84 results about "Forwarding equivalence class" patented technology

A method and apparatus for selecting paths to route incoming traffic through a data communication network, which is capable of effectively dispersing the traffic load to the selected paths on the network and effectively optimizing the use of network resources. In a communication network, a plurality of label switched paths between an ingress node and an egress node are provided. Incoming traffic at the ingress node is labeled and delivered through the network to the egress node. In a method and apparatus for selecting paths to route the incoming traffic through the network, a plurality of forwarding equivalent class elements (FEC) of the incoming traffic at the ingress node are allocated for the plurality of label switched paths. The labeled traffic is delivered on the plurality of label switched paths on an FEC-element basis so as to route the labeled traffic through the network to the egress node. The traffic load on the respective label switched paths can be effectively dispersed and the sequence of data packets, sent by the same terminal, may be maintained.

Detecting if a label-switched path (LSP) is functioning properly. To test that packets that belong to a particular Forwarding Equivalence Class (FEC) actually end their MPLS LSP on an label switching router (LSR) that is an egress for that FEC, a request message carrying information about the FEC whose LSP is being verified may be used. The request message may be forwarded like any other packet belonging to that FEC. A basic connectivity test as well as a fault isolation test are supported. In a basic connectivity test mode, the packet should reach the end of the LSP, at which point it is sent to the control plane of the egress LSR. The LSR then verifies that it is indeed an egress for the FEC. In a fault isolation test mode, the packet is sent to the control plane of each transit LSR, which performs various checks that it is indeed a transit LSR for the LSP. The transit LSR may also return further information that helps check the control plane against the data plane, i.e., that forwarding matches what the routing protocols determined as the path. A reliable return path is used for the reply.

An ingress multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) label switched router (LSR) forwards a set of packets associated with a first set of forwarding equivalence classes (FECs) along a label switched path (LSP) to an egress MPLS LSR. Logic in the ingress MPLS LSR produces an operation and maintenance (OAM) connectivity verification probe message encoding the first set of FECs, and forwards the OAM connectivity verification probe message along the LSP to the egress MPLS LSR. Logic in the egress MPLS LSR produces an encoding of a second set of FECs. Logic in the egress MPLS LSR compares the encoding of the first set of FECs in the connectivity verification probe message to the encoding of the second set of FECs, and produces an indication if the comparison indicates that the first set of FECs is not a subset of the second set of FECs.

A method and system for forwarding data units in a communications system, that comprises: ingress routers (901) capable of forwarding data units and containing a Forwarding Equivalence Class table (911) that contains mapping information, intermediate routers (905, 907, 909) capable of forwarding data units, egress routers (903) capable of forwarding data and containing a Forwarding Equivalence Class table (919) that contains mapping information. The method comprising the steps of: assigning a first label on data unit and a second label on data unit based on mapping information, sending data unit in to egress router via one or more intermediate router (905, 907, 909), receiving (903) data unit, identifying data unit based on mapping information on Forwarding Equivalence Class table (919) and based on second label. The method further comprises the steps of: creating a Forwarding Equivalence Class for radio access network specific data units; and storing information about Forwarding Equivalence Class in Forwarding Equivalence class table (FEC).

Information packets are routed through a distributed routing network by determining a forwarding equivalency class (FEC) for each subscriber unit accessing the network. The FEC to which each subscriber unit belongs is based on the point at which the subscriber unit accesses the network. The forwarding equivalency class for each subscriber unit is updated if the subscriber unit accesses the network at a different point. Information packets are routed from a distribution point by determining the next point connected to the distribution point based on the forwarding equivalency class for the destination subscriber unit specified in the packet.

