Patent ID: 7486698
Filing Date: 2009-02-03
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of operating a content-routed data communications network comprising a plurality of content routers, wherein control data flows constituting control plane traffic and customer data flows constituting dataplane traffic are exchanged between said content routers, said control data flows including application protocol messages forming part of a routing protocol, and wherein said routers comprise application subsystems associated with said respective control data and customer data flows, said method comprising: establishing virtual connections between respective pairs of said routers; establishing an HTTP layer within each said virtual connection between a pair of said routers; assigning to each of said application subsystems within a said router an HTTP header field; for each control data flow or customer data flow flowing between a pair of corresponding application subsystems in respective routers of a pair of routers interconnected by a said virtual connection, formatting said control data and customer data flows as HTTP control and data messages within said HTTP layer and associating with said control and data messages the HTTP header field of the corresponding application subsystem; and multiplexing said control data and customer data flows over said HTTP layers between said pairs of routers using said HTTP header fields to distinguish between said flows within each said virtual connection; and said method further comprising: separating said formatted HTTP control and data messages into respective separate control data and customer data queues for transmission over said virtual connection; monitoring said virtual connection for congestion; and assigning weights to said control data and customer data queues such that in the event of congestion on said virtual connection, said control queue is guaranteed a fraction of total available bandwidth determined by the weights assigned to said respective queues, and wherein said network elements are XML-based routers, and wherein said control data flows comprise a first data flow connecting an XML link state protocol in each XML router, and a second flow connecting an XML subscription management protocol in each router, and wherein said customer data flow connects a data plane forwarding engine in each router.