Abstract: A method and system for optimizing routing traffic to a destination when multiple routes are available. A performance monitoring and inference component measures the performance of the available paths to a large set of subnetworks, and uses those measurements to infer the performance of all available paths to an even larger set of subnetworks. A routing optimization component uses a cost function that assigns a cost to a routing table based on information from the performance monitoring and inference component, as well as other path characteristics, and further uses a minimization methodology to find a routing table with a very low cost, as defined by the cost function. A BGP bridge takes the routing table generated by the routing optimization component and communicates that information to the routers using BGP, thereby ensuring that the routers will route traffic in accordance with the routing table.

Abstract: A Private Network Access Point (PNAP) packet switched network is provided where two customers connected to the same PNAP exchange traffic through the PNAP without transiting over the backbones of the Internet. In addition, a multi-homed customer connected to the PNAP is provided with access to the PNAP optimized routing table so that the customer will also have the ability to know the best route for a particular destination. In this way, if a multi-homed customer connected to a particular National Service Provider (NSP) to which a destination is also connected, the PNAP customer can use the PNAP information regarding the NSP to send the information to the destination through that commonly connected NSP in the most direct fashion.

Abstract: A method for interconnecting P-NAP customers with P-NAP providers and symmetrically routing packets between a P-NAP customer and a destination within a P-NAP provider's backbone across the P-NAP and that provider's backbone or symmetrically routing packets between a P-NAP customer and a destination not currently within a P-NAP provider's backbone across the P-NAP and a pre-defined P-NAP provider's backbone known as the default backbone. The method comprises creating a list of all P-NAP provider AS numbers and a list of all AS numbers which peer at public NAPs but which are not associated with P-NAP providers. For each P-NAP provider, take the union of all provider AS numbers and AS numbers associated with public NAPs and subtracting out AS numbers associated with the current provider.