Pre-computing alternate forwarding state in a routed ethernet mesh network
AssigneeCiena Corporation
InventorsDavid Allan, Peter Ashwood Smith
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A set of critical nodes or links is identified on the network and alternate forwarding state is pre-computed and disseminated within a node such that, upon failure of one of the critical nodes/links, a minimal trigger will cause the alternate forwarding state to be used to forward traffic on the routed Ethernet mesh network. In one embodiment rather than storing full tables of alternate forwarding state, only the changes to the forwarding state required by an identified failure is stored by the network nodes. Upon occurrence of a failure on the network, the identified failure is used to select the alternate forwarding state.
Claims20
A method of pre-computing an alternate forwarding state in a routed Ethernet mesh network, the method comprising:
- calculating, by a node, a forwarding state for the routed Ethernet mesh network based on a current topology of the routed Ethernet mesh network;
- pre-computing, by the node, the alternate forwarding state for the routed Ethernet mesh network assuming failure of a first critical component of the routed Ethernet mesh network;
- and
- pre-computing and storing, by the node, only differences between the forwarding state and the alternate forwarding state.
A non-transitory computer program product stored on a computer-readable memory, the computer program product including data and instructions which, when loaded on a computer processor, enables one or more processors to implement a method of pre-computing an alternate forwarding state to be used by a node in a routed Ethernet mesh network upon failure of a critical component of the routed Ethernet mesh network, the critical component being selected from a set of critical components on the routed Ethernet mesh network, the method comprising:
- calculating a forwarding state for the routed Ethernet mesh network based on a current topology of the routed Ethernet mesh network;
- pre-computing the alternate forwarding state for the routed Ethernet mesh network assuming failure of a first critical component of the routed Ethernet mesh network;
- and
- pre-computing and storing only differences between the forwarding state and the alternate forwarding state.
A method of pre-computing an alternate forwarding state in a routed Ethernet mesh network, the method comprising:
- establishing, by a node, a set of critical components in the routed Ethernet mesh network;
- calculating, by the node, a forwarding state for the routed Ethernet mesh network based on a current topology of the routed Ethernet mesh network;
- pre-computing, by the node, the alternate forwarding state for the routed Ethernet mesh network assuming failure of a critical component from the set of critical components in the routed Ethernet mesh network;
- and
- pre-computing and storing only differences between the forwarding state and the alternate forwarding state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.