Bit-Forwarding Ingress Router OAM Fault Diagnosis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bit-forwarding ingress routers (BFIR) in BIER networks face challenges in diagnosing and handling transmission faults during multicast packet transmission, as existing methods lack effective fault diagnosis and handling capabilities.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a bit-forwarding ingress router and an OAM test method that involves sending OAM request packets with set identifiers and bit strings to bit-forwarding egress routers (BFERs) for link testing, allowing for fault diagnosis and connectivity testing between BFIR and BFERs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If BIER multicast transmission is implemented without OAM testing, then multicast packet transmission can proceed, but fault diagnosis and handling capabilities are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces OAM request packets as intermediary carriers that encapsulate set identifiers and bit strings. These packets serve as mediators between the BFIR and BFERs, enabling fault diagnosis without requiring complex direct testing mechanisms. The OAM packets traverse the same BIER forwarding path as multicast packets, allowing passive observation and active testing of link health.
Solution Approach 2:
The OAM request packet structure is designed to be universal, reusing the same set identifier and bit string encoding mechanisms already present in BIER multicast packets. This allows the same packet format to serve both multicast transmission and OAM testing functions, eliminating the need for separate dedicated testing protocols and reducing overall system complexity.
2Productivity
If traditional fault diagnosis methods are used, then fault detection is possible, but resource consumption increases and testing efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges OAM testing functionality with existing BIER multicast infrastructure by reusing the same forwarding routers (BFIR and BFER), the same packet encoding mechanisms (set identifiers and bit strings), and the same forwarding path. This consolidation eliminates redundant testing infrastructure and reduces resource consumption while maintaining high testing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The BFERs automatically process OAM request packets using their existing BIER forwarding logic and bit string matching capabilities. No additional dedicated testing hardware or complex processing is required at the BFER side - they simply perform their normal function of matching bit strings and forwarding packets, thereby serving the OAM testing function through their existing capabilities.
3Measurement precision
If set identifiers and bit strings are encoded into multicast packets for BFER identification, then accurate packet delivery is achieved, but fault testing capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic OAM request packets that can be selectively sent for testing purposes while maintaining the static set identifier and bit string encoding for normal multicast operation. The system dynamically switches between pure multicast mode and OAM testing mode by injecting specially marked OAM packets into the multicast stream, allowing both functions to coexist without interfering with each other's precision or adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of this application provide a bit-forwarding ingress router, a bit-forwarding router, and an OAM test method, and pertain to the field of multicast networks. A first BFR receives an OAM request packet from a BFIR; the first BFR determines, according to the OAM request packet, that a destination BFR corresponding to the OAM request packet is the first BFR; and the first BFR obtains a first OAM response packet according to an ID of the BFIR, and sends the first OAM response packet to the BFIR. According to the method and the apparatus that are provided in the embodiments of this application, a problem that a BFIR cannot diagnose or handle a transmission fault when the fault occurs during transmission of a multicast packet can be resolved, which helps implement connectivity testing by using an OAM packet and enables testing of multiple BFERs.