Ethernet Ring Protection Using Destination MAC Address Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In Ethernet ring automatic protection systems, transit nodes unnecessarily process control messages, leading to delayed and unreliable communication, resource wastage, and increased convergence duration due to high frequency of HELLO messages and inefficient message processing.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method to distinguish between messages processed by transit nodes and those not, using specific destination MAC addresses (e.g., 0x0180c2000035 and 0x00e02b000004) to direct message forwarding and processing, ensuring only necessary messages are processed by transit nodes' processors, thereby optimizing resource utilization and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If transit nodes process all control messages (HELLO, LINK-DOWN, FLUSH-DOWN, FLUSH-UP) through their processors, then message processing is performed at all nodes, but processor utilization increases, message processing efficiency decreases, and convergence duration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments message processing responsibilities between master nodes and transit nodes. Master nodes process all control messages (HELLO, LINK-DOWN, FLUSH-DOWN, FLUSH-UP) while transit nodes only forward these messages without processor involvement. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by assigning processing tasks only where necessary, maintaining reliability through proper message handling at master nodes while improving overall system efficiency by eliminating redundant processing at transit nodes.
2Loss of time
If HELLO messages are transmitted at high frequency to shorten convergence duration, then link status detection speed improves, but processor utilization on transit nodes increases and resource wastage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the message processing function from transit nodes, removing the burden of processor involvement in forwarding control messages. Transit nodes simply forward HELLO messages and other control traffic without processing them through their processors. This extraction allows high-frequency HELLO message transmission for fast convergence while eliminating the associated processor utilization and resource wastage at transit nodes.
3Extent of automation
If all nodes process control messages, then distributed processing is achieved, but message processing time increases and system response speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the automated control message processing function, concentrating it at master nodes while transit nodes perform only simple forwarding operations. This segmentation maintains the automated nature of the system (extent of automation) while dramatically improving response speed by eliminating processor involvement at transit nodes, thus resolving the contradiction between distributed processing and system response speed.
4Reliability
If transit nodes process FLUSH-DOWN and FLUSH-UP messages, then MAC address table updates are performed at all nodes, but processing overhead increases and resource efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex processing of FLUSH-DOWN and FLUSH-UP messages from transit nodes. Transit nodes forward these messages without processor involvement, while master nodes handle the processing and coordinate MAC address table updates. This extraction maintains MAC address table consistency across the network (reliability) while eliminating the processing overhead and resource waste at transit nodes.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for processing Ethernet ring messages and a corresponding Ethernet ring protection system are provided. The method comprises distinguishing a message to be processed by CPUs of transit nodes from that not to be processed by the CPUs of the transit nodes, and setting a distinguishing identifier when constituting a message; after receiving the message, the transit node forwarding the message not to be processed by the CPU thereof to other nodes, or sending the message to be processed by the CPU of the transit node to other nodes and meanwhile reporting the message to its CPU depending on the distinguishing identifier; the system comprises a master node and transit nodes which generates messages with the distinguishing identifier and performs different process for these messages according to the distinguishing identifier. The method and the corresponding system make the CPU of each node in the Ethernet ring receive only the message need to be processed, avoiding receiving a lot of unnecessary messages, and speeding up the response speed for the Ethernet ring control messages, enhancing the capability against link failure of the Ethernet ring in the practical network deployment, and decreasing waste of system resource.