Systems and methods for private network addressing in IP protocols
View Patent ↗According to one embodiment, a method for generating private network addresses for scopes of validity within a network is provided. The method comprises generating an address prefix or address modifier indicating the type of scopes, the instances of the scopes, and the relative position of the scopes in the network. In this illustrative embodiment, the type of scope determines the value of the prefix data placed in the address prefix and/or the location of that prefix data within the address prefix. The method further comprises generating a standard Internet protocol address for the scope to be created, the address including a subnet prefix and a host ID. The method further comprises saving the address prefix in a routing data structure along with the standard Internet protocol address, such that the address prefix is associated at a higher level in the hierarchy of the standard Internet protocol address. The routing data structure is configured with these extended prefixed addresses to be utilized in the selective communication of data to the correct scope. According to some embodiments, the address combines the scope hierarchy and the standard IP address into a single prefix based scoped network hierarchy.
1. A method for creating private network addresses for scopes of validity within a private network, the method utilizing executable instructions and comprising:
receiving a data signal indicating a request to create a scope address for at least one of the private network addresses;
determining whether to communicate data to a group of entities within the network which will correspond with the scope address, wherein the signal includes a type of scope to be created, a hierarchy of the scope, and a link to which the scope is associated;
generating a standard network address in response to the receiving the data signal, the standard network address having an Internet Protocol address format with X number of bits per a corresponding version;
generating an address extension in response to the receiving the data signal, the extension identifying the type of scope, the hierarchy of the scope, and the link;
forming a combined address from the standard network address and the address extension, the combined address having a number of bits equal to or greater than X+1; and
storing the combined address in a single routing data structure utilized for routing information by a single router device.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the address extension comprises a prefix.
3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the generating steps and the forming step occurs substantially simultaneously.
4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the routing data structure comprises a data structure utilized with a longest matching prefix algorithm.
5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the generating the address extension further includes determining a length of the extension in bits according to the hierarchy.
6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the generating the address extension further includes generating an address prefix, a length of the prefix being defined by the hierarchy, such that a broad scope encompassing several entities has a shorter prefix and a narrow scope encompassing some of the entities within the broad scope has a long prefix.
7. The method as recited in claim 6 , wherein the long prefix includes the short prefix.
8. A system for automatically creating a scope address for use with entities within a larger private network, the system comprising:
an address request interface configured to receive a request for the generation of an address for a region of validity within the network that includes subnetworks;
an address generation module configured to create 1) a standard network address having an Internet Protocol address format with X number of bits per a corresponding version and 2) an extended address for the region of validity based upon the request received from the address request interface, wherein the extended address corresponds to the accepted protocol within the network and wherein the extended address mimics the protocol utilized for subnetworks within the network, the standard network address and the extended address together forming a combined address having at least X+1 number of bits; and
an address storage module configured to store the combined address within a data structure utilized for routing data within the network.
9. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the modules comprise executable instructions.
10. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the data structure comprises a data structure utilized with a longest matching prefix algorithm.
11. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the regions comprise scopes arranged within a hierarchy, each scope and its hierarchical position being identified by prefix bits within the extended address.
12. A non-transitory computer readable medium having encoded thereon a data structure for identifying a private network address of a scope of validity within a private network, the data structure comprising:
a standard address portion for the private network address, the standard address portion corresponding to an Internet Protocol address format with X number of bits per a corresponding version; and
an address extension portion for the private network address, the address extension portion in conjunction with the standard address portion forming a combined network address for a network device having at least X+1 number of bits, the address extension portion including scope identification data for identifying a type of scope corresponding to the combined network address and identifying whether the device represented by the combined network address may communicate with an application, wherein the standard address portion and address extension portion are stored so as to be used in conjunction.
13. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 12 , wherein the address extension portion comprises a prefix.
14. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 12 , wherein the address extension portion and standard address portion are stored in a longest matching prefix data structure.
15. A method for generating a private network address for a scope within a network, the method comprising:
determining a type of scope to be created for the private network address;
based upon the type of scope to be created, generating an address prefix containing prefix data, wherein the type of scope determines at least one of the values of the prefix data placed in the address prefix and a location of that prefix data within the address prefix;
generating a standard Internet protocol address for the scope to be created, wherein the standard Internet protocol address includes a subnet prefix and a host ID and has X number of bits per a corresponding version; and
saving the address prefix in a routing table along with the standard Internet protocol address, such that the address prefix is associated with the standard Internet protocol address and together has at least X+1 number of bits, the routing table being configured to be utilized in the selective communication of data within the scope.
16. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein the generating the standard Internet protocol address further includes generating the standard number of bits at 128 bits for the corresponding version of IPv6.
17. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein the type of scope comprises at least one of the following: global scope, site local scope, and link local scope.
18. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein the prefix data comprises at least one of the following: link number and site number.
19. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein the address prefix includes positions for a site identifier and a link identifier.
20. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein the routing table comprises table utilized in a longest matching prefix algorithm.
21. A private network of computer devices, the private network comprising:
a plurality of hierarchal scopes, each scope indicating various devices that are allowed certain access rights to data in the private network by a routing device; and
a single routing table created by a routing device from configuration data for use by the device in allowing access to data, the table including a modified address for each scope, the modified address including a scope portion for identification of the scope and a standard portion conforming to a standard network protocol, the standard portion having an Internet Protocol address format with X number of bits per a corresponding version and the modified address having a number of bits equal to or greater than X+1.
22. The network as recited in claim 21 , wherein the scopes are hierarchical in nature and include at least one of a global scope, a site local scope, and a link local scope.
23. The network as recited in claim 21 , wherein the scope portion comprises a prefix.
24. The network as recited in claim 21 , wherein the routing table comprises table utilized in a longest matching prefix algorithm.