Network Element Control Plane Packet Deduplication
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Solution Overview
Problem
In network elements like routers, excessive control plane data packets can crowd out independent requests, leading to packet drops and inefficient processing, as only a single packet of a class is necessary for service provision, while others are redundant.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method where the network element classifies control plane data packets, determines if subsequent packets belong to a previously processed class, and marks them as low priority using bitfields, allowing high-priority packets to be processed first and reducing CPU load by queuing and processing only necessary packets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all control plane data packets are delivered to the CPU for processing, then complete processing coverage is achieved, but CPU load increases and packet drops occur due to queue overflow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes redundant control plane packets from the processing stream before they reach the CPU. By identifying packets with identical 5-tuple characteristics (source IP, destination IP, source port, destination port, protocol) and filtering out duplicates, the system eliminates unnecessary CPU processing while ensuring that at least one representative packet from each class is processed, thus resolving the contradiction between complete processing coverage and CPU efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary classification and deduplication of control plane packets in the data plane before they are forwarded to the control plane CPU. By pre-processing packets and marking duplicates in advance using bitfields and hash tables, the system prevents redundant packets from consuming CPU resources, thereby improving processing efficiency while maintaining reliability through selective forwarding of unique packets
2Quantity of substance
If multiple packets of the same class are sent to the control plane, then all packets are processed, but redundant processing occurs and independent requests are crowded out
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by processing only one representative packet from each class of control plane packets (identified by 5-tuple characteristics) while discarding redundant duplicates. This partial processing approach is sufficient to achieve the desired control plane function (such as ARP resolution or route installation) without the time loss associated with processing every single duplicate packet, thus resolving the contradiction between processing volume and processing time
3Reliability
If control plane packets are queued for processing, then all packets can be handled, but queue overflow occurs and packets are dropped
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts redundant control plane packets from the queue before they can cause overflow. By implementing a deduplication mechanism that identifies and removes duplicate packets (using 5-tuple matching and bitfield tracking) before they enter the CPU processing queue, the system reduces the total number of packets requiring queuing, thereby preventing queue overflow while maintaining complete handling of unique packets and simplifying queue management
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus of a network element that processes control plane data in a network element is described. In an exemplary embodiment, the network element receives control plane data and determines a class of the control plane data. In addition, the network element marks the control plane data based on at least on an existence of an indication of whether the network element had previously processed other data in the same class as the class of the control plane data. Furthermore, the network element queues the control plane data.