherein at least one of the routing communications further specifies a hardware-independent filter description, the filter description including: (1) at least one filtering rule specifying filtering criteria for identifying packets, and (2) an action to be applied to packets matching the filtering criteria; processing the routing information with the routing protocol process to generate forwarding information for forwarding hardware of the first network router, wherein the routing protocol process analyzes the routes received by the routing protocol and generates the forwarding information to associate each of the network destinations with specific next hops; dynamically inserting a filter within a packet forwarding path of the forwarding hardware of the first network router in accordance with the received filter description, wherein the forwarding hardware is communicatively coupled to the processor of the first network router; applying the action included in the filter description to packets matching the filtering criteria to filter packets in the forwarding hardware in accordance with the filter; and forwarding packets in accordance with forwarding information that is generated from the routing information.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 57 words

The method of claim 1 wherein dynamically inserting a filter in the forwarding hardware of the first network router comprises: processing, with the filter management process executing on the processor, the hardware-independent filter description to generate hardware-specific machine instructions for the forwarding hardware coupled to the processor; and communicating the hardware-specific machine instructions to the forwarding hardware.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 43 words

The method of claim 2 , wherein applying the action included in the filter description comprises executing, within the forwarding hardware, the machine instructions received from the filter management process executing on the processor to apply the action included in the filter description.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 30 words

The method of claim 1 , wherein the filtering criteria includes at least one of a source IP address, a destination IP address, a protocol type, and a port number.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 46 words

The method of claim 1 , wherein applying the associated action to data matching the filtering criteria includes at least one of dropping data, counting the data, sampling the data, marking the data with a lower priority, and forwarding the data along a different forwarding path.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 16 words

The method of claim 1 , further comprising forwarding the filter description to neighboring network routers.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 29 words

The method of claim 1 , further comprising: detecting a network event within the second network router; and generating the filter description in response to detecting the network event.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 15 words

The method of claim 1 , further comprising filtering the data with a static filter.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 16 words

The method of claim 1 , wherein the routing protocol is the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 213 words

A network router comprising: a routing engine having a processor that includes: a routing protocol process executing on the processor that receives routing communications from a second router in accordance with a routing protocol, wherein the routing communications from the second router specify routing information that describes routes to a plurality of network destinations within a network and specify a hardware-independent filter description, the filter description including: (1) at least one filtering rule specifying filtering criteria for identifying packets, and (2) an action to be applied to packets matching the filtering criteria, and wherein the routing protocol process analyzes the routes received by the routing protocol and generates forwarding information to associate each of the network destinations with specific next hops; and a filter management process executing on the processor that processes the hardware-independent filter description to generate hardware-specific machine instructions for insertion within a forwarding path of forwarding hardware within the network router; and forwarding hardware coupled to the processor that forwards packets in accordance with the forwarding information that is generated from the routing information, wherein the forwarding hardware executes the machine instructions received from the filter management process executing on the processor to apply the action to packets matching the filtering criteria to implement a filter within the forwarding hardware.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 213 words

A network router comprising: a routing engine having a processor that includes: a routing protocol process executing on the processor that receives routing communications from a second router in accordance with a routing protocol, wherein the routing communications from the second router specify routing information that describes routes to a plurality of network destinations within a network and specify a hardware-independent filter description, the filter description including: (1) at least one filtering rule specifying filtering criteria for identifying packets, and (2) an action to be applied to packets matching the filtering criteria, and wherein the routing protocol process analyzes the routes received by the routing protocol and generates forwarding information to associate each of the network destinations with specific next hops; and a filter management process executing on the processor that processes the hardware-independent filter description to generate hardware-specific machine instructions for insertion within a forwarding path of forwarding hardware within the network router; and forwarding hardware coupled to the processor that forwards packets in accordance with the forwarding information that is generated from the routing information, wherein the forwarding hardware executes the machine instructions received from the filter management process executing on the processor to apply the action to packets matching the filtering criteria to implement a filter within the forwarding hardware.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 16 words

