Prioritized G.8032 Ring Switching for Fast Traffic Restoration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Ethernet Ring Protection Switching (ERPS) systems, as defined in ITU-T G.8032/Y.1344, restore traffic in a non-ordered manner, leading to longer restoration times due to the lack of prioritization and the need for individual flushing of Forwarding Databases for each virtual ring, which is a slow operation.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a prioritized G.8032 ring switching method where each virtual ring is assigned a priority level, allowing traffic restoration to be performed in order based on these priorities, with sets of virtual rings at the same priority level being processed concurrently to minimize hardware access and flush Forwarding Databases simultaneously.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traffic restoration is performed in a non-ordered manner for multiple virtual rings, then all virtual rings can be restored simultaneously without waiting for priority ordering, but the restoration time increases due to multiple sequential FDB flushes and lack of prioritization for critical services
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments virtual rings into different priority groups (first priority level, second priority level, etc.) and processes each group separately in order of priority. This segmentation allows critical services to be restored first while less critical services follow, resolving the contradiction between maintaining reliability through prioritization and reducing overall restoration time through ordered processing rather than chaotic simultaneous processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a mechanism where high-priority virtual rings are processed and restored first, effectively skipping or rushing through the restoration of critical services before attending to lower-priority services. This rushing through of priority-based restoration reduces the perceived restoration time for critical services while maintaining overall system reliability
2Adaptability or versatility
If Forwarding Databases are flushed individually for each virtual ring in a non-ordered manner, then each virtual ring can be restored independently, but the operation becomes slow due to multiple sequential hardware access operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the FDB flushing operations for multiple virtual rings that share the same priority level into a single concurrent operation. Instead of flushing FDBs sequentially for each virtual ring, the system combines these operations and executes them simultaneously, maintaining the independence of virtual ring restoration while dramatically improving flushing speed by reducing repeated hardware access overhead
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy or group representation of virtual rings at the same priority level and processes this group together through a single FDB flush operation. This copying approach allows the system to maintain individual virtual ring identities and independence while enabling batch processing that improves productivity through reduced hardware access operations
Data Source
AI summary
A prioritized G.8032 ring switching systems and methods implemented in a node include receiving a defined priority level for each of a plurality of virtual rings at the node, wherein the priority level is one of N levels of priority, N being an integer; and, responsive to a link failure that affects the plurality of virtual rings, performing G.8032 traffic restoration in order based on each of the N levels of priority, wherein each set of the plurality of virtual rings at a same defined priority level are processed concurrently to minimize hardware access. The plurality of virtual rings can be processed concurrently through flushing their Forwarding Databases at a same time for each of the set on a per virtual ring basis. The receiving is via a Ring Automated Protection Switching (R-APS) Protocol Data Unit (PDU) for each virtual ring with the defined priority level included therein.