Distributed Routing Table Storage in Packet Forwarding Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
As networks expand, the increasing number of routing entries required for packet forwarding leads to a significant increase in hardware resources, particularly storage capacity, resulting in elevated hardware costs for devices like switches.
Innovation Solution
The method involves dispersively storing routing entries across multiple fabric boards within a packet forwarding device, using a preset entry distribution strategy to categorize and distribute these entries based on packet characteristics, such as destination IP address bits, to optimize storage and reduce hardware costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If more routing entries are stored in switches to cope with network expansion, then packet forwarding capability is improved, but hardware storage resources and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The routing table is segmented and distributed across multiple fabric boards instead of being stored in a single centralized location. Each fabric board stores a portion of the routing entries, dividing the overall storage burden and allowing the system to handle larger routing tables without proportionally increasing hardware resources at any single point.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension to routing table storage by utilizing the fabric board architecture, which provides an additional storage dimension beyond traditional switch memory. This distributed storage approach across multiple fabric boards enables scaling of routing capacity without linearly increasing overall hardware storage requirements.
2Quantity of substance
If hardware resources are enhanced to store more routing entries, then routing table capacity is improved, but hardware costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fabric boards, which are existing components in the switch architecture, are made multi-functional by enabling them to store routing entries in addition to their primary switching functions. This eliminates the need for separate dedicated storage hardware, allowing existing components to serve multiple purposes and reducing overall hardware costs while increasing routing table capacity.
3Quantity of substance
If routing entries are dispersively stored across fabric boards, then storage costs per fabric board are reduced, but packet forwarding complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control board acts as an intermediary that manages the distributed routing entries across fabric boards. It maintains the routing distribution information and coordinates packet forwarding by determining which fabric board holds the relevant routing entry, thereby abstracting the complexity of distributed storage from the packet forwarding process and managing it centrally.
Data Source
AI summary
In an example, a method of routing management is provided, wherein the method applied in a device for forwarding packet, which includes a main control board, fabric boards and line cards. The main control board may transmit routing entries to one or multiple fabric boards in the device according to a preset entry distribution strategy, transmit routing distribution information for indicating correspondence between each fabric board and a packet character of the routing entries stored in the fabric board to each of the line cards, so that the line card transmits a packet matching the packet character to a corresponding fabric board to be forwarded, according to the routing distribution information.