Patent EA-003155-B1 (EA)
Title: Private network access point router for interconnecting among internet route providers
Inventor: WHEEELER CHRISTOPHER D
IPC: H04L12/56
Filed: 1998-09-02
Abstract: 1. A method for symmetrically routing packets among a P-NAP and at least two providers, said providers having customers, comprising the steps of: a) creating router configuration files which use local preferences, causing the P-NAP to route to the P-NAP provider's customers over that provider's network, causing the P-NAP to route over a preselected provider's network to customers not connected to a P-NAP provider or customer of provider's connected to more than three P-NAP providers, and using P-NAP path length to cause customers of providers not connected to the P-NAP to route over a preselected P-NAP provider; b) setting the P-NAP provider local preferences for causing the P-NAP provider to select direct routing to the P-NAP; c) applying configuration files to a router; d) causing the router to obtain routes from the P-NAP provider; and e) causing the router to apply said router configuration files to said routes. 2. A method for symmetrically routing TCP/IP packets between a P-NAP and any destination on the Internet such that if me destination is part of any P-NAP provider, the forward and reverse path of the packets will be across said provider and in all other cases the forward and reverse path will be across a pre-determined provider, said providers having customers, comprising the steps of: a) creating router configuration files which use local preferences, causing the P-NAP to route to the P-NAP provider's customers over that provider's network, causing the P-NAP to route over a preselected provider's network to customers not connected to a P-NAP provider or customer of provider's connected to more than three P-NAP providers, and using P-NAP path length to cause customers of providers not connected to the P-NAP to route over a preselected P-NAP provider; b) setting the P-NAP provider local preferences for causing the P-NAP provider to select direct routing to the P-NAP; c) applying configuration files to a router; d) causing the router to obtain routes from the P-NAP provider; and c) causing the router to apply said router configuration files to said routes. 3. A method for ensuring that the routing of TCP/IP packets between a P-NAP and any destination on the Internet happens symmetrically across the destination's provider when the P-NAP is connected to said provider and in all other cases across a pre-determined provider, said providers having customers, comprising the steps of: a) creating router configuration files which use local preferences, causing the P-NAP to route to the P-NAP provider's customers over that provider's network, causing the P-NAP to route over a preselected provider's network to customers not connected to a P-NAP provider or customer of provider's connected to more than three P-NAP providers, using P-NAP path length to cause customers of providers not connected to the P-NAP to route over a preselected P-NAP provider; b) setting the P-NAP provider local preferences for causing the P-NAP provider to select direct routing to the P-NAP; c) applying configuration files to a router; d) causing the router to obtain routes from the P-NAP provider; and e) causing the router to apply said router configuration files to said routes. 4. A method for ensuring that the routing of TCP/IP packets between a P-NAP and any destination on the Internet happens symmetrically across the destination's Provider when the P-NAP is connected to Provider and in all other cases across a pre-determined Provider, said providers having customers, comprising the steps of: a) selecting a LOCAL_PREF value for provider default routing such that for those destinations not connected to a P-NAP provider, the most preferred provider is used. if that provider is unavailable, the next most preferred provider is used and so on, until all providers have been exhausted; b) creating router configuration files which use local preferences, causing the P-NAP to route to the P-NAP provider's customers over that provider's network, causing the P-NAP to route over a preselected provider's network to customers not connected to a P-NAP provider or customer of provider's connected to more than three P-NAP providers, and using P-NAP path length to cause customers of providers not connected to the P-NAP to route over a preselected P-NAP provider; c) setting the P-NAP provider local preferences for causing ftp P-NAP provider to select direct routing to the P-NAP; d) applying configuration files to a router; e) causing the router to obtain routes from the P-NAP provider; and f) causing the router to apply said router configuration files to said routes. 5. A P-NAP system comprising: a) a packet switched routing control device; b) a private P-NAP customer connected to a first side of said packet switched routing control device; c) a plurality of network service providers connected to a second side of said packet switched routing control device, said packet switched routing control device causing packets originated by said private P-NAP customer to enter into said packet switched routing control device from said first side and be routed directly to a selected one of said plurality of network service providers, said selected one of said network service providers containing a destination network which the private P-NAP customer desires to communicate with, and the packet switched routing control device causing a response packet originated from the destination network to be forwarded from the destination network back to the originator private P-NAP customer over the exact same path, thus providing symmetric routing. 6. A P-NAP system in accordance with Claim 5 in which said plurality of network service providers have local preferences set for causing said network service providers to select direct routing to said packet switched routing control device for causing response packets to be routed over the exact same return path as a packet received over a forward path. 7. A method for communicating employing a P-NAP system comprising: a) causing packets originated by a private P-NAP customer to enter into a packet switched routing control device; b) causing entering packets to be routed directly to a provider which contains a desired destination network; and c) causing a response packet from said destination network to be routed back to the private P-NAP customer over the exact same path. 8. A method as in Claim 7 further including the step of: d) setting local preferences of the provider to cause the provider to select direct routing back to the packet switched routing control device. 9. A packet switched routing control device comprising: a) means for causing packets originated by a private P-NAP customer to enter into a packet switched routing device; b) means for causing entering packets to be routed directly to a provider which contains a desired destination network; and c) means for causing a response packet from said destination network to be routed directly back to the private P-NAP customer over the exact same path. 10. The packet switched routing device of Claim 9 further including the following element: d) means for setting local preferences of theprovider to cause the provider to select direct routing back to the packet switched routing device. 11. A method for routing information packets symmetrically on selected forward and return paths in an overall network involving a plurality of traffic carrying networks, said overall network including public NAPs and a P-NAP, said plurality of traffic carrying networks including non P-NAP providers, and P-NAP providers, each of said traffic carrying networks having AS numbers associated therewith, said method comprising the following steps: creating a list of all P-NAP provider AS numbers; creating a list of AS numbers which peer at the public NAPs but which are not any of the AS numbers associated with said P-NAP providers; for each provider taking the union of all provider AS numbers and AS numbers associated with the public NAPs and subtracting out the AS numbers associated with the current provider, denying that list of AS numbers for the current provider, setting local preferences of the P-NAP providers for causing the P-NAP providers to select direct routing to the P-NAP; applying configuration Hies to routers associated with each P-NAP provider, and causing the router to apply the P-NAP provider configuration files to the AS numbers received from each provider. 12. Apparatus for routing information packets symmetrically on selected forward and return paths in an overall network involving a plurality of traffic carrying networks, said overall network including public NAPs and a P-NAP, said plurality of traffic carrying networks including non P-NAP providers, and P-NAP providers, each of said traffic carrying networks having AS numbers associated therewith, said apparatus comprising: means for creating a list of all P-NAP provider AS numbers; means for creating a list of AS numbers which peer at the public NAPs but which arc not any of the AS numbers associated with said P-NAP providers; means for taking the union of all provider AS numbers and AS numbers associated with the public NAPs and subtracting out the AS numbers associated with the current provider. means for denying that list of AS numbers for the current provider; means for setting local preferences of the P-NAP providers for causing the P-NAP providers to select direct routing to the P-NAP; means for applying configuration files to routers associated with each P-NAP provider, and means for causing the router to apply the P-NAP provider configuration files to the AS numbers received from each provider. 13. A method for routing information packets symmetrically on selected forward and return paths in an overall network involving a plurality of traffic carrying networks, said overall network including public NAPs and a private NAP (P-NAP) said plurality of traffic carrying networks being divided into two groups, a first group consi