The network router of claim 10 , wherein the forwarding hardware resides within a forwarding engine.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 78 words

The network router of claim 10 , further comprising: two or more interface cards; and two or more hardware-based controllers, wherein each of the controllers is located within a respective one of the interface cards, wherein the hardware-based controllers receive the machine instructions generated by the processor of the routing engine and executes the machine instructions generated by the processor of the routing engine to apply the action to packets matching the filtering criteria to implement the filter.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 31 words

The network router of claim 10 , wherein the filtering criteria includes at least one of a source IP address, a destination IP address, a protocol type, and a port number.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 19 words

The network router of claim 10 , wherein the hardware-independent filter description further includes a lifetime of the filter.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 25 words

The network router of claim 10 , wherein the filter management process further forwards the hardware-independent filter description to two or more neighboring network routers.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 33 words

The network router of claim 10 , further comprising: a set of static filters; and wherein the network device filters data with filtering rules of the associated static filters and the dynamic filter.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 42 words

The network device of claim 10 , wherein the forwarding hardware comprises a hardware-based controller that executes the machine instructions generated by the processor of the routing engine to apply the action to packets matching the filtering criteria to implement the filter.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 17 words

The network device of claim 10 , wherein the routing protocol is the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).

Claim 21

Independent Claim 293 words

A method comprising: receiving, with a routing protocol process executing on a processor of a network device, routing communications from a second router in accordance with a routing protocol, wherein the routing communications from the second router specify routing information that informs the first network router of routes to a plurality of network destinations within a network, wherein at least one of the routing communications further specifies a hardware-independent filter description, the filter description including: (1) at least one filtering rule specifying filtering criteria for identifying packets, and (2) an action to be applied to packets matching the filtering criteria; processing the routing information with the routing protocol process to generate forwarding information for forwarding hardware of the first network router, wherein the routing protocol process analyzes the routes received by the routing protocol and generates the forwarding information to associate each of the network destinations with specific next hops; receiving, with a filter management process executing on the processor of the network device, the hardware-independent filter description that includes at least one filtering rule specifying filtering criteria for identifying packets and an action to be applied to packets matching the filtering criteria; processing, with the filter management process executing on the processor, the hardware-independent filter description to generate hardware-specific machine instructions for forwarding hardware coupled to the processor; executing, within the forwarding hardware of the network device, the machine instructions received from the filter management process executing on the processor to apply the action to packets matching the filtering criteria to filter packets of a forwarding path of the network device; forwarding packets with the forwarding hardware in accordance with forwarding information that is generated from the routing information; and forwarding the hardware-independent filter description to at least one neighboring network router.

Claim 22

Independent Claim 293 words

A method comprising: receiving, with a routing protocol process executing on a processor of a network device, routing communications from a second router in accordance with a routing protocol, wherein the routing communications from the second router specify routing information that informs the first network router of routes to a plurality of network destinations within a network, wherein at least one of the routing communications further specifies a hardware-independent filter description, the filter description including: (1) at least one filtering rule specifying filtering criteria for identifying packets, and (2) an action to be applied to packets matching the filtering criteria; processing the routing information with the routing protocol process to generate forwarding information for forwarding hardware of the first network router, wherein the routing protocol process analyzes the routes received by the routing protocol and generates the forwarding information to associate each of the network destinations with specific next hops; receiving, with a filter management process executing on the processor of the network device, the hardware-independent filter description that includes at least one filtering rule specifying filtering criteria for identifying packets and an action to be applied to packets matching the filtering criteria; processing, with the filter management process executing on the processor, the hardware-independent filter description to generate hardware-specific machine instructions for forwarding hardware coupled to the processor; executing, within the forwarding hardware of the network device, the machine instructions received from the filter management process executing on the processor to apply the action to packets matching the filtering criteria to filter packets of a forwarding path of the network device; forwarding packets with the forwarding hardware in accordance with forwarding information that is generated from the routing information; and forwarding the hardware-independent filter description to at least one neighboring network router.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 30 words

