Method and apparatus for updating probabilistic network routing information

^-300

302 RECEIVE, FROM A FIRST ROUTER, A FORWARD ANT DATA PACKET THAT IDENTIFIES THE FIRST ROUTER AND A DESTINATION ROUTER

304 SELECT, FROM AMONG ONE OR MORE SETS OF ROUTER-PROBABILITY ASSOCIATIONS, A PARTICULAR SET OF ROUTER-PROBABILITY ASSOCIATIONS THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DESTINATION ROUTER

306 GENERATE A RANDOM VALUE

308 BASED ON THE RANDOM VALUE AND THE PARTICULAR SET OF ROUTER-PROBABILITY ASSOCIATIONS, SELECT A THIRD ROUTER FROM A SET

OF ROUTERS

310 UPDATE THE FORWARD ANT DATA PACKET TO INDICATE (A) AN IDENTITY OF A SECOND ROUTER TO WHICH THE FIRST ROUTER TRANSMITTED THE FORWARD ANT DATA PACKET, AND (B) THE QUALITY OF A LINK THROUGH WHICH THE FIRST ROUTER TRANSMITTED THE FORWARD ANT DATA PACKET

TO THE SECOND ROUTER

312 TRANSMIT THE UPDATED FORWARD ANT DATA PACKET TO THE THIRD

ROUTER

314 RECEIVE, FROM THE THIRD ROUTER, A BACKWARD ANT DATA PACKET THAT INDICATES THE QUALITY OF EACH LINK THROUGH WHICH THE FORWARD ANT DATA PACKET WAS TRANSMITTED

31£ BASED ON THE QUALITY OF EACH LINK THROUGH WHICH THE FORWARD ANT DATA PACKET WAS TRANSMITTED, UPDATE THE PARTICULAR SET OF ROUTER-PROBABILITY ASSOCIATIONS

FIG. 3A

00

402

RECEIVE A DATA PACKET THAT IDENTIFIES A DESTINATION NETWORK ADDRESS

404

SELECT, FROM AMONG A SET OF DESTINATION NETWORK ROUTERS, A PARTICULAR DESTINATION ROUTER THAT IS ASSOCIATED, IN A ROUTING TABLE, WITH A SUBNET THAT CONTAINS THE DESTINATION NETWORK ADDRESS

406

SELECT, FROM AMONG ONE OR MORE SETS OF ROUTER-PROBABILITY ASSOCIATIONS, A SET OF ROUTER-PROBABILITY ASSOCIATIONS THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PARTICULAR DESTINATION ROUTER

A

408

GENERATE A RANDOM VALUE

410

BASED ON THE RANDOM VALUE AND THE SET OF ROUTER-PROBABILITY ASSOCIATIONS, SELECT A PARTICULAR ROUTER FROM A SET OF ROUTERS

I

412

TRANSMIT THE DATA PACKET TO THE PARTICULAR ROUTER

-500

502

RECEIVE AN UPDATE ANT DATA PACKET THAT IDENTIFIES A DESTINATION

ROUTER AND A SUBNET

506

ADD AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE ROUTER AND THE SUBNET TO THE

ROUTING TABLE

+

508

SEND AN UPDATE ANT DATA PACKET TO ANOTHER ROUTER

i

S1Q
PROCEED

FIG. 5

00

RECEIVE A DISCOVERY ANT DATA PACKET THAT IDENTIFIES A PARTICULAR ROUTER THAT TRANSMITTED THE DISCOVERY ANT DATA PACKET

YES

£04

IS THE PARTICULAR ROUTER IDENTIFIED IN A LIST?

NO

ADD THE PARTICULAR ROUTER'S IDENTITY TO THE LIST

608

SEND, TO THE PARTICULAR ROUTER, AN UPDATE ANT DATA PACKET THAT IDENTIFIES DESTINATION ROUTERS AND SUBNETS ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE DESTINATION ROUTERS

I

610 PROCEED

NO

702

HAS A SPECIFIED AMOUNT OF TIME
PASSED SINCE A DISCOVERY ANT DATA PACKET WAS
RECEIVED FROM A PARTICULAR ROUTER?

YES

700

ZQ4

REMOVE THE PARTICULAR ROUTER'S IDENTITY FROM A LIST

SEND, TO ANOTHER ROUTER, AN UPDATE ANT DATA PACKET THAT INDICATES THAT THE PARTICULAR ROUTER HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM

THE LIST

mz

RECEIVE AN UPDATE ANT DATA PACKET THAT INDICATES THAT A DESTINATION

ROUTER HAS BEEN REMOVED

804

IN RESPONSE TO RECEIVING THE UPDATE ANT DATA PACKET, REMOVE, FROM A ROUTING TABLE, AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE DESTINATION ROUTER AND

A SUBNET

806

SEND AN UPDATE ANT DATA PACKET TO ANOTHER ROUTER

FIG. 8