BIER Packet Forwarding Using a Global VPN Identifier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing BIER packet forwarding methods incur high header encapsulation overheads due to the need to identify the VPN to which the source node belongs and the ingress node in the BIER domain, using IP headers and additional encapsulations like VXLAN/NVGRE/GENEVE, which are inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A method that utilizes a global VPN identifier within the BIER packet to uniquely identify the VPN and ingress node, reducing the need for additional headers by incorporating identifiers such as IPv4/IPv6 addresses or MAC addresses to streamline the identification process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If IP header and VXLAN/NVGRE/GENEVE header are used to identify VPN and ingress node, then identification capability is improved, but header encapsulation overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the VPN identification function and ingress node identification function into a single global VPN identifier. This global VPN identifier is constructed by concatenating the VPN identifier and the BFR-ID (ingress node identifier), allowing both identification purposes to be achieved with one compact header field instead of multiple separate headers, thereby reducing encapsulation overhead while maintaining full identification capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The global VPN identifier serves multiple functions simultaneously: it identifies the VPN to which the source node belongs, identifies the ingress node in the BIER domain, and enables both penultimate hop popping and BFR-ID identification. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate identification mechanisms, reducing header overhead while preserving all necessary identification capabilities.
2Measurement precision
If multiple headers are used for VPN and ingress node identification, then identification accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple identification functions into a single global VPN identifier structure. Instead of processing separate IP headers, VXLAN/NVGRE/GENEVE headers, and BIER headers for identification purposes, the system uses one unified global VPN identifier that encapsulates both VPN and ingress node information, significantly simplifying header processing logic and reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential identification information (VPN identifier and BFR-ID) and combines them into a compact global VPN identifier. This extracted and condensed identification mechanism replaces complex multi-header structures, maintaining precise identification capability while reducing the computational and structural complexity of header processing.
3Loss of information
If additional encapsulation headers are added, then identification completeness is improved, but transmission efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines complete identification information (VPN identity and ingress node identity) into a single global VPN identifier field. This merged identifier provides complete identification capability without requiring additional encapsulation headers, thereby maintaining information completeness while minimizing header overhead and maximizing transmission efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter structure of the identifier by creating a composite global VPN identifier that packs multiple identification parameters (VPN ID and BFR-ID) into a single unified parameter. This parameter transformation enables complete identification with reduced header size, improving transmission efficiency without sacrificing identification completeness.
Data Source
AI summary
A first network device receives a BIER packet sent by a second network device. The BIER packet includes a data packet and a global VPN identifier, the global VPN identifier is for uniquely identifying, in a BIER domain, a VPN to which a source device of the data packet belongs, the global VPN identifier includes an identifier of the second network device and a first identifier, and the first identifier is for identifying, on the second network device, the VPN to which the source device of the data packet belongs. The first network device determines, based on the global VPN identifier, a first VPN corresponding to the global VPN identifier. The first network device sends the data packet to the destination device of the data packet corresponding to the first VPN.