Global addressing and identifier assignment in inter-worked networks

Abstract

Global address assignment of sites within an interworked network is presented. Each site is assigned a global address that is unique within the interworked network, irrespective of the network protocol of the site. For example, in a Frame Relay (FR)-Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) interworked network, each FR and ATM site may be assigned both an FR Data Link Connection Identifier (DLCI), as well as a Virtual Path Identifier (VPI) and/or a Virtual Channel Identifier (VCI), wherein the combination of identifiers assigned is unique for each site, regardless of whether the site is an ATM site or an FR site. Several exemplary assignment processes are presented that are appropriate for various network configurations and that attempt to provide maximally unique global addresses. During the assignment process, which may be partially or fully automated, collisions may be removable manually and/or automatically by identifying them and making a reassignment that avoids the collision.

we claim:  
     
         1 . A method comprising the steps of: 
 assigning a first address of a first network protocol to each of a first plurality of sites of a first network and to each of a second plurality of sites of a second network interworked with the first network, the first network conforming to the first network protocol and the second network conforming to a second network protocol different from the first network protocol; and    assigning a second address of the second network protocol to each of the first plurality of sites and to each of the second plurality of sites,    wherein a combination of the first and second addresses assigned to each of the first and second plurality of sites is globally unique to each of the first and second plurality of sites.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of assigning the second address further includes the step of assigning the second address of the second protocol type such that, for each of the first plurality of sites and each of the second plurality of sites, the second address is equal in value to the first address.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of assigning the second address further includes the step of assigning the second address of the second protocol type such that, for each of the first plurality of sites and each of the second plurality of sites, the second address is different in value to the first address.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of assigning the first addresses further includes assigning the first addresses as permanent addresses, and the step of assigning the second address further includes assigning the second addresses as permanent addresses.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first and network protocol is a local network protocol.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first address assigned to each of the first and second plurality of sites is globally unique to each of the first and second plurality of sites.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first network protocol is Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and the second network protocol is Frame Relay (FR).  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein each of the first addresses is a value of at least one of an ATM Virtual Path Identifier and an ATM Virtual Channel Identifier, and each of the second addresses is a value of an FR Data Link Connection Identifier.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the interworked first and second networks comprise a hub-and-spoke network, the first plurality of sites are each an ATM hub site, and the second plurality of sites are each a remote FR site.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first addresses assigned to each of the first plurality of sites is of a value within a first continuous range of values, and each of the first addresses assigned to each of the second plurality of sites is of a value within a second continuous range of values that does not intersect with the first continuous range.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further including the step of determining a subset of the second plurality of sites, the subset comprising those of the second plurality of sites having a connection to another of the second plurality of sites, the step of assigning the second addresses further including assigning the second addresses such that each of the second addresses assigned to each of the sites within the subset is unique within the subset.  
     
     
         12 . In an interworked network comprising a first network conforming to a first local network protocol interworked with a second network conforming to a second local network protocol different from the first local network protocol, a method comprising the steps of: 
 setting an identifier in a message of the first local network protocol destined for a destination site of the interworked network to be equal to a unique value associated with the destination site, regardless of whether the destination site is a site of the first network or of the second network;    interpreting the identifier of the first local network protocol to be a global address of the destination site, the global address being unique within the interworked network; and    forwarding the message to the destination site according to the global address.    
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the first local network protocol is Frame Relay (FR) and the second local network protocol is Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM).  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the first local network protocol is ATM and the second local network protocol is FR.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the destination site is a site of the second network.  
     
     
         16 . An interworked network comprising a first network conforming to a first network protocol interworked with a second network conforming to a second network protocol different from the first network protocol, the interworked network comprising: 
 a destination site;    a first site of the first network configured to set an identifier in a message of the first network protocol destined for the destination site to be equal to a unique value associated with the destination site, regardless of whether the destination site is a site of the first network or of the second network, and further configured to interpret the identifier of the first network protocol to be a global address of the destination site, the global address being unique within the interworked network; and    a plurality of sites including the first site configured to forward the message to the destination site according to the global address.    
     
     
         17 . The interworked network of  claim 16 , wherein the first local network protocol is Frame Relay (FR) and the second local network protocol is Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM).  
     
     
         18 . The interworked network of  claim 16 , wherein the first local network protocol is ATM and the second local network protocol is FR.  
     
     
         19 . The interworked network of  claim 16 , wherein the destination site is a site of the second network.  
     
     
         20 . The interworked network of  claim 16 , wherein the interworked network is a huband-and-spoke network, the first network comprising a plurality of interconnected ATM hub sites, the second network comprising a plurality of FR remote sites connected to the plurality of ATM hub sites, the first site being one of the plurality of FR remote sites.