This disclosure relates to transmitting data packets from a source to a destination within a communications network. A data packet is received from the source located in a local sub-network of the network. The data packet includes a first network layer protocol header having a source address containing the local sub-network address of the source, a destination address of the destination, a first field indicating a length of the source address and a second field indicating a length of the destination address. The first network layer protocol header is transformed by modifying the source address and the first field indicating the length of the source address, such that the modifying includes appending to the local sub-network address a prefix of the sub-network to make the source address an address of a higher-level network. The data packet is then forwarded toward the destination in the higher-level network.

Packets are routed in a data network comprising a wireless mesh network and a controller providing IPv6 management traffic to nodes of the wireless network. A monitor function and a route table manager are used to generate a route table relating IPv6 addresses to each of the nodes via a respective one of a plurality of POP nodes, by accessing a pre-configured topology file, determining the reachability of each of the plurality of POP nodes from the controller by periodically sending test messages from the monitor function to each POP and detecting acknowledgement of the test messages. If a POP node is not reachable, the route table is updated to relate the IPv6 subnet of the POP that is not reachable to the address of a POP node that is reachable. A Layer 2 network is used to direct the IPv6 management traffic according to the amended route table.

Packets are routed in a data network comprising a wireless mesh network and a controller providing IPv6 management traffic to nodes of the wireless network. A monitor function and a route table manager are used to generate a route table relating IPv6 addresses to each of the nodes via a respective one of a plurality of POP nodes, by accessing a pre-configured topology file, determining the reachability of each of the plurality of POP nodes from the controller by periodically sending test messages from the monitor function to each POP and detecting acknowledgement of the test messages. If a POP node is not reachable, the route table is updated to relate the IPv6 subnet of the POP that is not reachable to the address of a POP node that is reachable. A Layer 2 network is used to direct the IPv6 management traffic according to the amended route table.

A system and method are provided for routing content requests. On a given server network, content requests comprising a character string may be routed up a hierarchical network topology until a linear chain, corresponding to the character string, is identified. Thus, the content request is forwarded up the hierarchy until an intersecting server network is reached. Then the content request is forwarded down the hierarchy until, along a published linear chain corresponding to the character string, until a content source is reached. Content is provided to the requestor along a reverse path of the content request.

A router configured as an autonomous system border router (ASBR) in a local autonomous system (AS), includes: (1) a control component for communicating and computing routing information, the control component running a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) and peering with at least one BGP peer device in an outside autonomous system (AS) different from the local AS; and (2) a forwarding component for forwarding packets using forwarding information derived from the routing information computed by the control component, wherein the control component (i) receives reachability information for an external prefix corresponding to a device outside the local AS, and (ii) associates the external prefix, as a BGP next hop (B_NH), an abstract next hop (ANH) that identifies a set of BGP (eBGP) sessions that contains at least one eBGP session over which given external prefix has been learned, each of the at least one eBGP sessions being between the ASBR and a BGP peer device in an AS outside the AS, wherein the device located outside the local AS is reachable via the BGP peer device.

A router configured as an autonomous system border router (ASBR) in a local autonomous system (AS), includes: (1) a control component for communicating and computing routing information, the control component running a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) and peering with at least one BGP peer device in an outside autonomous system (AS) different from the local AS; and (2) a forwarding component for forwarding packets using forwarding information derived from the routing information computed by the control component, wherein the control component (i) receives reachability information for an external prefix corresponding to a device outside the local AS, and (ii) associates the external prefix, as a BGP next hop (B_NH), an abstract next hop (ANH) that identifies a set of BGP (eBGP) sessions that contains at least one eBGP session over which given external prefix has been learned, each of the at least one eBGP sessions being between the ASBR and a BGP peer device in an AS outside the AS, wherein the device located outside the local AS is reachable via the BGP peer device.

A method and system are provided for continuously monitoring bandwidth utilization in real time on a backbone of a network. Prefixes using the highest traffic can be identified and additional bandwidth can be provisioned in the form of optical transponder wavelengths. The additional bandwidth can be an express path that passes directly through optical nodes (thereby bypassing transit network devices) to the destination optical node. A centralized controller can perform the monitoring of the network devices, decide that an express path needs to be generated, and control both the network device and the optical network nodes to generate the express path from the network device, through the optical network, to the destination network device. The controller can apply and remove IP static routes and IP addresses associated with an express path. Additionally, the controller can request the setup or tear-down of an optical wavelength within the optical network.

A method and system are provided for continuously monitoring bandwidth utilization in real time on a backbone of a network. Prefixes using the highest traffic can be identified and additional bandwidth can be provisioned in the form of optical transponder wavelengths. The additional bandwidth can be an express path that passes directly through optical nodes (thereby bypassing transit network devices) to the destination optical node. A centralized controller can perform the monitoring of the network devices, decide that an express path needs to be generated, and control both the network device and the optical network nodes to generate the express path from the network device, through the optical network, to the destination network device. The controller can apply and remove IP static routes and IP addresses associated with an express path. Additionally, the controller can request the setup or tear-down of an optical wavelength within the optical network.

A method, a network device, and a system for delivering a message used for RPD are disclosed. In the solution provided in this application, a second network device may deliver a message used for route policy distribution (RPD) to a first network device. The message includes a route policy including a match condition field and an action field. When detecting that route information of a border gateway protocol (BGP) route matches a target feature carried in the match condition field, the first network device may automatically update a route attribute of the BGP route based on a route attribute carried in the action field. The first network device may automatically update the route attribute of the BGP route according to the route policy included in the message delivered by the second network device, and operation and maintenance personnel does not need to perform manual configuration.

A method, a network device, and a system for delivering a message used for RPD are disclosed. In the solution provided in this application, a second network device may deliver a message used for route policy distribution (RPD) to a first network device. The message includes a route policy including a match condition field and an action field. When detecting that route information of a border gateway protocol (BGP) route matches a target feature carried in the match condition field, the first network device may automatically update a route attribute of the BGP route based on a route attribute carried in the action field. The first network device may automatically update the route attribute of the BGP route according to the route policy included in the message delivered by the second network device, and operation and maintenance personnel does not need to perform manual configuration.