44 results about "Multiprotocol Label Switching" patented technology

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and devices related to software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) overlays for evaluating services provided by a communications network. A device may identify a SD-WAN overlaying a virtual private network (VPN) of a communications network, the VPN including multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) and the Internet, the MPLS and the Internet associated with connecting a one or devices to a datacenter; retrieve, using an application programming interface (API), analytical data from the SD-WAN; identify devices and interfaces of the SD-WAN; receive performance metrics of the devices and interfaces; detect, based on comparisons of the performance metrics to event criteria, an occurrence of an event in the VPN; and present, based on the occurrence of the event, of a notification of the event to a customer of the VPN.

Disclosed is a mechanism implemented by an ingress node in a network. The mechanism comprises receiving a packet in Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) format. A first segment list is pushed onto the packet. The first segment list describes a segment routing point to multipoint (SR P2MP) path as a list of multicast segment identifiers (SIDs) each comprising a multicast adjacency label. The packet is transmitted from a downstream interface along the SR P2MP path.

A first network device of a first data center may encode a source tenant system interface (TSI) group identifier into a tag protocol identifier and a group-based policy identifier, and may encode the tag protocol identifier and the group-based policy identifier into a virtual extensible local area network (VXLAN) packet with the source TSI group identifier, where the source TSI group identifier is not included in a header of the VXLAN packet. The first network device may provide the VXLAN packet, with the source TSI group identifier, to a second network device of a second data center, via an Ethernet virtual private network (EVPN) multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) network.

An ingress provider edge (IPE) device of a provider network receives a packet from outside of the provider network. The IPE device determines the packet is to be transmitted to a device on an Ethernet segment on which the IPE device is multihomed. The IPE device transmits the packet on the Ethernet segment even though the designated forwarder for the Ethernet segment is from IPE device. Furthermore, the IPE device labels the packet with an IPE identifier that identifies the IPE device for the packet, and forwards the labeled packet to other devices on the provider network. An egress provider edge (EPE) device that is (a) multihomed on the same Ethernet segment as the IPE device and (b) is the designated forwarder for the Ethernet segment receives the packet. The EPE device refrains from transmitting the packet on the Ethernet segment.

Network operators can define port mappings for UDP destination ports and the encapsulated protocol / traffic type (X) in UDP. BGP may be used to notify the UDP destination port-to-traffic type mapping to an encapsulator. A generic UDP encapsulation mechanism (X-in-UDP), where UDP can be used to encapsulate packets of any user configured protocol / traffic type X (e.g., IPv4, IPv6, MPLS, etc.), is described. Primary benefits of using UDP for encapsulation are to leverage UDP port numbers for load-balancing. Generic UDP encapsulation of any protocol / traffic type using user defined port-maps provides flexibility to network operators in constructing different overlay networks. UDP encapsulation helps leverage fine-grade load balancing over Equal-Cost Multipath (ECMP).

Systems and techniques are provided for implementing multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) header extensions. In some examples, a method can include, receiving, by a router of a MPLS network, a data packet. In some aspects, the method can include adding, by the router of the MPLS network, at least one entry to an MPLS stack of the data packet, wherein the at least one entry includes an MPLS extension indicator (MEI) that is associated with at least one of an in-stack extension header presence indicator (IPI) and a bottom-of-stack extension header presence indicator (BPI). In some examples, the method can include adding, based on the IPI and the BPI, at least one of an in-stack extension header and a bottom-of-stack extension header to the MPLS stack of the data packet.

A network node receives a data packet. In response to receiving the data packet, the network node performs a lookup on a label stack of the data packet to determine a next hop for the data packet. The network node scans the label stack to identify a Structured Entropy Label (SEL). The SEL includes a Path Tracing Indicator (PTI). The network node computes Midpoint Compressed Data (MCD) as a result of the PTI being set to a pre-defined value. The network node records the MCD in a MCD stack of the data packet by shifting the MCD stack and stamping the MCD on top of the MCD stack. The network node transmits the data packet to the next hop with the recorded MCD stack. The network sink node encapsulates the received data packet to generate an encapsulated data packet and transmits the data packet.

