Mesh network addressing
View Patent ↗In embodiments of mesh network addressing, a router receives a packet to deliver to a network destination and determines if the network destination is within the mesh network. The network destination enables the router to discover a Routing Locator (RLOC) that is associated with the network destination and provides a routable network address for the network destination. The router can forward the received packet using the routable network address from the discovered Routing Locator. The router can discover the RLOC by searching a cache of RLOCs stored in the router, or by sending an address query.
1. A method of addressing a data packet in a mesh network, the method comprising:
receiving, at a router device, a packet to deliver to a network destination;
determining if the network destination is a destination on the mesh network;
sending an address query over the mesh network, using multicast addressing, to find a Routing Locator (RLOC) associated with the network destination; and
forwarding the packet, using the RLOC to provide a routable network address for a destination address for the packet.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising searching a cache in the router device to find the RLOC.
3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the router device sends the address query if the RLOC is not found in the cache.
4. The method as recited in claim 2 , the method further comprising:
obtaining EID-to-RLOC mappings opportunistically, by the router device, by observing mesh network traffic routed through the router device; and
storing the EID-to-RLOC mappings, from the observed mesh network traffic, in the cache of the router device.
5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the destination address is an IPv6 address.
6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the network destination is an Endpoint Identifier (EID) associated with a mesh network device, and wherein the RLOC provides a mapping of the EID to the routable network address.
7. The method as recited in claim 1 , the method further comprising:
limiting a number of hops for the multicast address query; and
sending a second multicast address query, if the RLOC is not returned, the number of hops being set to a larger number of hops.
8. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the multicast addressing of the address query designates that the address query is addressed to all routers and router-eligible end devices in the mesh network.
9. A mesh network device implemented as a router device, the mesh network device comprising:
a mesh network interface configured for communication in a mesh network;
a memory and processor system to implement an addressing application that is configured to:
receive a packet to deliver to a network destination;
determine if the network destination is a destination on the mesh network;
send an address query over the mesh network, using multicast addressing, to find a Routing Locator (RLOC) associated with the network destination; and
forward the packet, using the RLOC to provide a routable network address for a destination address for the packet.
10. The mesh network device as recited in claim 9 , wherein the addressing application is configured to search a cache of RLOCs, stored in the router device, to find the RLOC.
11. The mesh network device as recited in claim 10 , wherein the addressing application is configured to send the address query if the RLOC is not found in the cache.
12. The mesh network device as recited in claim 9 , wherein the addressing application is configured to limit a number of hops for the multicast address query.
13. The mesh network device as recited in claim 9 , wherein the destination address is an IPv6 address.
14. The mesh network device as recited in claim 9 , wherein the network destination is an Endpoint Identifier (EID) associated with a mesh network device, and wherein the RLOC provides a mapping of the EID to the routable network address.
15. A mesh network system, comprising:
an end device configured to forward a packet in a mesh network, the packet comprising a network destination; and
a router device configured to:
receive the packet, from the end device, to deliver to a network destination;
determine if the network destination is a destination on the mesh network;
send an address query over the mesh network, using multicast addressing, to find a Routing Locator (RLOC) associated with the network destination; and
forward the packet, using the RLOC to provide a routable network address for a destination address for the packet.
16. The mesh network system as recited in claim 15 , wherein the router device is configured to search a cache of RLOCs, stored in the router device, to find the RLOC.
17. The mesh network system as recited in claim 16 , wherein the router device is configured to send the address query if the RLOC is not found in the cache.
18. The mesh network system as recited in claim 15 , wherein the router device is configured to limit a number of hops for the multicast address query.
19. The mesh network system as recited in claim 15 , wherein the destination address is an IPv6 address.
20. The mesh network system as recited in claim 15 , wherein the network destination is an Endpoint Identifier (EID) associated with a mesh network device, and wherein the RLOC provides a mapping of the EID to the routable network address.