Bitmask Route Target for BGP-LS Scalability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current routing protocols, such as BGP-LS, face scalability issues due to the need to advertise flexible algorithm definitions and link administrative group information for each link administrative group, leading to unscalable solutions when dealing with a large number of algorithms or link colors.
Innovation Solution
Extending the BGP protocol to use bitmasks as route targets that encode link administrative group information, allowing controllers to allocate resources to virtual networks and advertise them using a single bitmask, which routers can import or discard based on their configuration, reducing the number of advertisements needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate advertisements are sent for each link administrative group, then complete routing information is provided to routers, but the number of advertisements increases significantly reducing scalability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple link administrative group advertisements into a single advertisement by using a bitmask field that encodes multiple administrative group identifiers. Instead of sending separate advertisements for each administrative group, the controller consolidates them into one advertisement message containing a bitmask where each bit position represents a different administrative group, thereby reducing the number of advertisements while maintaining complete routing information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation from individual advertisements to a bitmask encoding scheme. By representing multiple link administrative groups as bit positions within a single advertisement's bitmask field, the system transforms the parameter structure to reduce message count while preserving all necessary routing information for different administrative groups.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple advertisements are sent for different link administrative groups, then all routing options are available, but network bandwidth and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple routing option advertisements into a single advertisement message by encoding different link administrative groups as bit positions in a bitmask field. This consolidation reduces network bandwidth consumption while maintaining all necessary routing options, as each bit position in the bitmask represents a different administrative group that routers can selectively process based on their configuration.
3Ease of operation
If controllers allocate resources for each virtual network separately, then precise resource control is achieved, but the number of routing advertisements increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal advertisement structure that can serve multiple virtual networks and administrative groups simultaneously. The bitmask field in the advertisement can represent multiple link administrative groups, allowing a single advertisement to fulfill multiple resource allocation functions for different virtual networks, thereby maintaining precise resource control while reducing the overall number of advertisements that need to be generated and processed.
Data Source
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AI summary
Techniques are described by which a routing protocol, such as border gateway protocol (BGP), is extended to control propagation and importation of information using route targets (RTs) specified as bitmasks that encode link administrative group information. For example, a network control device (e.g., controller) is configured to allocate one or more subset of resources (e.g., nodes or links) of an underlay network to each of one or more virtual networks established over the underlay network. The controller generates a bitmask encoded with link administrative group information of the one or more links. The controller then outputs, to a plurality of provider edge (PE) routers that are participating in a respective virtual network, a routing protocol message to advertise the one or more subset of resources, wherein the routing protocol message includes a route target specified as the bitmask.