Centralized ARP Resolution for Data Center Congestion
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Solution Overview
Problem
In data centers with thousands of servers, simultaneous ARP requests can cause network congestion, hindering efficient address resolution and data transmission.
Innovation Solution
A network system with a path directory module processes ARP requests centrally, allowing virtual machines to use alternate routes without re-resolving addresses when primary routes are congested or interrupted, using a routing module to detect and manage transmission route states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple machines simultaneously broadcast ARP requests in the network segment, then address resolution can be performed, but network congestion occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an ARP server as an intermediary component that receives ARP requests from virtual machines and provides address resolution services centrally. Instead of each virtual machine broadcasting ARP requests independently across the network, all requests are funneled through the ARP server, which processes them and returns the necessary MAC address information. This intermediary approach maintains address resolution functionality while preventing network congestion by eliminating redundant broadcasts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple ARP request processing functions into a single centralized ARP server. Rather than having each virtual machine perform independent ARP resolution that generates multiple broadcast requests, the system combines all address resolution needs into one centralized processing point. This consolidation reduces the total number of ARP requests in the network from potentially thousands to a manageable number, directly addressing the network congestion problem.
2Reliability
If a transmission route is interrupted or excessively congested, then data transmission is blocked, but re-performing address resolution increases network load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the ARP server pre-calculate and store multiple alternative transmission routes for each destination before any route failure occurs. When a virtual machine needs to transmit data, it receives not only the destination MAC address but also a set of pre-prepared alternative routes. This way, if the primary route becomes interrupted or congested, the virtual machine can immediately switch to an alternative route without needing to re-perform address resolution, thus maintaining data transmission reliability while avoiding additional network load.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamics by enabling the system to adaptively switch between multiple transmission routes based on real-time network conditions. The ARP server continuously monitors route states and can dynamically update alternative route information provided to virtual machines. When route failures or congestion are detected, the system dynamically redirects traffic through alternative paths without requiring re-address-resolution, making the network resilient to failures while maintaining efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A network system and a method of address resolution are provided. The network system includes a network, a plurality of virtual machines, a routing module and a path directory module. Each virtual machine includes an internet protocol (IP) address and N media access control (MAC) addresses, so as to connect the network through N transmission routes. The routing module detects and calculates states of the transmission routes. The path directory module receives and decodes an address resolution protocol (ARP) request presented by at least one source virtual machine to reply path information, which includes N MAC addresses corresponding to an IP address of a destination virtual machine and states of the N transmission routes. Thus, the virtual machines present the ARP request without broadcast, so that the problem of network congestion is solved.