US 11,799,770 B1
Name-based routing through networks
David Sutton, Monroe, LA (US); Steve Toms, Middleburg, FL (US); Shelley Goldner, Superior, CO (US); and Shelli L. Hurd, Arvada, CO (US)
Assigned to Level 3 Communications, LLC, Broomfield, CO (US)
Filed by Level 3 Communications, LLC, Broomfield, CO (US)
Filed on Oct. 7, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/961,825.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/410,750, filed on Sep. 28, 2022.
Int. Cl. G06F 15/173 (2006.01); H04L 45/42 (2022.01); H04L 9/40 (2022.01); H04L 45/02 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 45/42 (2013.01) [H04L 45/02 (2013.01); H04L 63/0236 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system, comprising:
a first plurality of broker managers disposed within a first network among a plurality of networks, the first plurality of broker managers comprising a first primary broker manager and at least one first secondary broker manager, the first primary broker being elected by the first plurality of broker managers to be a primary publisher in the first network, the at least one first secondary broker manager each being configured to be a secondary publisher that is on hot standby in the first network, the plurality of networks being separated from each other by firewalls;
a second plurality of broker managers disposed within a second network among the plurality of networks, the second plurality of broker managers comprising a second primary broker manager and at least one second secondary broker manager, the second primary broker manager being elected by the second plurality of broker managers to be a primary publisher in the second network, the at least one second secondary broker manager each being configured to be a secondary publisher that is on hot standby in the second network; and
a first network device among a plurality of network devices, the first network device being disposed in the second network;
wherein:
in response to receiving a subscription request from a first client device for subscribing to the first network device, each broker manager among the first plurality of broker managers and among the second plurality of broker managers is configured to perform at least one of:
adding subscription data that is associated with the first network device and that is contained in the subscription request to its respective subscription table, the subscription data comprising a name of the first network device and an identifier (“ID”) of a second network within which the first network device is located;
based on a determination that the first network device is not locally accessible, forwarding the subscription request to at least one of its respective local control channel via a local messaging broker that it manages or a downstream local control channel via a downstream messaging broker that it manages if elected as a primary publisher in its respective network, and ignoring the subscription request if set as a secondary publisher in its respective network; or
based on a determination that the first network device is locally accessible, creating one or more publication/subscription (“pub/sub”) channels in its respective local control channel, and sending a subscription acknowledgement (“sub ack”) message via at least one of an upstream messaging broker that it manages or the local messaging broker that it manages.