Service-specific forwarding in an LDP-RSVP hybrid network

A router comprising:

• an interface for receiving:
• a control plane message for constructing a first label switched path (LSP) to a destination within a network, wherein the first LSP conforms to a first type of LSP, and wherein the control plane message includes a label (L1) for the first LSP and an identifier (11) that identifies a first type of data traffic, and
• a second control plane message for constructing a second LSP within the network to the destination, wherein the second LSP conforms to the first type of LSP, and wherein the second control plane message includes a label (L2) for the second LSP and an identifier (I2) that identifies a second type of data traffic;
• and
• a control unit that:
• installs forwarding state in accordance with policies that associate the first type of data traffic and the second type of data traffic with different LSPs of a second type that each traverse different paths through the network to associate the labels for the LSPs of the first type with respective LSPs of the second type such that, in accordance with the policies, each of the LSPs of the first type is tunneled over the respective LSPs of the second type so that the first type of data traffic and the second type of data traffic will travel over the respective LSPs of the second type, and
• forwards packets via the interface in accordance with the installed forwarding state.

A system comprising:

• a first router;
• and
• a second router coupled to the first router by a plurality of Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP) label switched paths (LSPs), wherein the RSVP LSPs traverse different paths between the first router and the second router within a network,
• wherein the first router dynamically installs forwarding state in response to a plurality of control plane messages received from the second router,
• wherein each of the control plane messages includes a different Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) label identifying a different LDP LSP and a different identifier identifying a type of traffic,
• wherein the first router installs the forwarding state by applying policies that associate different types of data traffic with different RSVP LSPs from among the plurality of RSVP LSPs to associate each of the LDP labels with a respective RSVP label identifying an RSVP LSP such that, in accordance with the policies, each of the LDP LSPs is tunneled over the respective RSVP LSP so that traffic of different types will travel over the respective RSVP LSPs, and
• wherein the first router receives traffic of different types along the LDP LSP and forwards the traffic of different types along the different paths of the RSVP LSPs to the second router.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to forward network traffic in a network, the instructions causing the programmable processor to:

• receive, at a router, a control plane message for constructing a first label switched path (LSP) to a destination within a network, wherein the first LSP conforms to a first type of LSP, and wherein the control plane message includes a label (L1) for the first LSP and an identifier (11) that identifies a first type of data traffic that requires a first type of treatment;
• receive, at the router, a second control plane message for constructing a second LSP within the network to the destination, wherein the second LSP conforms to the first type of LSP, and wherein the second control plane message includes a label (L2) for the second LSP and an identifier (I2) that identifies a second type of data traffic that requires a second type of treatment;
• install forwarding state in accordance with policies that associate the first type of data traffic and the second type of data traffic with different LSPs of a second type that each traverse different paths through the network to associate the labels for the LSPs of the first type with respective LSPs of the second type;
• and
• forward packets in accordance with the installed forwarding state.