Patent ID: 9699071
Date: 2017-07-04
CPC Classifications: H04L

Claim:
1. In a source routed forwarding network comprising a plurality of nodes configured to transfer data packets to one another via a plurality of links, a method comprising: a forwarding node forwarding a data packet to another said node in accordance with a header defining a path of the data packet from a source to multiple destinations, wherein the header includes an ordered set of codewords, wherein a controller controlling each of the plurality of nodes establishes an order of the codewords in the header such that the codewords, when locally interpreted in the order by one or more of the nodes, cause the data packet to traverse the path, wherein the controller has, prior to establishing the order of the codewords in the header, sent to each of the plurality of nodes a list indicating an assigned codeword for each of a plurality of local interpretations potentially to be made by any of the plurality of nodes, and wherein the forwarding node processes the header, decodes codewords, identifies outgoing interfaces that are local to the forwarding node as represented by the codewords, and sends a source routed forwarding header and the data packet on to the outgoing interfaces.