Dynamic Traffic Reroute via Bandwidth-Aware Alternate Paths
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
MPLS Traffic Engineering in large-scale networks faces challenges with complex control plane overhead and the impracticality of full meshes, which hinder efficient bandwidth optimization and fast recovery in environments with hundreds of nodes.
Innovation Solution
A method is implemented where routing devices dynamically reroute traffic by establishing alternate paths based on available bandwidth, using a path computation and reroute module to detect congestion and redirect traffic through neighboring devices with sufficient bandwidth, thereby optimizing network resource utilization and quality of service.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a full mesh of Traffic Engineering label switched paths is deployed between N routers to optimize network resources and provide bandwidth guarantees, then network traffic quality of service is improved, but device complexity and control plane overhead increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network topology by distinguishing between immediate downstream neighboring routing devices and non-immediate downstream neighboring routing devices. This segmentation allows the system to establish alternate paths only to immediate neighbors rather than maintaining full mesh connectivity to all N routers, thereby reducing the number of label switched paths from N*(N-1) to a manageable subset while preserving quality of service through targeted alternate path establishment.
2Productivity
If a full mesh of N*(N-1) label switched paths is deployed between N routers, then bandwidth guarantees and fast recovery capability are achieved, but the solution becomes impractical for large scale environments with hundreds of nodes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by establishing alternate paths selectively based on the specific needs of each immediate downstream neighboring routing device. Instead of uniformly deploying paths to all possible destinations, the system locally optimizes by creating alternate paths only where congestion is detected at immediate neighbors, using available bandwidth information from those specific neighbors to establish targeted relief paths.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If alternate paths are established to non-immediate downstream neighboring routing devices, then traffic congestion relief is achieved, but control plane overhead and path computation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses immediate downstream neighboring routing devices as intermediaries to relay traffic to non-immediate downstream destinations. When congestion is detected on a path to a non-immediate neighbor, the system establishes an alternate path through an immediate neighbor that acts as an intermediary. This approach relieves congestion by routing around the blocked path while keeping path computation manageable, as the intermediary immediate neighbor already has available bandwidth information and can handle the relay function.
Data Source
AI summary
In an example embodiment, a method is provided that receives a broadcast of available bandwidth from a first routing device. A congestion of traffic is detected along a downstream path to a second routing device. This second routing device is an immediate downstream neighbor. As such, an alternate path is established to the second routing device by way of the first routing device based on the available bandwidth in the network and a portion of the traffic is transmitted along the alternate path.