Autonomic Control Plane Forwarding Path Discovery
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for discovering a forwarding path in networks are inefficient as they rely on hop-by-hop accumulation of path information, which can be disrupted by faulty nodes, making it difficult to locate and diagnose issues when the path is interrupted.
Innovation Solution
The method isolates the first and second forwarding entries, allowing path information to be returned independently of the first forwarding entry's fault, including IP addresses and port identifiers to determine the cause of path interruptions, and uses an autonomic control plane to ensure reliable path discovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If hop-by-hop accumulation of path information is used, then path information can be collected along the forwarding path, but the detection packet cannot reach the detection endpoint when the path is interrupted, making it impossible to collect complete path information and locate faulty nodes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the forwarding path discovery process into two independent planes: the data plane (first forwarding entry) for actual packet forwarding and the control plane (second forwarding entry) for path information collection. This segmentation allows the control plane to independently discover and report path information even when the data plane experiences interruptions, ensuring complete path information collection and reliable fault location.
2Ease of operation
If the first forwarding entry and second forwarding entry share the same forwarding path, then the path discovery process follows the actual data flow, but a fault in the first forwarding entry disrupts the return of path information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a control plane as an intermediary mechanism that operates independently from the data plane. The control plane uses a second forwarding entry to establish a separate return path for path information, acting as a mediator that ensures path information can be reliably collected and returned even when the data plane (first forwarding entry) experiences faults or interruptions.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If path information is carried through hop-by-hop accumulation, then the forwarding path can be traced, but faulty nodes cannot be directly located when the path is interrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where each node along the forwarding path independently reports its path information to the control plane through the second forwarding entry. This continuous feedback allows the control plane to reconstruct the complete forwarding path and directly identify faulty nodes by detecting where path information reporting stops or fails, significantly reducing fault diagnosis time compared to waiting for end-to-end detection.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Embodiments of this application disclose a method for discovering a forwarding path and a related device thereof, to discover a forwarding path. The method includes: receiving, by a first device, a packet that is sent by a second device and that is used to discover a forwarding path; searching, by the first device based on a first forwarding entry of a data plane, for forwarding information used to forward the packet; and sending, by the first device, path information to the second device based on a second forwarding entry of an autonomic control plane virtual routing and forwarding ACP VRF instance, where the first forwarding entry and the second forwarding entry are isolated from each other. In the embodiments, the first forwarding entry and the second forwarding entry are isolated from each other, and returning of the path information is not affected by a data plane fault.