Multipath data communication

Abstract

A multipath data communication network structure in which probing middle-boxes send periodical probe messages through their different interfaces and subsequent routers map the probe messages through their randomly selected interfaces until each probe message arrives at a destination, engages to a loop or meets a time-to-live limit. The probing middle boxes select a random interface for each probe message and furnish their routable identification and a temporary random number correlated to the selected interface to each probe messages. Subsequent multipath routers select a random outgoing interface and random forwarding state descriptor (FSD) and temporarily correlate the selected random outgoing interface with the FSD and add the FSD to the probe message. The probe messages provide different destinations with various hidden paths. Each hidden path enables forwarding of packets from probing middle-boxes to the destination without identifying any routable address en-route to the destination. The destination then provides a data source with the hidden path. Each multipath network element only store their mappings related to the paths for limited term so that each path expires and vanishes after the term. Attackers are not issued a new path and thus denial of service attacks are shortly stopped.