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US 8,427,940 B2Granted
Method of M:1 protection
AssigneeFuturewei Technologies, Inc.
InventorsRobert Sultan, T. Benjamin Mack-Crane
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus comprising a first segment endpoint bridge (SEB) configured to couple to a second SEB via a plurality of path segments, wherein the path segments comprise a working segment and a plurality of candidate protection segments, wherein the candidate protection segments comprise a protection segment that is configured to protect the working segment, wherein the candidate protection segments other than the protection segment do not protect the working segment, wherein one first state variable is used to maintain each of the candidate protection segments, and wherein a plurality of second state variables are used to maintain each of the working segment and the protection segment.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- a first segment endpoint bridge (SEB) configured to couple to a second SEB via a plurality of path segments comprising a working segment and a plurality of candidate protection segments;
- a 1:1 protection state machine, configured to switch traffic from the working segment to an active protection segment in the case of detecting failure of the working segment;
- a protection segment selection (PSS) state machine, configured to select a protection segment, from a plurality of candidate protection segments, as the active protection segment for the working protection segment;
- wherein a protection segment that is operational and has a highest priority is selected as the active protection segment from the plurality of candidate protection segments, if the active protection segment fails, another candidate protection segment which has a next highest priority and is operational is selected as the active protection segment instead of the failed active protection segment from the plurality of candidate protection segments;
- wherein the combination of the 1:1 protection state machine and the PSS state machine provides a M-for-one (M:1) protection function for the first SEB and the second SEB, where M is the quantity of the candidate protection segments;
- wherein one first state variable is used to maintain each of the candidate protection segments, a plurality of second state variables are used to maintain each of the working segment and the active protection segment;
- and
- wherein the 1:1 protection state machine is supported by the second state variables for each of the working segment and the active protection segment, and wherein the PSS state machine is supported by the one first state variable for each of the candidate protection segments;
- wherein the second state variables comprise a Signal Fail (SF) variable, a Signal Fail Hold-Off (SFH) variable, a Lockout of Protection (LoP) variable, a Forced Switch (FS) variable, an MStProtection (MStP) variable, and an MStWorking (MStW) variable, and wherein the first state variable comprises a SF variable for each port associated with each of the candidate protection segments.
6 more elements
A network apparatus comprising:
- at least one processor coupled to a memory, wherein the memory comprises a first memory portion which comprises a plurality of second state variables supporting a 1:1 protection state machine, and a second memory portion which comprises one first state variable supporting a protection segment selection (PSS) state machine, wherein the processor is configured to:
- monitor a working segment between two segment endpoint bridges (SEBs) along a path using the 1:1 protection state machine supported by the plurality of second state variables;
- monitor a plurality of candidate protection segments using the PSS state machine supported by the one first state variable for each port associated with each of the candidate protection segments;
- select from the candidate protection segments a protection segment that is operational and that has a highest priority among the candidate protection segments;
- and
- switch traffic assigned to the working segment from the working segment to the protection segment if the working segment fails;
- wherein the combination of the 1:1 protection state machine and the PSS state machine provides a M-for-one (M:1) protection function for the two SEBs, where M is the quantity of the candidate protection segments;
- and
- wherein the second state variables comprise a Signal Fail (SF) variable, a Signal Fail Hold-Off (SFH) variable, a Lockout of Protection (LoP) variable, a Forced Switch (FS) variable, an MStProtection (MStP) variable, and an MStWorking (MStW) variable, and wherein the first state variable comprises a SF variable for each port associated with each of the candidate protection segments.
6 more elements
A method comprising:
- controlling operations of a working segment and a protection segment between two segment endpoint bridges (SEBs) along a path using a one-for-one (1:1) protection state machine supported by a plurality of second state variables:
- selecting a candidate protection segment as the protection segment that is operational and that has a highest priority from a plurality of candidate protection segments that are provisioned between the two SEBs using a protection segment selection (PSS) state machine which is supported by one first state variable;
- switching traffic assigned to the working segment from the working segment to the protection segment if the working segment fails;
- wherein the combination of the 1:1 protection state machine and the PSS state machine provides a M-for-one (M:1) protection function for the two SEBs, where M is the quantity of the candidate protection segments;
- and
- wherein the second state variables comprise a Signal Fail (SF) variable, a Signal Fail Hold- Off (SFH) variable, a Lockout of Protection (LOP) variable, a Forced Switch (FS) variable, an MStProtection (MStP) variable, and an MStWorking (MStW) variable, and wherein the first state variable comprises a SF variable for each port associated with each of the candidate protection segments.
3 more elements
An M-for-one (M:1) infrastructure protection switching (IPS) apparatus comprising:
- a Hold-off state machine for working segment for each infrastructure Production Group (IPG) which is supported by a plurality of second state variables;
- an M:1 Hold-off state machine for each candidate protection segment which is supported by one first state variable;
- and
- a list of candidate protection segments which are ordered by priority value and provisioned for each infrastructure Production Group (IPG) that deploys the M:1 IPS;
- wherein the list of candidate protection segments contains at least one candidate protection segment;
- wherein the candidate protection segments are mutually disjoint and disjoint from a working segment;
- and
- wherein the candidate protection segment having the highest priority among operational candidate protection segments is a protection segment;
- wherein the combination of the Hold-off state machine and M:1 Hold-off state machine provides a M-for-one (M:1) protection function, where M is the quantity of the candidate protection segments;
- and
- wherein the second state variables comprise a Signal Fail (SF) variable, a Signal Fail Hold-Off (SFH) variable, a Lockout of Protection (LoP) variable, a Forced Switch (FS) variable, an MStProtection (MStP) variable, and an MStWorking (MStW) variable, and wherein the first state variable comprises a SF variable for each port associated with each of the candidate protection segments.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.