Techniques for initiator-based data-plane validation of segment routed, multiprotocol label switched (MPLS) networks are described herein. In examples, an initiating node may determine to validate data-plane connectivity associated with a network path of the MPLS network. The initiating node may store validation data in a local memory of the initiating node. In examples, the initiating node may send a probe message that includes a request for identification data associated with a terminating node. The terminating node may send a probe reply message that includes the identification data, as well as, in some examples, a code that instructs the initiating node to perform validation. In examples, the initiating node may use the validation data stored in memory to compare to the identification data received from the terminating node to validate data-plane connectivity. In some examples, the initiating node may indicate a positive or negative response after performing the validation.

Various example embodiments for supporting an in-band control plane are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting an in-band control plane may be configured to support an in-band control plane in a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network. Various example embodiments for supporting an in-band control plane in an MPLS network may be configured to support an in-band control plane in an MPLS network by supporting exchange of control protocol packets of control protocols as MPLS packets, such that the control protocol messaging is in-band along the MPLS data plane itself. Various example embodiments for supporting an in-band control plane in an MPLS network may be configured to support an in-band control plane in an MPLS network by supporting communication of MPLS packets that encapsulate control protocol messages of control protocols with an MPLS label which indicates that the payloads of the MPLS packets carry the control protocol messages of the control protocols.

A method includes, at a node associated with a multiprotocol label switching system (MPLS) network, identifying information associated with an application flow based on one or more unencapsulated packet headers of the application flow or based on an ingress data stream that includes the application flow. The method further includes, in response to identifying the information, and based on stored data that maps application flows with psuedowires, determining a number of pseudowires corresponding to paths through the MPLS network, where the stored data indicates, for a sending device application, a distributed mapping of the application flow via at least one of the number of psuedowires, and communicating data related to the sending device application via at least one of the number of pseudowires.

The invention provides a cross-border network construction method and device and a data transmission method, relates to the technical field of communication, and can reduce the link deployment cost of cross-border communication. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring connection request information from first equipment; the connection request information is used for requesting to establish a network link between the first device and the second device, and the first device and the second device are located in different regions; establishing a network link between the first device and a network access point (PoP) device based on a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) virtual private network (VPN) technology; wherein the PoP device and the second device are located in the same region; and establishing a network link between the PoP equipment and the second equipment based on a software defined wide area network (SD-WAN) technology and a fifth generation mobile communication 5G slice.

The application provides a message processing method and device and network equipment, and relates to the fields of transmission and IP. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring an end-to-end deployment path; if the end-to-end deployment path of the G-SRv6 network comprises a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) network node, then the MPLS label of the MPLS network node is encapsulated in a G-SRv6 message. The scheme of the application solves the problem that, in the prior art, it is difficult to form an end-to-end path planning because the G-SRv6 is difficult to pass through an MPLS network.

A message processing method and a network device, the method comprising: a first network device obtaining a message; the first network device adding first indication information and second indication information in the message to obtain an updated message, the first indication information and the second indication information being located in a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) message header of the updated message, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate a network slice corresponding to the message, and the second indication information is used to indicate a forwarding path of the message; and the first network device sending the updated message to a second network device. Different indication information in the MPLS message header is used to respectively indicate the network slice corresponding to the message and the forwarding path, so that the network device can realize normal forwarding of the message according to unified network slice indication information, without the need for each network device on the forwarding path to respectively allocate different MPLS labels for the same network slice, thereby effectively saving MPLS label resources.

Provided are a method and apparatus for processing a deterministic networking (DetNet) data packet. The method includes: performing, by a DetNet node, format encapsulation on a data packet of a DetNet application flow when the DetNet application flow passes through a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) network, wherein an encapsulated data packet comprises a label indication and a flow identifier header; and forwarding the encapsulated data packet in the MPLS network.

