Transmitting data packets in a data network with a multiplicity of network nodes

1. A method for transmitting data packets in a data network having a multiplicity of network nodes, the method comprising:

a) ascertaining routing topologies for a respective network node in the data network, wherein the respective network node has an explicit identification, and wherein the routing topologies describe paths for forwarding data packets between the respective network node and other network nodes in the data network on the basis of links between adjacent network nodes;

b) producing routing information with the explicit identification of the routing topologies that indicate the adjacent network nodes to which the data packet should be forwarded to be received at a destination network node, wherein the routing information is stored in the respective network node;

c) transmitting the data packet from the respective network node to the destination network node, wherein the data packet specifies the explicit identification of the routing topology to be used, and wherein each network node that forwards the data packet uses the routing information with the explicit identification of the routing topologies for the data packet; and

in the event of a link occurring in all the routing topologies in the ascertaining, for a network node of the link:

ascertaining a further routing topology having an additional explicit identification that does not contain the link, wherein the further routing topology describes paths for forwarding data packets between one network node of the link and the other network nodes in the data network on the basis of links between the adjacent network nodes; and

producing additional routing information with the additional explicit identification of the further routing topology, wherein the additional routing information is stored in the respective network node and wherein the data packet can also specify the further routing topology to be used in the transmitting.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in the data network the data packets are transmitted on a L3 layer and on a basis of an Internet protocol.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the data packet is transmitted on the basis of Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6), and the explicit identification of the routing topologies is specified in an extension header.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the extension header is a hop-by-hop options extension header.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ascertaining of the routing topologies are on the basis of the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) method.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ascertaining of the routing topologies comprises, in the event of a plurality of different paths for forwarding data packets between the respective network node and a particular other network node being able to be determined, a predetermined criterion that is the same for additional routing topologies to be ascertained being taken as a basis for stipulating one of the plurality of paths as part of the routing topology.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein identifications of the additional routing topologies are values from an ordinal scale and the predetermined criterion is embodied such that the plurality of different paths from the respective network node to the particular other network node run through in the same direction,

wherein the plurality of different paths are compared with each another, and

wherein the occurrence of at least partially different network nodes involves the path with that network node from the at least partially different network nodes that has the associated routing topology with the smallest or largest identification being stipulated as part of the routing topology.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ascertaining is performed for all of the multiplicity of network nodes in the data network.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ascertaining is performed for some of the multiplicity of network nodes in the data network.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein each of the multiplicity of network nodes comprise an identification of a routing topology forming a number of identifications, in which the identifications are successive integers excluding zero,

wherein, for each of the multiplicity of network nodes in the data network, the identification of the routing topology is stipulated independently of whether the routing topology is ascertained for a selected network node, the identifications being divided on an integer basis by a prescribed integer excluding zero, and the routing topology being ascertained for the respective network node for a remainder of zero.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, in the event of one or more links between adjacent network nodes in the data network having failed or having an inadequate transmission quality on the basis of one or more quality criteria, a source network node specifies, in the data packet to be transmitted, a separate identification of a separate routing topology that does not contain any of the failed links or the links with inadequate transmission quality.

12. A data network comprising:

a multiplicity of network nodes for transmitting data packets, wherein the network nodes are each configured to:

a) ascertain routing topologies for a respective network node in the data network, wherein the respective network node has an explicit identification, and wherein the routing topologies describe paths for forwarding data packets between the respective network node and other network nodes in the data network on the basis of links between adjacent network nodes;

b) produce routing information with the explicit identification of the routing topologies that indicate the adjacent network nodes to which the data packet should be forwarded to be received at a destination network node, wherein the routing information is stored in the respective network node;

c) transmit the data packet from the respective network node to the destination network node, wherein the data packet specifies the explicit identification of the routing topology to be used, and wherein each network node that forwards the data packet uses the routing information with the explicit identification of the routing topologies for the data packet; and

in the event of a link occurring in all the routing topologies in the ascertainment of the routing topologies, for a network node of the link:

ascertain a further routing topology having an additional explicit identification that does not contain the link, wherein the further routing topology describes paths for forwarding data packets between one network node of the link and the other network nodes in the data network on the basis of links between the adjacent network nodes; and

produce additional routing information with the additional explicit identification of the further routing topology, wherein the additional routing information is stored in the respective network node, and wherein the data packet can also specify the further routing topology to be used in the transmitting.

13. The data network as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the routing topologies are ascertained on the basis of the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) method.

14. The data network as claimed in claim 12 , wherein in the event of a plurality of different paths for forwarding data packets between the respective network node and a particular other network node being able to be determined, a predetermined criterion that is the same for additional routing topologies to be ascertained being taken as a basis for stipulating one of the plurality of paths as part of the routing topology.

15. The data network as claimed in claim 14 , wherein identifications of the additional routing topologies are values from an ordinal scale, and the predetermined criterion is embodied such that the plurality of different paths from the respective network node to the particular other network node run through in the same direction,

wherein the plurality of different paths are compared with each another, and

wherein the occurrence of at least partially different network nodes involves the path with that network node from the at least partially different network nodes that has the associated routing topology with the smallest or largest identification being stipulated as part of the routing topology.

16. The data network as claimed in claim 12 , wherein each of the multiplicity of network nodes comprise an identification of a routing topology forming a number of identifications, in which the identifications are successive integers excluding zero,

wherein, for each of the multiplicity of network nodes in the data network, the identification of the routing topology is stipulated independently of whether the routing topology is ascertained for a selected network node, the identifications being divided on an integer basis by a prescribed integer excluding zero, and the routing topology being ascertained for the respective network node for a remainder of zero.

17. The data network as claimed in claim 12 , wherein, in the event of one or more links between adjacent network nodes in the data network having failed or having an inadequate transmission quality on the basis of one or more quality criteria, a source network node specifies, in the data packet to be transmitted, a separate identification of a separate routing topology that does not contain any of the failed links or the links with inadequate transmission quality.

18. A network node for transmitting data packets, wherein the network node is configured to:

a) ascertain routing topologies for the network node in a data network, wherein the network node has an explicit identification, and wherein the routing topologies describe paths for forwarding data packets between the network node and other network nodes in the data network on the basis of links between adjacent network nodes;

b) produce routing information with the explicit identification of the routing topologies that indicate the adjacent network nodes to which the data packet should be forwarded to be received at a destination network node, wherein the routing information is stored in the network node;

c) transmit the data packet from the network node to the destination network node, wherein the data packet specifies the explicit identification of the routing topology to be used, and wherein each network node that forwards the data packet uses the routing; and information with the explicit identification of the routing topologies for the data packet; and

in the event of a link occurring in all the routing topologies in the ascertainment of the routing topologies, for a network node of the link:

ascertain a further routing topology having an additional explicit identification that does not contain the link, wherein the further routing topology describes paths for forwarding data packets between one network node of the link and the other network nodes in the data network on the basis of links between the adjacent network nodes; and

produce additional routing information with the additional explicit identification of the further routing topology, wherein the additional routing information is stored in the respective network node, and wherein the data packet can also specify the further routing topology to be used in the transmitting.