BGP Message Urgent Marking for Faster Convergence
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) convergence times are lengthy, leading to delays in data forwarding during network topology updates, as existing protocols do not leverage the TCP Urgent bit and pointer for prioritizing routing messages.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method to mark BGP messages as urgent using the TCP Urgent bit and pointer, allowing peer devices to process these messages expeditedly, thereby reducing convergence time by signaling priority processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If BGP messages are sent using standard TCP processing, then reliable delivery is ensured, but convergence time is lengthy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the processing priority parameter of BGP messages by setting the TCP urgent bit. This parameter change transforms standard BGP messages into urgent messages, causing the receiving TCP stack to prioritize their processing. The urgent bit acts as a flag that modifies the handling characteristics of the message without changing the underlying TCP reliability mechanisms, thus achieving faster convergence while maintaining delivery guarantees.
2Device complexity
If all BGP messages are processed in FIFO order, then protocol simplicity is maintained, but urgent routing updates are delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating message handling based on the urgent bit property. Instead of uniformly processing all BGP messages in FIFO order, the system identifies messages with the urgent bit set and processes them with higher priority. This localized differentiation allows urgent routing updates to be expedited while maintaining standard FIFO processing for non-urgent messages, thus improving speed without significantly increasing overall protocol complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Devices executing routing protocols can mark routing protocol messages as urgent so that peer devices are signaled to consume the messages on an expedited basis. Performance of routing protocols improves as a result; for example, Border Gateway Protocol convergence time is reduced. An example router comprises a network interface, a processor, a transport layer protocol module that implements a transport layer network protocol, a routing protocol module that implements a network packet routing protocol and sends peering session messages over transport layer connections, and instructions to perform providing a first routing protocol message to the transport layer protocol module that comprises urgent data at least in part; requesting the transport layer protocol module to mark, as urgent, one or more data segments that carry the first routing protocol message; marking, as urgent, one or more segments that carry the first routing protocol message; and sending the segments to peer devices over the connections.