Inference-based network route control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9722874-B2
Application number	US-201514610885-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2015
Priority date	Jan 30, 2015
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

Described herein is an inference-based approach to process network route definitions, e.g. routes received from other network devices according to a defined routing protocol. In examples, at least one proposition is defined that relates to at least one property of the route. Probabilities are also defined in association with the proposition. A first probability may be indicative of a randomly-selected network route and a second probability may be indicative of randomly-selected network route that is suitable for use in routing network traffic. In certain examples, a probability that a given route is malicious or erroneous may be computed. Probabilities may be calculated by processing historical routing data, such as network route definitions that are labelled as suitable for routing traffic. Probabilities may also be evaluated cumulatively over multiple routing policy elements. Final actions may be made by applying a configurable range or threshold to an output confidence value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A network control device for managing data packet routes used on at least one network according to at least one of an interior gateway protocol and an exterior gateway protocol, comprising:
a policy engine arranged to receive, over a network interface, a proposed network route for data packets within the at least one network, and to process said proposed network route based on a plurality of policy elements, to implement at least one of the interior gateway protocol and the exterior gateway protocol,
wherein each policy element comprises:
data defining a proposition, the proposition relating to at least one property of a received network route within the at least one network;
data indicative of a probability of the proposition being true of a randomly-selected network route for the at least one network, and
data indicative of a probability of the proposition being true of a randomly-selected network route that is suitable for use in routing network traffic within the at least one network,

wherein the policy engine is configured to process the proposed network route by evaluating the plurality of policy elements in accordance with at least one property of the proposed network route using Bayesian inference to determine a confidence value relating to use of the proposed network route,
wherein the policy engine is configured to select an action to be performed in relation to the proposed network route based on the confidence value,
wherein said action determines how the proposed network route is to be used by at least one network routing device within the at least one network in implementation of at least one of the interior gateway protocol and the exterior gateway protocol.

2. The network control device of claim 1 , wherein the action to be performed modifies the proposed network route to generate a modified proposed network route and wherein the network control device is arranged to transmit the modified proposed network route to at least one network device, each network device being arranged to receive and process the modified proposed network route to control a routing behavior of the network device.

3. The network control device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of policy elements form part of a routing configuration file, the routing configuration further comprising data indicative of a prior probability, the prior probability being a probability that a randomly-selected route is suitable for use in routing network traffic.

4. The network control device of claim 1 , wherein the action to be performed comprises at least one of:
adding the proposed network route to a routing definition, the routing definition comprising one or more routes that are used by a network device to route network traffic;
modifying at least one attribute of the proposed network route within the data indicative of the network route;
rejecting the proposed network route for use in routing network traffic; and
flagging the proposed network route for further processing.

5. The network control device of claim 1 , wherein the policy engine is arranged to receive data for the plurality of policy elements from a data source external to the network control device.

6. A routing configuration file arranged to implement a routing policy for one of an interior gateway protocol and an exterior gateway protocol, comprising:
a plurality of policy elements for the routing policy,
each policy element being configured to probabilistically associate a suitability of a network route defined according to said one of the interior gateway protocol and the exterior gateway protocol with at least one property of the network route, the network route and the at least one property being defined in a network route definition exchangeable between network devices;

an encoding of a value indicative of a prior probability indicative of the suitability of a randomly-selected network route for routing network traffic,
wherein each policy element comprises data encoding:
data defining a proposition, the proposition relating to the at least one property of the network route as indicated by the network route definition;
data indicative of a probability of the proposition being true of a randomly-selected network route, and
data indicative of a probability of the proposition being true of randomly-selected network route that is suitable for use in routing network traffic,

the routing configuration file being configured to be implemented as a routing function that is applied to a network route definition that is received over a network, the received network route definition indicating a value for the at least one network property, the routing function applying the encoded values in a Bayesian inference operation to output a value indicative of whether the received network route definition is to be used by a network device to route network traffic.

7. The routing configuration file of claim 6 , wherein the routing function is configured to evaluate the encoded values using Bayesian inference to determine a posterior probability indicative of the suitability of a network route.

8. A method for managing data packet routes used on at least one network according to at least one of an interior gateway protocol and an exterior gateway protocol, the method comprising:
receiving, at a network interface of a network control device, a proposed network route for data packets within the at least one network;
processing, by a processor of the network control device, the received proposed network route by evaluating a plurality of policy elements in accordance with at least one property of the proposed network route using Bayesian inference to determine at least one confidence value relating to use of the proposed network route, wherein each policy element comprises:
data defining a proposition, the proposition relating to at least one property of a received network route within the at least one network,
data indicative of a probability of the proposition being true of a randomly-selected network route for the at least one network, and
data indicative of a probability of the proposition being true of a randomly-selected network route that is suitable for use in routing network traffic within the at least one network; and
determining, by the processor of the network control device, an action to be performed in relation to the proposed network route based on the at least one confidence value,
wherein said action determines how the proposed network route is to be used by at least one network routing device within the at least one network in implementation of at least one of the interior gateway protocol and the exterior gateway protocol.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the at least one property applicable to the proposed network route comprises an indication of a suitability for routing traffic over the at least one network.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein determining an action comprises:
comparing the at least one confidence value to at least one range of values, wherein each range of values is associated with a different action, and
based on the comparison, selecting the action to be performed; and
wherein the method comprises:
performing the selected action to modify the proposed network route to generate a modified network route, the modified network route being used to determine whether to modify a routing definition of a network device.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the action comprises at least one of:
indicating that the proposed network route is to be added a routing definition, the routing definition comprising one or more routes that are used by a network device to route network traffic;
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Assignees

• Metaswitch Networks Ltd

Inventors

• Liljenstolpe Christopher
• Curtis Michael

Classifications

• H04L41/0893 Primary

  Assignment of logical groups to network elements · CPC title

• H04L45/02 Primary

  Topology update or discovery · CPC title

• H04L41/0813

  characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings · CPC title

• H04L45/48

  Routing tree calculation · CPC title

• H04L45/306

  Route determination based on the nature of the carried application · CPC title