BIER Packet Forwarding with Nested Headers for Designated Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
The Bit Indexed Explicit Replication (BIER) technology lacks the capability to forward packets along designated forwarding paths, and existing solutions like BIER-TE can only partially designate nodes, leading to potential network congestion and duplication of packets.
Innovation Solution
A forwarding method that involves detecting a preset indicator in packets to determine a designated forwarding path using protocol headers, such as MPLS label stacks or Segment Routing Headers, and performing lookups in forwarding tables to ensure packets are routed correctly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If BIER technology is used for multicast forwarding, then forwarding efficiency is improved and intermediate nodes do not need to establish multicast trees, but the capability to forward packets along designated paths is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds a protocol header (such as MPLS or Segment Routing header) within the BIER packet structure. This nested header contains the designated path information, allowing the packet to carry both BIER forwarding information and explicit path instructions simultaneously, thus resolving the contradiction between efficient BIER forwarding and designated path capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary protocol header as a mediator between the BIER header and the payload. This intermediary header acts as a bridge that carries designated path information without interfering with the BIER forwarding mechanism, enabling both functionalities to coexist
2Adaptability or versatility
If BIER-TE technology is used to designate nodes, then partial path control is achieved, but some bits cannot be erased leading to duplicate packets in the network
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the path control function from the BIER bit string and places it in a separate protocol header. This separation allows the BIER bits to be cleanly managed for duplicate prevention while the protocol header handles path designation, eliminating the conflict that causes packet duplication
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the forwarding information into two distinct parts: BIER header for efficient multicast forwarding and duplicate prevention, and a separate protocol header for designated path control. This segmentation allows each part to perform its function independently without interfering with the other
3Adaptability or versatility
If protocol headers are added to indicate designated forwarding paths, then path control capability is improved, but packet structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses universal protocol headers (such as MPLS or Segment Routing headers) that are already widely supported in networking infrastructure. These headers serve multiple functions including path designation, traffic engineering, and compatibility with existing network devices, thus adding path control capability without proportionally increasing complexity
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the technical field of communications, and in particular, to a forwarding method, a forwarding system, an electronic device, and a computer-readable storage medium. The forwarding method includes: acquiring a packet to be forwarded, and detecting whether the packet to be forwarded contains a preset indicator, wherein the preset indicator is used for indicating that the packet to be forwarded has a designated forwarding path; when the packet to be forwarded contains the preset indicator, acquiring information of a protocol header following a Bit Indexed Explicit Replication (BIER) header of the packet to be forwarded, wherein the information of the protocol header is at least used for indicating the designated forwarding path; determining a next hop according to the information of the protocol header; and forwarding the packet to be forwarded according to the next hop.