There is disclosed an apparatus and method for limiting tunnel traffic in a network. Traffic engineering tunnels are used to direct traffic along a predefined path, which may differ from the path that internet protocol (IP) routing would determine. Interior gateway protocol (IGP) cut through will allow the forwarding of all destinations downstream of a tunnel through the tunnel, without the operator needing to specify a forwarding equivalence class (FEC). But congestion in the tunnel and network instability may result from this approach. A solution to these problems is disclosed which limits the traffic in the tunnel to only that with destination addresses of the tunnel's egress router or nodes directly supported thereby. Other solutions are disclosed which allow tunnel traffic to nodes having destination addresses other than those being directly supported by the tunnel's egress router. All of these solutions are achieved in both pre-determined forwarding entry and dynamic packet-by packet embodiments.

A method for managing virtual links within a multiple protocol label switched network is provided. A virtual link which includes a set of links between two devices is regarded as a single entity by a control component of a label switching router. Each packet to be transported on the virtual link is labeled based on its assigned forwarding equivalence class. A specific label is bound to a corresponding forwarding equivalence class. Such packets can be forwarded onto any one of the links within the virtual link. To load balance the various links within the virtual link, different selected hash functions are used at selected times to apportion the packets. depending on the load conditions.

When a MPLS Virtual Forwarding Entity (VFE) on a Link State Protocol Controlled Ethernet Network learns a forwarding equivalency class (FEC) to label binding from an attached MPLS-LER, it will determine an associated MAC address for the FEC, and advertise the FEC/label binding along with the MAC address. Nodes in the Ethernet network will install shortest path forwarding state for the MAC to the MPLS-VFE advertising the FEC/label binding. Each MPLS-VFEs on the Ethernet network that receive the advertisement will update its database and generate a label that is distributed to attached MPLS LERs using LDP. When the MPLS-LER needs to transmit traffic to the FEC, it will use the label provided by the MPLS-VFE. The MPLS-VFE maintains a mapping between the label and the MAC address so that it may use the MAC address to forward the packet across the Ethernet network.

A data structure for implementing a traffic engineering function in a multiprotocol label switching system comprises: a subscriber profile including a plurality of entries for storing forwarding equivalence class (FEC) information required for setup of a label switched path (LSP) based on the traffic engineering function, the entries of the subscriber profile being sequentially assigned indexes corresponding to one traffic engineering service subscriber identification (ID); a path profile including a plurality of entries for storing respective path information items regarding a type length value (TLV) of a signal protocol required for setup of an explicit routed label switched ath (ER-LSP) based on the traffic engineering function, the entries of the path profile being sequentially assigned indexes corresponding to respective path information items; and a quality of service (QoS) profile including a plurality of entries for storing respective QoS information items regarding a TLV of a signal protocol required for setup of a constraint routed label switched path (CR-LSP) based on the traffic engineering function, the entries of the QoS profile being sequentially assigned indexes corresponding to respective QoS information items. The indexes assigned to the profile entries include a plurality of indexes set by an operator for interlinking corresponding ones of the subscriber profile entries, the path profile entries, and the QoS profile entries.

The present invention provides a method of supporting a multi-port virtual local area network (VLAN) with a multi-protocol Label switch (MPLS), comprising steps of: establishing a label switching path (LSP) by the label distribution protocol (LDP), and obtaining information binding a forwarding equivalence class (FEC) and a label or information binding an ingress label and an egress label, and an address of a LDP peer entity at an opposite end, which is a next-hop IP address; the MPLS table item managing module creating a forwarding-relation table, and adding a forwarding-relation table item based upon the obtained information; obtaining an egress port corresponding to the forwarding-relation table item based upon the next-hop IP address; and accomplishing the MPLS via the egress port. With the present invention, it is possible to support the multi-port VLAN in a three-layer switch with the function of the MPLS and implement the MPLS in the VLAN.

The invention provides a forwarding method and a forwarding device for multicast data messages based on a multiple protocol label switching (MPLS). The method includes that specialized multicast labels are assigned to multicast forwarding equivalence class (FEC) of a multicast transmission path, the multicast labels are notified to all nodes of the multicast transmission path; when each of the multicast labels assigned to the multicast FEC are obtained by each of nodes in multicast transmission path, a multicast label forwarding table related to the multicast labels and corresponding to a multicast forwarding table of the multicast FEC is established; and the multicast data messages forwarding are performed according to the multicast label forwarding table. According to the forwarding method and the forwarding device for the multicast data messages based on MPLS, the forwarding efficiency of the multicast data messages can be improved.

