Ethernet Interface Protection via Hardware FRR Group Association
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current VPN FRR technologies face performance issues due to high time overhead in detecting route failures across multiple devices, leading to poor switching performance and reduced expansibility and compatibility of network side devices.
Innovation Solution
An Ethernet interface protection method that involves acquiring a backup route, establishing an active and standby relationship, and writing FRR group information into hardware forwarding tables, allowing direct route forwarding entry information to be associated with FRR indices, enabling efficient traffic switching and reducing packet loss time by minimizing detection message transmission across multiple devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If detection message transmission hops multiple devices to detect route failures, then route protection can be achieved, but time overhead increases and switching performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-configures backup routes and establishes FRR group information in advance before failures occur. When a failure is detected, the system can immediately switch to the pre-prepared backup route without requiring time-consuming protocol convergence or multiple device coordination, thus reducing time overhead while maintaining route protection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the route protection function by implementing FRR group information at individual network nodes rather than requiring end-to-end detection across multiple devices. Each node maintains its own FRR group information independently, allowing local rapid switching without coordinating with other devices, thereby reducing the time overhead of detection message transmission
2Reliability
If detection message transmission hops multiple devices, then comprehensive route failure detection is achieved, but switching performance becomes poor
Solution Approach 1:
Backup routes and FRR group information are pre-configured at each network node before failures occur. When a failure is detected locally, the node can immediately activate the pre-prepared backup route, achieving rapid switching without waiting for end-to-end detection or protocol convergence across multiple devices
Solution Approach 2:
Each network node independently maintains its own FRR group information and performs local failure detection and switching. This self-service approach eliminates the need for detection messages to hop through multiple devices, allowing each node to autonomously protect its routes and achieve fast switching performance
3Measurement precision
If opposite end device support is required for detection, then accurate failure detection is achieved, but expansibility and compatibility of PE devices deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the failure detection function into independent local operations at each network node rather than requiring coordinated end-to-end detection. Each PE device maintains its own FRR group information and performs independent failure detection, eliminating dependency on opposite end device support and improving expansibility and compatibility
Solution Approach 2:
The FRR group information structure is designed to be universally applicable at any network node regardless of the specific device type or position in the network. Each PE device can independently implement the same FRR mechanism, making the solution scalable and compatible across different device types without requiring special support from opposite end devices
Data Source
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AI summary
An Ethernet interface protection method and a network side device are provided. The method includes: a network side device acquiring a backup route of a protected interface; establishing an active and standby relationship entry of the protected interface and the backup route; establishing FRR group information according to the active and standby relationship entry; judging whether direct route forwarding entry information exists on the protected interface according to the FRR group information; if the direct route forwarding entry information exists, then finding all direct route forwarding entry information on the protected interface according to index information of the protected interface in the FRR group information, and establishing an association relationship between direct routes and an FRR index of the FRR group information; and if the direct route forwarding entry information does not exist, then writing forwarding entry information corresponding to an FRR backup route and the direct route forwarding entry information into a hardware forwarding table. The method can reduce the time overhead of packet detection, thereby reducing the packet loss time and improving the expansibility and compatibility.