One aspect of the invention relates to a method for establishing a secure end-to-end connection between an on-board environment of an aircraft and a ground environment of a ground assistance center. The secure connection is dedicated exclusively to managing an emergency situation. The method notably comprises the exchange of several ACARS “aircraft communication addressing and reporting system” messages and the implementation of an MPLS “multiprotocol label switching” cloud. Finally, the method comprises establishing a secure connection between the on-board environment and the ground environment via hybrid encryption using a public key accessible by the ground environment and the on-board environment and using a private key accessible exclusively by the ground environment. Figure to be published with the abstract: Figure 1

Different services through Virtual Routing and Forwarding instances (VRFs) are identified without needing a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) label or a Virtual Extensible Local Area Network (VXLAN) Network Identifier (VNI) by using, for example, different UDP port numbers to identify different connectivity services (e.g., customers, VRFs) when IP-in-IP (also referred to as IP over UDP) is used as a tunneling mechanism (e.g., in the data center).

Various example embodiments for supporting sequencing of labeled packets are presented herein. Various example embodiments for supporting sequencing of labeled packets may be configured to support sequencing of labeled packet based on use of a multiprotocol label switching sequence header. Various example embodiments for supporting sequencing of labeled packets may be configured to support sequencing of labeled packet based on use of a multiprotocol label switching sequence header that includes a source identifier of a source of a multiprotocol label switching packet sequence including the multiprotocol label switching packet, a sequence identifier of the multiprotocol label switching packet sequence, and a sequence number of the multiprotocol label switching packet. Various example embodiments for supporting sequencing of labeled packets may be configured to support sequencing of Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) packets.

In some implementations, an egress network device of a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) network may exchange Internet key exchange (IKE) messages with an ingress network device of the MPLS network to establish a security association between the egress network device and the ingress network device. The egress network device may receive an MPLS packet that includes an MPLS header, a secure MPLS data header, and an MPLS payload. The egress network device may process the MPLS header to determine a label associated with a label-switched path (LSP) and a secure function indicator. The egress network device may decrypt, using a secure function identified based on the secure MPLS data header, the MPLS payload to generate a decrypted packet. The egress network device may transmit the decrypted packet towards a destination device.

Presented herein is an “In-situ OAM” (IOAM) mechanism that uses a Segment Routing-Multiprotocol Label Switching (SR-MPLS) IOAM segment identifier that can selectively collect IOAM data from “target” network nodes along a data packet path. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, at a first network node in the SR-MPLS network, a data packet that includes an MPLS label stack comprising a plurality of segment identifiers (SIDs) associated with a plurality of network nodes. The MPLS label stack includes a first SID associated with the first network node. The method includes determining whether the first SID is an IOAM SID or a regular SID. Upon determining that the first SID is the IOAM SID, the method includes implementing an IOAM function at the first network node. Upon determining that the first SID is the regular SID, the method includes processing the data packet without implementing an IOAM function.

Described herein are methods and devices (e.g., routers) that add network services to a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) network. A method can include a network device of the MPLS network receiving a packet, the network device of the MPLS network modifying the packet by adding multiple MPLS extension headers, wherein each of the multiple MPLS extension headers added to the packet is used to support a different one of multiple network services for the MPLS network, and the network device of the MPLS network forwarding the packet as modified to another network device of the MPLS network.

One aspect of the invention relates to a method for establishing a secure end-to-end connection between an on-board environment of an aircraft and a ground environment of a ground assistance centre. The secure connection is dedicated exclusively to managing an emergency situation. The method comprises in particular exchanging a plurality of ACARS, aircraft communications addressing and reporting system, messages and implementing an MPLS, multiprotocol label switching, cloud. Finally, the method comprises establishing a secure connection between the on-board environment and the ground environment via hybrid encryption using a public key accessible to the ground environment and the on-board environment and using a private key accessible exclusively to the ground environment.

A first network device of a first data center may encode a source tenant system interface (TSI) group identifier into a tag protocol identifier and a group-based policy identifier, and may encode the tag protocol identifier and the group-based policy identifier into a virtual extensible local area network (VXLAN) packet with the source TSI group identifier, where the source TSI group identifier is not included in a header of the VXLAN packet. The first network device may provide the VXLAN packet, with the source TSI group identifier, to a second network device of a second data center, via an Ethernet virtual private network (EVPN) multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) network.