The embodiment of the invention discloses a message processing method and system, and devices. The system comprises a controller which is used for allocating service labels to service processing modes of FECs (Forwarding Equivalence Classes), establishing a mapping relationship between the service labels and the service processing modes, sending the service labels to a source node and sending the mapping relationship to a destination node; the source node which is used for receiving the service labels sent by the controller, receiving first messages, inserting the first messages into the service labels to obtain second messages and sending the second messages to the destination node; and the destination node which is used for receiving the mapping relationship sent by the controller, receiving the second messages sent by the source node and popping up the service labels from the second messages according to the mapping relationship to obtain the first messages, wherein the service labels are used for indicating network devices needing to carry out service processing on the second messages to process the second messages according to the service processing modes in a process of forwarding the second messages from the source node to the destination node.

Described herein are various embodiments of a network element to process routing entries in a forwarding information base (FIB) for hosts that are directly attached to a multi-layer network element to encode address resolution protocol (ARP) data into forwarding equivalence class (FEC) entries for the directly attached hosts. One embodiment provides for a network element comprising a control plane including a forwarding agent and a data plane coupled to the control plane. The data plane can include a forwarding engine to forward a unit of network data from an ingress interface to an egress interface. The forwarding agent can be configured to program the forwarding engine with a forwarding information base having data-link layer forwarding data encoded into a network-layer forwarding entry.

The embodiment of thehe present invention discloses a method and apparatus for processing label distribution protocol conversations, and a label switching router. The method includes steps: when discovering addion of a route in a mode of actively distributing DU label on the downstream, enquiring whether a forwarding equivalence class FEC corresponding with the route, sends label canceling messageto a peer and receives a corresponding label releasing message of the label canceling message or not; when the peer has sent the label canceling message and has received the corresponding label releasing message, or does not have sent the label canceling message, distributing a label for the FEC; sending a label mapping message to the peer, wherein the label mapping message includes the FEC and distributed label. The embodiment of the invention is capable of avoiding that forwarding items of the peers are different due to deletion of the route and rapid addition of the route in a DU mode, ensuring normal forwarding of packets, so as to ensure communication service quality effectively.

The invention discloses an LSR (label switch router) for realizing the FRR (fast re-routing) of an LDP (label distribution protocol). The LSR comprises an IP FRR unit for establishing a backup route and an LDP FRR unit for establishing a backup LSP (label switch path) path, wherein the IP FRR unit is used for notifying a backup next hop LSR on the backup route computed by the local LSR, which takes the target LSR as the FEC (forwarding equivalence class), to the LDP FRR unit; and the LDP FRR unit is used for establishing the backup LSP according to the backup next hop LSR and an FEC-target LSR label sent by the backup next hop LSR. The invention also discloses a corresponding method. By establishing the backup LSP computed by the IP FRR and ensuring the consistence of the backup LSP and the backup route, and the LDP FRR can select the better path and avoid a bad path; and compared with the conventional LDP FRR, the LSR has flexible realization mode, and is free from relying on a backup interface manually configured by a user.

The invention relates to a processing method used for distributing messages by labels and a label exchanging router; wherein, the method comprises the steps as follows: when a message used for informing that the address provided in an address message used for adding addresses is established, whether the address is the next hop address corresponding to the forwarding equivalence class or not is judged; the label mapping message corresponding to the forwarding equivalence class is received in advance; when the address is the next hop address, whether the forwarding equivalence class is added into an FTN list or not is judged; when the forwarding equivalence class is not added into the FTN list, the forwarding equivalence class is added into the FTN list; corresponding FEC is added into the FTN list when the LSR receives the address message before receiving the label mapping announcement message, thus solving the problem that the LSP can not be established when the LSR receives the address message after receiving the label mapping announcement message.