BGP Container Attribute for Prefix Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large-scale networks with numerous prefixes experience convergence delays, leading to slowed network throughput and potential packet loss, due to the need for extensive route advertisements and centralized entities like route reflectors or route servers.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an AS location/ID mapping that allows for fast convergence without centralized entities, using a new attribute type in standard in-band BGP messaging to store multiple prefixes in a single message, with attributes stored within a container attribute, enabling efficient distribution of location and ID mappings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If route advertisements are transmitted between routers in a fully meshed network or using centralized route reflectors, then routing information can be distributed, but convergence delays occur due to the large number of prefixes and extensive advertisement requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the routing information by organizing prefixes under autonomous system (AS) locations. Instead of distributing individual prefixes across the entire network, prefixes are grouped by their originating AS and advertised only to relevant routers that need that specific AS's routes. This segmentation reduces the scope of route advertisements and eliminates unnecessary propagation of all prefixes to all routers, thereby reducing convergence delays.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the requirement for centralized route reflectors and route servers from the network architecture. By implementing a distributed AS location/ID mapping system where each router maintains its own mapping table, the patent eliminates the centralized bottleneck that causes convergence delays. Routers independently resolve prefix to AS mappings without needing to query centralized entities, enabling faster local convergence.
2Ease of manufacture
If centralized entities like route reflectors or route servers are used to distribute routing information, then routing tables can be built, but the infrastructure complexity and dependency on centralized points increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling each router to independently maintain and update its own AS location/ID mapping table. Routers autonomously receive AS location advertisements from their neighbors and use these to resolve prefix to AS mappings locally. This eliminates dependency on centralized route reflectors or servers, reducing infrastructure complexity while maintaining ease of routing table generation through distributed autonomous operation.
3Reliability
If all prefix information is distributed to all routers in the network, then complete routing tables can be built, but the amount of routing data and processing required increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by enabling each router to maintain only the AS location/ID mappings that are relevant to its position in the network and its routing requirements. Instead of storing and processing all prefix information globally, routers selectively maintain mapping data for ASes that are topologically or policy-relevant to them. This reduces the quantity of routing data at each router while ensuring routing completeness for necessary destinations.
Data Source
AI summary
Client device prefixes are distributed to other network devices (e.g., routers) in the network inside a special container attribute of an update message. The container attribute is attached as an optional-transitive attribute to a location prefix announcement. A location prefix identifies the Autonomous System (AS) that originates the client prefixes. All of the ID prefixes packed in the container use the location prefix as the recursive next-hop towards them. As a result, all convergence in the network occurs for a small number of location prefixes, while at the same time, the location/ID mapping is being distributed using the Location best-paths. In some embodiments, the container attribute can utilize BGP update packets, or optimized NLRI/attribute packaging. Compression of the ID prefixes can also be used within the messages.