Patents by Inventor Daniel C. Frost

Daniel C. Frost has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20150200843
    Abstract: In one embodiment, packet labels are used to identify synchronization groups of packets, such as for, but not limited to, performing processing of packets based on their corresponding synchronization group, as the synchronization label of a packet may define a current characteristic of the packet stream which is taken into account performing processing related to the packet. A plurality of synchronization groups of packets are generated and sent, by a first packet switching device, to a second packet switching device, with each particular packet of the plurality of synchronization groups of packets including a same synchronization label in a label stack of said particular packet that is different than a synchronization label used with another of the plurality of synchronization groups of packets, and with each synchronization group of the plurality of synchronization groups of packets including a plurality of packets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2014
    Publication date: July 16, 2015
    Applicant: Cisco Technology, Inc. a corporation of California
    Inventors: Daniel C. Frost, Clarence Filsfils, Simon James Trevor Spraggs, Stewart Frederick Bryant
  • Patent number: 9049233
    Abstract: MPLS segment routing is disclosed. In one embodiment, a first core router generates a first data structure that maps first portcodes to respective identities of first neighbor routers or respective first links, wherein the first portcodes identify respective first ports of the first core router, and wherein the first ports are coupled to the first neighbor routers, respectively, via the first links, respectively. The first core router generates and transmits a first link-state packet, wherein the first link-state packet comprises an identity of the first core router and the first data structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel C. Frost, Stewart F. Bryant, Clarence Filsfils
  • Publication number: 20150003255
    Abstract: In one embodiment, probe-packet discovery of entropy values causing specific paths to be taken through a network is performed. One embodiment sends, from a first network node to a second network node in a network, a plurality of Equal Cost Multipath (ECMP) path-taken probe packets, each with a different entropy label, to determine a particular entropy label for each particular ECMP path of a plurality of different ECMP paths between the first network node and the second network node that will cause a packet including the particular entropy label to traverse said particular ECMP path. The ECMP paths taken by the plurality of ECMP path-taken probe packets is analyzed to determine one or more entropy labels for each different ECMP path of the plurality of different ECMP paths that will cause a packet including one of said one or more entropy labels to traverse said different ECMP path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2013
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Applicant: Cisco Technology, Inc., a corporation of California
    Inventors: Daniel C. Frost, Stewart Frederick Bryant
  • Publication number: 20140369356
    Abstract: A method and device are disclosed for opportunistic compression of routing segment identifiers. In one embodiment, the method includes participating in routing of a first data packet through a first node in a network, and subsequently entering into an arrangement with an adjacent node in the network. The first data packet includes a first plurality of routing segment identifiers, and additional data packets to be routed through the first node also include the first plurality of routing segment identifiers. The arrangement entered into includes representation of the first plurality of routing segment identifiers by a single compression identifier. The method further includes participating in routing of at least one of the additional data packets using the compression identifier instead of the first plurality of routing segment identifiers. In an embodiment, the device includes one or more network interfaces and a processor configured to perform the steps of the method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2014
    Publication date: December 18, 2014
    Inventors: Stewart F. Bryant, Daniel C. Frost
  • Patent number: 8850020
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for monitoring a plurality of independently operating processing nodes in a core data packet routing system, wherein each processing node is running its own operating system instance. A placement decision is made for respective processes on selected ones of the independently operating processing nodes based on a predetermined policy, and then the respective processes are placed, based on the placement decision, on the selected ones of the independently operating processing nodes such that the respective processes become placed processes. A list of placed process/processing node pairs specifying a pairing of the placed processes and the processing nodes on which the placed processes have been placed is maintained so that a user can review the then-current set of process placements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel C. Frost
  • Publication number: 20140269714
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a method comprises: receiving a data communications packet comprising one or more labels in a label stack; determining whether a table identifier is present in the label stack. In response to determining that the table identifier is present in the label stack: based, at least in part, on the table identifier, a label table is determined; a next hop for the data communications packet is determined by performing a next-hop lookup in the label table using at least one of the one or more labels; and the data communications packet is forwarded to the next hop. In an embodiment, the method is performed by one or more computing devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Stewart Frederick Bryant, Daniel C. Frost, Neil Jarvis, George L. Swallow
  • Publication number: 20140269266
    Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for use of segment routing in monitoring of a network path. In one embodiment, the method includes selecting a plurality of segment identifiers and assembling the segment identifiers into a segment identifier stack, where the segment identifier stack encodes a test path within the network for attempted routing of a test message. The method may further include inserting the segment identifier stack into a header associated with the test message, and forwarding the test message according to an entry in a forwarding table corresponding to the segment identifier at the top of the segment identifier stack. Interior gateway protocol advertisements may be used to communicate segment identifiers for creating or updating of the data structure or the forwarding table. In an embodiment, the system includes one or more network interfaces and a processor configured to perform the steps of the method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Clarence Filsfils, Daniel C. Frost, Stewart F. Bryant, Don R. Heidrich
  • Publication number: 20140269699
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a packet and a segment ID stack is received at a node. The segment ID stack includes a plurality of segment IDs, one or which is a first area-segment ID that identifies a first area of a subdivided network. One of a plurality of forwarding tables at the node is selected based on the first area-segment ID. Thereafter, the packet is forwarded based on information contained in the selected forwarding table.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Clarence Filsfils, David D. Ward, Stewart F. Bryant, Daniel C. Frost, Nagendra Kumar Nainer, Carlos M. Pignataro
  • Publication number: 20140280717
    Abstract: One or more functions to be performed on a packet at one or more network nodes along a network path are determined at a network device. A packet is generated which includes a packet header. Included in the packet header are an instruction pointer and an instruction portion. A first instruction for the one or more functions to be performed at the one or more network nodes is written to the instruction portion. Additionally, a value pointing to the first instruction is written to the instruction pointer. The packet is transmitted along the network path from the network device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventors: Daniel C. Frost, Stewart F. Bryant, Clarence Filsfils
  • Publication number: 20140226662
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus in a network determines particular metadata to communicate infrastructure information associated with a particular packet to another apparatus in the network. The apparatus sends into the network the particular packet including a metadata channel, comprising said particular metadata, external to the payload of the particular packet. Examples of infrastructure metadata carried in a packet include, but are not limited to, information defining service chaining for processing of the packet, contextual information for processing of the packet, specific handling instructions of the packet, and operations, maintenance, administration (OAM) instrumentation of the packet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2013
    Publication date: August 14, 2014
    Applicant: Cisco Technology, Inc., a Corporation of California
    Inventors: Daniel C. Frost, Simon James Trevor Spraggs, Rex Emmanuel Fernando, Stewart Frederick Bryant, Jim Guichard, Carlos M. Pignataro, Clarence Filsfils
  • Publication number: 20140211794
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a Time-to-Live (TTL) field of a packet is used to signal information (other than normal other than a life span of the packet or distance information relative to the network node). The packet is sent through a network, which typically includes traversing one or more intermediate nodes resulting in a modification of its TTL field (e.g., each node reduces the TTL value). After receiving the packet, a network node interprets the current value of the TTL field to identify the particular information encoded in the TTL field. Typically the current value of the TTL field is compared to a range of possible values to accommodate different TTL reductions due to different paths through a network. Signaling using the TTL value may be advantageous in networks that perform Equal-Cost-Multi-Path (ECMP) routing as the TTL value does not effect this routing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Inventors: Daniel C. Frost, Stewart Frederick Bryant, Clarence Filsfils
  • Publication number: 20140169370
    Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed for segment routing (SR). In one embodiment, the method includes a node creating a segment stack that identifies one segment calculated using a first algorithm and a second segment calculated using a second, different algorithm. The node then attaches this header to a packet and sends it to another node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2013
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Clarence Filsfils, Stewart F. Bryant, Daniel C. Frost, John W. Evans
  • Publication number: 20140098675
    Abstract: MPLS segment routing is disclosed. In one embodiment, a first core router generates a first data structure that maps first portcodes to respective identities of first neighbor routers or respective first links, wherein the first portcodes identify respective first ports of the first core router, and wherein the first ports are coupled to the first neighbor routers, respectively, via the first links, respectively. The first core router generates and transmits a first link-state packet, wherein the first link-state packet comprises an identity of the first core router and the first data structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Applicant: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Daniel C. Frost, Stewart F. Bryant, Clarence Filsfils
  • Publication number: 20130028106
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for monitoring a plurality of independently operating processing nodes in a core data packet routing system, wherein each processing node is running its own operating system instance. A placement decision is made for respective processes on selected ones of the independently operating processing nodes based on a predetermined policy, and then the respective processes are placed, based on the placement decision, on the selected ones of the independently operating processing nodes such that the respective processes become placed processes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventor: Daniel C. Frost