US 10,320,658 B2Granted

Method and system for asymmetric redundancy mechanisms in multi-homed network access topologies

AssigneeCisco Technology, Inc.

InventorsAli Sajassi, Dezhong Cai

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Abstract

In one embodiment, a method is described. The method includes receiving a network communication at a network device of a redundancy group. The redundancy group comprises a plurality of network devices, and the plurality of network devices are addressed in a first network using an anycast address. The method further includes, if the network communication is received from the first network, forwarding the network communication into a second network. If the network communication is received from the second network, the method determines whether to forward the network communication into the first network based on a status of the network device in the redundancy group, and a result of a filtering operation.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

receiving a network communication at a network device of a redundancy group, wherein
the network device is a provider edge node that is configured to be coupled to a first network and a second network,
the first network is an access network comprising a plurality of access nodes,
the second network is a provider core network, and
the redundancy group comprises a plurality of network devices that is addressed in the first network using an anycast address;
determining whether the network communication was received from the first network or the second network;
determining a status of the network device in the redundancy group;
in response to the network communication having been received from the first network,
forwarding the network communication into the second network,
in response to a determination that the status of the network device indicates that the network device is a designated forwarder, forwarding the network communication to another of the plurality of access nodes from the network device, and
in response to a determination that the status of the network device indicates that the network device is not the designated forwarder, blocking the network communication from being forwarded to any of the plurality of access nodes from the network device;
and
in response to the network communication having been received from the second network,
determining whether to forward the network communication into the first network based, at least in part, on
the status of the network device, and
a result of a filtering operation.

13 more elements

A network device comprising:

one or more processors;
a first network interface, coupled to the one or more processors and configured to be coupled to a first network that is an access network comprising a plurality of access nodes;
a second network interface, coupled to the one or more processors and configured to be coupled to a second network that is a provider core network;
a computer-readable storage medium, coupled to the one or more processors;
and
a plurality of instructions, encoded in the computer-readable storage medium and configured to cause the one or more processors to
receive a network communication at the network device, wherein
the network device belongs to a redundancy group,
the network device is a provider edge node, and
the redundancy group comprises a plurality of network devices that is addressed in the first network using an anycast address,
determine whether the network communication was received from the first network or the second network,
determining a status of the network device in the redundancy group,
in response to the network communication having been received from the first network,
forward the network communication into the second network,
in response to a determination that the status of the network device indicates that the network device is a designated forwarder, forward the network communication to another of the plurality of access nodes from the network device, and
in response to a determination that the status of the network device indicates that the network device is not the designated forwarder, block the network communication from being forwarded to any of the plurality of access nodes from the network device, and
in response to the network communication having been received from the second network,
determine whether to forward the network communication into the first network based, at least in part, on
the status of the network device, and
a result of a filtering operation.

17 more elements

A computer program product comprising:

a plurality of instructions, comprising
a first set of instructions, executable on a network device, configured to receive a network communication at the network device, wherein
the network device is configured to belong to a redundancy group,
the network device is a provider edge node that is configured to be coupled to a first network and a second network,
the first network is an access network comprising a plurality of access nodes,
the second network is a provider core network, and
the redundancy group comprises a plurality of network devices that is addressed in the first network using an anycast address,
a second set of instructions, executable on the network device, configured to determine whether the network communication was received from the first network or the second network,
a third set of instructions, executable on the network device, configured to determine a status of the network device in the redundancy group,
a fourth set of instructions, executable on the network device, configured to, in response to the network communication having been received from the first network,
forward the network communication into the second network,
in response to a determination that the status of the network device indicates that the network device is a designated forwarder, forward the network communication to another of the plurality of access nodes from the network device, and
in response to a determination that the status of the network device indicates that the network device is not the designated forwarder, block the network communication from being forwarded to any of the plurality of access nodes from the network device, and
a fifth set of instructions, executable on the network device, configured to, in response to the network communication having been received from the second network,
determine whether to forward the network communication into the first network based, at least in part, on
the status of the network device, and
a result of a filtering operation;
and
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, wherein the instructions are encoded in the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

16 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/296,867Filed 18 Oct 2016
Published: US 2018/0109444 A119 Apr 2018
Granted: 11 Jun 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04L 45/28
Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks: using route fault recovery
H04L 41/12
Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks: discovery or management…
H04L 45/74
Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks: address processing for routing
H04L 41/0894
Configuration management of networks or network elements: policy-based network configuration management

Family

US 2018/0109444 A1Pre-grant publication · published 19 Apr 2018
US 10,320,658 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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