Patent ID: 6092096
Filing Date: 2000-07-18
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A method within a communications system for determining route information for communication between nodes of a distributed computing network, wherein said distributed computing network includes a plurality of nodes, a plurality of logical links connecting said plurality of nodes, and a distributed directory service which is accessible from said plurality of nodes via a plurality of access lines, wherein said distributed directory service further includes a directory service information base, said method comprising the steps of:maintaining network configuration information for each of said plurality of nodes of said distributed computing network within said directory service information base, the network configuration information for a given node having a listing of directly connected nodes;transmitting a first request for first route determination information on behalf of a requesting node of said distributed computing network to said distributed directory service across one of said plurality of access lines;providing said first route determination information across one of said plurality of access lines from said distributed directory service to said requesting node utilizing said network configuration information in response to said transmitting step, the first route determination information including a plurality of listings of directly connected nodes;determining a first route for communication between a source node of said distributed computing network and a destination node of said distributed computing network at the requesting node utilizing said first route determination information by evaluating partial routes based on the listings of directly connected nodes to discover an intermediate node which is connected to the destination node;transmitting data across one of said plurality of logical links from said source node to said intermediate node within said distributed computing network utilizing a portion of said first route;transmitting a second request for second route determination information on behalf of said intermediate node to said distributed directory service across one of said plurality of access lines, in response to said step of transmitting data to said intermediate node;providing said second route determination information across one of said plurality of access lines from said distributed directory service to said intermediate node utilizing said network configuration information in response to said step of transmitting the second request; anddetermining a second route for communication between said intermediate node and said destination node utilizing said second route determination information, wherein said second route is different from a partial route, within said first route, between said intermediate node and said destination node.