Flexible EVPN Traffic Control via BGP Attributes
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Solution Overview
Problem
EVPN lacks dynamic traffic control capabilities, relying on static provisioning at each PE for traffic management within an EVPN instance or for individual MAC addresses, limiting operator flexibility and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Introduction of a new optional transitive BGP attribute for traffic characterization and control information, allowing flexible traffic management across PEs within an EVPN instance or for specific customer devices, enabling granular control and dynamic adjustment of traffic parameters like CIR, EIR, CBS, Traffic Class, and Drop Precedence without requiring configuration on all peer devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If static provisioning is used for traffic control on each tunnel at each PE, then configuration simplicity is maintained, but operator flexibility and dynamic traffic control capability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a BGP attribute as an intermediary mechanism to carry traffic control parameters between PEs. This attribute acts as a mediator that enables dynamic traffic control without requiring complex manual configuration at each PE, resolving the contradiction by providing adaptability through standardized protocol extension while maintaining configuration simplicity through automated attribute exchange
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables dynamic traffic control by allowing traffic control parameters (such as traffic engineering attributes) to be changed and advertised through BGP updates. This resolves the contradiction by providing adaptability through parameter dynamicity while maintaining configuration simplicity through protocol-driven parameter propagation rather than manual reconfiguration
2Adaptability or versatility
If traffic control information is advertised to all peer PEs, then granular traffic control is achieved, but signaling overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing traffic control parameters to be specified for specific destinations or prefixes rather than uniformly for all traffic. This enables granular control where needed while avoiding unnecessary signaling for traffic that doesn't require special handling, thus resolving the contradiction between granular control and signaling overhead
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by advertising traffic control information selectively - only for those prefixes or destinations that require traffic engineering. This resolves the contradiction by providing granular control where necessary while minimizing signaling overhead by not propagating control information for all traffic flows
3Adaptability or versatility
If optional BGP attribute is used for traffic control, then backward compatibility is maintained, but interworking issues may occur with devices that do not support it
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where PEs can advertise their capability to process traffic control attributes through BGP updates. This allows for reliable interworking by enabling capable devices to exchange detailed traffic control information while ensuring that devices without support can still function using standard BGP operations, thus resolving the contradiction between backward compatibility and interworking reliability
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods include receiving one or more Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) advertisements from one or more peer nodes with information including any of traffic characterization information and traffic control information; and providing traffic to the EVPN and to the corresponding one or more peer nodes based on the information from the corresponding one or more peer nodes. The one or more EVPN advertisements can be in an EVPN Network Layer Reachability Information (NLRI) advertisement, and the EVPN NLRI can have Route Type 1 for the information to apply to an EVPN Instance (EVI) and the EVPN NLRI can have Route Type 2 for the information to apply to a specific customer node based on a Media Access Control (MAC).