System and a method for controlling management processes directed to a link aggregation group

A network element for a data transfer network, the network element comprising:

• functional entities capable of transferring data between each other, at least one of the functional entities being capable of receiving data from the data transfer network and at least two of the functional entities being capable of transmitting data to the data transfer network and running one or more management processes directed to one or more data streams each being a part of data traffic transmitted via a link aggregation group having egress ports in multiple ones of the two or more functional entities, and
• a transmission control system for controlling the one or more management processes,
• wherein the transmission control system comprises:
• a detection mechanism for detecting, for each of data frames belonging to the data traffic, whether the data frame under consideration belongs to any of the data streams, and
• a forwarding-control mechanism for controlling the data frames belonging to none of the data streams to be forwarded to the functional entities so that these data frames are distributed between the functional entities according to a link aggregation rule related to the link aggregation group,
• wherein the forwarding-control mechanism is configured to:
• maintain a management rule indicating, for each of the data streams, a stream-specific functional entity, the stream-specific functional entity being one of the functional entities and being configured to run each of the one or more management processes to be directed to the data stream under consideration, and
• control, in accordance with the management rule, the data frames belonging to one of the data streams to be forwarded to the stream-specific functional entity related to the one of the data streams, and
• wherein the one or more management processes comprises at least one of the following:
• shaping directed to one of the data streams so as to control a temporal rate profile of the one of the data streams,
• deep packet inspection directed to one of the data streams so as to monitor content of the one of the data streams,
• intrusion detection directed to one of the data streams so as to monitor integrity of the one of the data streams.

A method for controlling one or more management processes directed to one or more data streams each being a part of data traffic transmitted via a link aggregation group having egress ports in multiple functional entities of a network element, the method comprising:

• detecting, for each of data frames belonging to the data traffic, whether the data frame under consideration belongs to any of the data streams,
• controlling the data frames belonging to none of the data streams to be forwarded to the functional entities so that these data frames are distributed between the functional entities according to a link aggregation rule related to the link aggregation group,
• maintaining a management rule indicating, for each of the data streams, a stream- specific functional entity, the stream-specific functional entity being one of the functional entities and being configured to run each of the one or more management processes to be directed to the data stream under consideration, and
• controlling, in accordance with the management rule, the data frames belonging to one of the data streams to be forwarded to the stream-specific functional entity related to the one of the data streams,
• maintaining the management rule to indicate, for at least the one of the data streams, a backup entity from among the functional entities, the backup entity being configured to run each of the one or more management processes to be directed to the one of the data streams and being capable of operating in lieu of the stream-specific functional entity related to the one of the data streams, and
• controlling, in response to a switchover to the backup entity, the data frames belonging to the one of the data streams to be forwarded to the backup entity.

A method for controlling one or more management processes directed to one or more data streams each being a part of data traffic transmitted via a link aggregation group having egress ports in multiple functional entities of a network element, the method comprising:

• detecting, for each of data frames belonging to the data traffic, whether the data frame under consideration belongs to any of the data streams,
• controlling the data frames belonging to none of the data streams to be forwarded to the functional entities so that these data frames are distributed between the functional entities according to a link aggregation rule related to the link aggregation group,
• maintaining a management rule indicating, for each of the data streams, a stream- specific functional entity, the stream-specific functional entity being one of the functional entities and being configured to run each of the one or more management processes to be directed to the data stream under consideration,
• controlling, in accordance with the management rule, the data frames belonging to one of the data streams to be forwarded to the stream-specific functional entity related to the one of the data streams,
• maintaining the management rule to indicate, for at least the one of the data streams, a group of backup entities from among the functional entities, each of the backup entities being configured to run each of the one or more management processes to be directed to the one of the data streams,
• maintaining the management rule to indicate a backup order in which the backup entities are to be used in lieu of the stream-specific functional entity related to the one of the data streams, and
• controlling, in response to a switchover to one of the backup entities, the data frames belonging to the one of the data streams to be forwarded to the one of the backup entities.

A method for controlling one or more management processes directed to one or more data streams each being a part of data traffic transmitted via a link aggregation group having egress ports in multiple functional entities of a network element, the method comprising:

• detecting, for each of data frames belonging to the data traffic, whether the data frame under consideration belongs to any of the data streams,
• controlling the data frames belonging to none of the data streams to be forwarded to the functional entities so that these data frames are distributed between the functional entities according to a link aggregation rule related to the link aggregation group,
• maintaining a management rule indicating, for each of the data streams, a stream-specific functional entity, the stream-specific functional entity being one of the functional entities and being configured to run each of the one or more management processes to be directed to the data stream under consideration, and
• controlling, in accordance with the management rule, the data frames belonging to one of the data streams to be forwarded to the stream-specific functional entity related to the one of the data streams,
• wherein the link aggregation rule is implemented with a link aggregation lookup table, and the method comprises retrieving, for each of the data frames belonging to none of the data streams, an egress port identifier from the link aggregation lookup table on the basis of data related to the data frame under consideration, and
• wherein the management rule is implemented with the link aggregation lookup table and with one or more stream-specific auxiliary lookup tables, and the method comprises retrieving, for each of the data frames belonging to one of the data streams and on the basis of data related to the data frame under consideration, a preliminary egress port identifier from the link aggregation lookup table and retrieving, for the data frame under consideration and on the basis of the preliminary egress port identifier, an egress port identifier from the stream-specific auxiliary lookup table corresponding to the one of the data streams.

A method for controlling one or more management processes directed to one or more data streams each being a part of data traffic transmitted via a link aggregation group having egress ports in multiple functional entities of a network element, the method comprising:

• detecting, for each of data frames belonging to the data traffic, whether the data frame under consideration belongs to any of the data streams,
• controlling the data frames belonging to none of the data streams to be forwarded to the functional entities so that these data frames are distributed between the functional entities according to a link aggregation rule related to the link aggregation group,
• maintaining a management rule indicating, for each of the data streams, a stream-specific functional entity, the stream-specific functional entity being one of the functional entities and being configured to run each of the one or more management processes to be directed to the data stream under consideration, and
• controlling, in accordance with the management rule, the data frames belonging to one of the data streams to be forwarded to the stream-specific functional entity related to the one of the data streams,
• wherein the one or more management processes comprises at least one of the following:
• shaping directed to one of the data streams so as to control a temporal rate profile of the one of the data streams,
• deep packet inspection directed to one of the data streams so as to monitor content of the one of the data streams,
• intrusion detection directed to one of the data streams so as to monitor integrity of the one of the data streams.