Generally disclosed herein is an approach for modifying use of segment routing multiprotocol label switching (SR-MPLS) allowing an arbitrary MPLS control plane and traditional MPLS data plane to utilize a single MPLS label to represent two or more edges in a path. MPLS labels may be divided into smaller sub-labels, which together uniquely represent a pair of edges along a route. In one example, a single MPLS label may be divided into two sub-labels, the first sub-label representing a first edge, and the second sub-label representing a second edge. In this regard, longer source routes may be supported in a packet header in network designs that implement strict source routing.

A network node receives a data packet. In response to receiving the data packet, the network node performs a lookup on a label stack of the data packet to determine a next hop for the data packet. The network node scans the label stack to identify a Structured Entropy Label (SEL). The SEL includes a Path Tracing Indicator (PTI). The network node computes Midpoint Compressed Data (MCD) as a result of the PTI being set to a pre-defined value. The network node records the MCD in a MCD stack of the data packet by shifting the MCD stack and stamping the MCD on top of the MCD stack. The network node transmits the data packet to the next hop with the recorded MCD stack. The network sink node encapsulates the received data packet to generate an encapsulated data packet and transmits the data packet.

Techniques for utilizing entropy labels of a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) label stack for performing monitoring operations (e.g., telemetry, performance measurement, OAM, etc.) without altering the MPLS label stack and / or packet path (e.g., ECMP path). The techniques may include determining, by a node of a network, to perform a monitoring operation associated with traffic that is to be sent along a path through the network. In some examples, the node may receive a packet that is to be sent along the path and encapsulate the packet with an MPLS header. The MPLS header may include an entropy label, entropy label indicator, or other label that is capable of carrying a flag indicating the monitoring operation to be performed. The flag may be carried in a TTL field or traffic class field of the label such that the MPLS label stack is not altered to trigger the monitoring operation.

Techniques for utilizing entropy labels of a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) label stack for performing monitoring operations (e.g., telemetry, performance measurement, OAM, etc.) without altering the MPLS label stack and / or packet path (e.g., ECMP path). The techniques may include determining, by a node of a network, to perform a monitoring operation associated with traffic that is to be sent along a path through the network. In some examples, the node may receive a packet that is to be sent along the path and encapsulate the packet with an MPLS header. The MPLS header may include an entropy label, entropy label indicator, or other label that is capable of carrying a flag indicating the monitoring operation to be performed. The flag may be carried in a TTL field or traffic class field of the label such that the MPLS label stack is not altered to trigger the monitoring operation.

This application provides a method and apparatus for forwarding packets, relating to the field of communication technology. The method is applied to an ingress PE node and includes: receiving a first Internet Protocol (IP) packet, the first IP packet supporting Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN); determining a first Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) packet based on the first IP packet, the first MPLS Network Action (MNA) in the first MPLS packet including a first ECN field; and forwarding the first MPLS packet. The method in this application embodiment can avoid conflicts between MPLS packets carrying ECN tags and the DiffServ domain space.

The present disclosure describes encapsulating (and decapsulating) Layer 2 traffic from a given interface or subinterface over a Layer 3 tunnel; e.g., a Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) tunnel. A Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) label is added to identify the ingress interface, and the GRE tunnel is used to transport the packets to a remote endpoint.

A method implemented by a node in a network utilizing Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) includes performing a convergence procedure to discover the topology of a network in which multiple nodes are arranged; and upon determining that the topology of the network is a ring topology whereby the node is connected to two neighboring nodes by a respective link, creating a first table for a first link, the first table including labels representing at least a portion of a label stack for allowing the node to transmit packets to another node in the network in a clockwise (CW) direction around the ring; and creating a second table for a second link, the second table including labels representing at least a portion of a label stack for allowing the node to transmit packets to another node in the network in an anti-clockwise (ACW) direction around the ring.

Disclosed are devices, systems and methods for load balancing and operation, administration and maintenance (OAM) in service function chaining using the multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) forwarding plane. In some implementations, a packet processing method includes processing a network packet comprising a plurality of labels based on presence of an indicator label in the plurality of labels such that in case that the indicator label is present in the network packet, the indicator label is used to determine a first destination of a payload of the network packet, and in case that the indicator label is not present in the network packet, the payload is passed to a second destination selected based on a service function indicator in the plurality of labels.