Compressed SRv6 SID Encapsulation for Network Throughput
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Solution Overview
Problem
The excessive length of IPv6 addresses in segment routing over IPv6 (SRv6) leads to high encapsulation overhead, making it difficult for existing network hardware to process packets efficiently, resulting in reduced throughput due to the need for loopback reading.
Innovation Solution
Implementing support for compressed SRv6 segment identifiers (SIDs) through capability advertisement using various protocols like IGP, BGP, PCEP, and ISIS, allowing nodes to advertise and utilize compression capabilities, and determining whether to encapsulate SRv6 SIDs based on received information for efficient header formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If IPv6 addresses are used for SRv6 packet header encapsulation, then complete routing information is preserved, but header overhead increases and processing throughput decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the SRv6 packet header into multiple parts: a compressed header containing only essential routing information (segment list and length) and separate IPv6 addresses for source and destination. This segmentation allows the header to be processed in smaller units, improving throughput while preserving necessary routing data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the segment routing information from the full IPv6 address structure and places it in a dedicated compressed header format. By taking out the segment list and separating it from the traditional IPv6 address encapsulation, the system reduces header overhead while maintaining complete routing information in a more efficient structure.
2Productivity
If compressed SRv6 SIDs are used, then header overhead is reduced, but control plane support complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the control plane pre-compute and validate compressed SID formats before forwarding to the data plane. The control plane performs compression capability advertisement and establishes compression rules in advance, so that data plane devices can directly apply these pre-established rules without complex real-time processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation of SIDs from full 128-bit IPv6 addresses to compressed formats that retain only essential routing information. This parameter change is governed by standardized compression rules that simplify control plane processing while achieving significant header size reduction.
3Reliability
If loopback reading is used to process SRv6 headers, then complete header information is read, but processing cycles increase and throughput is reduced by half
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the header processing into a single-pass operation that reads the compressed header once and extracts all necessary information. By organizing the header structure with clear delimiters and compact formatting, the system eliminates the need for loopback reading while maintaining complete information extraction in a single processing cycle.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an information sending method applied to a node. The method includes: sending capability advertisement information, wherein the capability advertisement information is used for indicating a capability of the node to support compressed SRv6 SIDs. Embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an information processing method, a node, a controller, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.