The method of claim 19 , wherein the filtering criteria includes at least one of a source IP address, a destination IP address, a protocol type, and a port number.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 15 words

The method of claim 19 , further comprising filtering the data with a static filter.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 244 words

A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that cause one or more processors to: execute a routing protocol process on a processor of a first network router; receive, with the routing protocol process, routing communications from a second router in accordance with a routing protocol, wherein the routing communications from the second router specify routing information that informs the first network router of routes to a plurality of network destinations within a network, and wherein at least one of the routing communications further specifies a hardware-independent filter description, the filter description including: (1) at least one filtering rule specifying filtering criteria for identifying packets, and (2) an action to be applied to packets matching the filtering criteria; process the routing information with the routing protocol process to generate forwarding information for forwarding hardware of the first network router, wherein the routing protocol process analyzes the routes received by the routing protocol and generates the forwarding information to associate network destinations with specific next hops; dynamically insert a filter within a packet forwarding path of the forwarding hardware of the first network router in accordance with the received filter description, wherein the forwarding hardware is communicatively coupled to the processor of the first network router; apply the action included in the filter description to packets matching the filtering criteria to filter packets in the forwarding hardware without modifying the routing information; and forward the packets in accordance with forwarding information that is generated from the routing information.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 244 words

A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that cause one or more processors to: execute a routing protocol process on a processor of a first network router; receive, with the routing protocol process, routing communications from a second router in accordance with a routing protocol, wherein the routing communications from the second router specify routing information that informs the first network router of routes to a plurality of network destinations within a network, and wherein at least one of the routing communications further specifies a hardware-independent filter description, the filter description including: (1) at least one filtering rule specifying filtering criteria for identifying packets, and (2) an action to be applied to packets matching the filtering criteria; process the routing information with the routing protocol process to generate forwarding information for forwarding hardware of the first network router, wherein the routing protocol process analyzes the routes received by the routing protocol and generates the forwarding information to associate network destinations with specific next hops; dynamically insert a filter within a packet forwarding path of the forwarding hardware of the first network router in accordance with the received filter description, wherein the forwarding hardware is communicatively coupled to the processor of the first network router; apply the action included in the filter description to packets matching the filtering criteria to filter packets in the forwarding hardware without modifying the routing information; and forward the packets in accordance with forwarding information that is generated from the routing information.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 78 words

The computer-readable medium of claim 22 , wherein the filter descriptions are hardware-independent, and wherein instructions that cause a processor to dynamically insert a filter in a forwarding path of the first network router includes instructions that cause the processor to: process, with the filter management process executing on the processor, the hardware-independent filter description to generate hardware-specific machine instructions for the forwarding hardware coupled to the processor; and communicate the hardware-specific machine instructions to the forwarding hardware.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 60 words

The computer-readable medium of claim 23 , wherein the processor comprises a first processor, and wherein instructions that cause a processor to apply the action included in the filter description includes instructions that cause a second processor within the forwarding hardware to execute the machine instructions received from the first processor to apply the action included in the filter description.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 24 words

The computer-readable medium of claim 22 , further comprising instructions that cause a processor to forward the hardware-independent filter description to neighboring network routers.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 36 words

The computer-readable medium of claim 22 , further comprising instructions that cause a processor to: detect a network event within the second network router; and generate the filter description in response to detecting the network event.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 22 words

The computer-readable medium of claim 22 , further comprising instructions that cause a processor to filter the data with a static filter.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2013-08-02	2014-02-01	2014-08-03	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2017-08-02	2018-02-01	2018-08-03	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2021-08-02	2022-02-01	2022-08-03	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Dynamically inserting filters into forwarding paths of a network device

Abstract

Inventors

Bibliographic Details

Claims Analysis

References Cited (Backward Citations)

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Assigned Categories & Tags

Assign Category Tag