Ethernet Packet Replication Across Redundant Links to Prevent Flaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current data transmission solutions experience disruptions and interruptions, known as 'flaps', when primary routes fail, despite the availability of alternative routes, leading to significant network disruptions.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilizes dual-redundancy mechanisms through multiple Ethernet transmission routes, marking and replicating data packets with unique identifiers, and employing memory alignment buffers to eliminate duplicates, ensuring reliable data delivery by transmitting data simultaneously through two different routes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If redundant transmission routes are implemented, then data transmission reliability is improved, but system complexity increases due to multiple routes and packet management
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing multiple transmission routes and pre-configuring packet replication before actual data transmission is needed. When a route fails, the alternative route is already prepared and can immediately take over, reducing the complexity of real-time route switching while maintaining high reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates copies of data packets and transmits them through multiple routes simultaneously. This copying mechanism ensures that if one route fails, the copied packets on alternative routes can still deliver the data, improving reliability without requiring complex real-time route selection logic
2Reliability
If packet replication and multiple route transmission are used, then data delivery reliability is improved, but packet processing complexity increases due to duplicate packet elimination
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses unique identifiers as a form of 'marking' or 'color-coding' for replicated packets. Each replicated packet carries a unique identifier that allows the receiving device to easily recognize and eliminate duplicates through simple comparison, rather than complex analysis of packet content. This marking mechanism significantly reduces packet processing complexity while maintaining high data delivery reliability
3Reliability
If simultaneous transmission on multiple routes is implemented, then interruption rate is reduced, but data transmission overhead increases due to replicated packets
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates copies of data packets for transmission through multiple routes. While this does increase overhead, the copying approach ensures that if one route fails, the replicated packets on alternative routes can still deliver the data without interruption, thus reducing the effective loss from failed transmissions
Solution Approach 2:
The system discards duplicate packets at the receiving end after successful delivery through one route. This discarding mechanism recovers bandwidth resources that would otherwise be wasted on redundant transmissions, reducing overall data transmission overhead while maintaining the reliability benefits of multi-route transmission
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method and computer program structured to implement a multi-redundancy mechanism for the transmission of information over an Ethernet data network. The system comprises a device configured for the transmission of Ethernet data to a management device that may mark, tag or otherwise assign an identifier to a data packet. The management device may also replicate the packet and may transmit the original packet and the replicated packet(s) to a receiving management device. The receiving management device may unmark successfully transmitted packets and may ascertain whether a successfully delivered packet is a redundant packet such that it may be deleted.