EVPN Fast Re-Route Labels for LAN Failure Convergence
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current EVPN convergence systems rely on Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) control plane for route distribution, leading to slow hardware programming during failures, risking egress traffic drop, and are limited in scalability and resource availability, especially in private 5G networks requiring high availability.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an L2 FRR disposition path with pre-programmed FRR labels for multi-homed peers to bypass designated forwarder elections, allowing fast re-routing of in-flight traffic and extending FRR functionality to remote nodes for seamless convergence during access failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If BGP control plane is used for route distribution in EVPN, then route distribution is achieved, but convergence speed is slow and hardware programming delays occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-programs Fast Re-route (FRR) labels and alternative paths in advance before failures occur. When a failure is detected, the pre-programmed FRR labels are immediately applied to redirect traffic, eliminating the need for real-time BGP route redistribution and hardware reprogramming, thus achieving fast convergence without delays
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces FRR labels as intermediary elements that mediate between the control plane and data plane. These FRR labels act as pre-computed forwarding instructions that can be quickly applied to hardware without waiting for full BGP convergence, bridging the gap between detection and reconfiguration
2Reliability
If BGP control plane is used for route distribution, then route distribution is achieved, but egress traffic may be dropped during failures
Solution Approach 1:
Alternative forwarding paths and FRR labels are pre-programmed in advance. When a failure occurs, these pre-prepared backup paths are immediately activated to redirect egress traffic, ensuring continuous delivery without interruption or drop, thus maintaining both reliability and productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares cushioning backup paths in advance that can absorb traffic during failures. The pre-installed FRR mechanisms act as a buffer that prevents traffic loss by having alternative routes ready before the primary path fails
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional EVPN convergence is used, then network functionality is maintained, but scalability and resource availability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the FRR label allocation and management functions from the traditional BGP control plane, allowing them to be handled by dedicated hardware resources or simplified software modules. This separation enables better scalability by removing the burden of complex control plane processing while maintaining network functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the state of FRR labels from static BGP attributes to dynamic, hardware-accelerated forwarding entries. This parameter change allows the system to scale more effectively by leveraging hardware capabilities for high-speed label processing rather than relying solely on software-based BGP protocols
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer-readable media for forwarding data in response to a detected local area network failure. In one aspect, a method includes identifying one or more EVPN services in a local area network. In one aspect, the method includes allocating one or more FRR labels, each of the FRR labels corresponding to each of the EVPN services. In one aspect, the method includes broadcasting the FRR labels to a plurality of network appliances of the LAN. In one aspect, the method includes determining one or more EVI-EAD routes associated with the FRR labels. In one aspect, the method includes detecting a LAN failure of one of the plurality of the network appliances. In one aspect, the method includes forwarding incoming data to another one of the plurality of the network appliances in accordance with the determined EVI-EAD routes, in response to detecting the LAN failure.