Path switching method and device

A path switching method, wherein the path switching method is executed by a failover switch, wherein the failover switch is a switch that is on an active path and that is on any standby path of the active path, wherein the active path and the standby path have a same source switch and a same destination switch, wherein the failover switch has at least one standby port, wherein an active port of the failover switch corresponds to the active path, wherein each standby port of the failover switch corresponds to one standby path, and wherein the method comprises:

• receiving, by the failover switch, a path group table delivered by a controller, wherein the path group table comprises an identifier of the active path;
• detecting, by the failover switch according to a received failure detection message and the received path group table, whether the active path encounters a failure when the failover switch is not the source switch by:
• receiving, by the failover switch within M detection periods, at least one detection packet sent by an adjacent upstream failover switch on the active path, wherein the detection packet carries the identifier of the active path, a detection period, and a failure determining period quantity M;
• sending, by the failover switch, a detection response packet to the adjacent upstream failover switch according to the identifier of the active path;
• forwarding the detection packet to an adjacent downstream failover switch on the active path or the destination switch on the active path;
• and
• determining, by the failover switch, that the active path encounters the failure when the failover switch does not receive, within the M detection periods, the detection response packet returned by the adjacent downstream failover switch or the destination switch, wherein M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1.

A controller, comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory and configured to:
• determine an active path and at least one standby path of a data flow, wherein the active path and the standby path have a same source switch and a same destination switch;
• deliver a flow table to a standby path switch, wherein the standby path switch is on the standby path and is not on the active path such that after the data flow is switched from the active path to the standby path, the standby path switch forwards the data flow according to the flow table, wherein the flow table comprises an indication indicating that there is no hit of a flow entry in the flow table and the flow table is still not to be deleted;
• determine a failover switch according to the conditions of the failover switch is on the active path and is on any path of the standby path, the failover switch is not the destination switch, the failover switch has at least one standby port, an active port of the failover switch corresponds to the active path, and each standby port of the failover switch corresponds to one standby path;
• and
• deliver a path group table to each failover switch, wherein the path group table comprises an identifier of the active path and standby port information such that when detecting, according to the identifier of the active path, that the active path encounters a failure, each failover switch performs path switching according to the standby port information.

A failover switch, wherein the failover switch is a switch that is on an active path and that is on any standby path of the active path, wherein the active path and the standby path have a same source switch and a same destination switch, wherein the failover switch has at least one standby port, wherein an active port of the failover switch corresponds to the active path, wherein each standby port of the failover switch corresponds to one standby path, and wherein the failover switch comprises:

• a receiver configured to receive a path group table delivered by a controller, wherein the path group table comprises an identifier of the active path;
• a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to detect, according to a received failure detection message and the received path group table, whether the active path encounters a failure,
• wherein when the failover switch is the source switch, the receiver is further configured to receive a test instruction packet sent by the controller and a detection response packet returned by an adjacent downstream failover switch or the destination switch, wherein the test instruction packet comprises the identifier of the active path, a detection period, and a failure determining period quantity M, and wherein M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1;
• and
• a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to send a detection packet to the adjacent downstream failover switch within each detection period according to the identifier of the active path, wherein the detection packet carries the identifier of the active path, the detection period, and the failure determining period quantity M, and
• wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the active path encounters the failure when the receiver does not receive, within M detection periods, the detection response packet returned by the adjacent downstream failover switch or the destination switch.