Gateway Multi-MAC Routing for SIMM-Node Load Balancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In network data transmission, SIMM-nodes with multiple MAC addresses face inefficient load balancing when receiving traffic from different subnets due to the existing ARP mechanism, which only recognizes a single IP address and MAC address, resulting in degraded load balancing and bandwidth utilization.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for a gateway to establish multi-MAC address routing information by sending multiple ARP request messages with reserved IP addresses, ignoring duplicated MAC addresses in responses, and using the established routing information to route data messages across multiple MAC addresses, thereby enhancing load balancing and bandwidth utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the existing ARP mechanism is used to map IP address to MAC address, then the gateway can route traffic to the SIMM-node, but only one MAC address and one egress port are recognized, resulting in degraded load balancing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the traditional single IP-MAC mapping into multiple IP-MAC mappings. The gateway maintains multiple ARP table entries for the same IP address, each associated with a different MAC address and egress port. This segmentation allows traffic to be distributed across multiple network interfaces while preserving the simplified single IP address interface for the SIMM-node.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds an additional dimension to the routing information structure by introducing multiple MAC addresses associated with a single IP address. Instead of the traditional one-to-one mapping, the system creates a one-to-many mapping relationship, enabling load balancing across multiple egress ports without changing the SIMM-node's network interface configuration.
2Productivity
If multiple ARP request messages are sent with reserved IP addresses to obtain multiple MAC addresses, then load balancing across multiple NICs is achieved, but additional ARP requests and processing are required
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway performs preliminary actions by proactively sending multiple ARP request messages with reserved IP addresses to obtain all MAC addresses associated with the SIMM-node's IP address in advance. This preliminary discovery phase enables the gateway to populate its routing table with multiple IP-MAC mappings before actual data traffic arrives, ensuring immediate load balancing capability without real-time lookup delays.
Solution Approach 2:
The reserved IP addresses act as intermediaries in the ARP request process. The gateway uses these intermediary IP addresses to query the SIMM-node and elicit responses containing the MAC addresses. This intermediary mechanism allows the gateway to discover multiple MAC addresses without requiring the SIMM-node to modify its ARP response behavior or maintain additional state information.
Data Source
AI summary
Transferring data by a gateway, the gateway being connected to a network with a SIMM-node. In response to a request to establish multi-MAC address routing information of a SIMM-node, obtaining multiple MAC addresses corresponding to an IP address of the SIMM-node. The multi-MAC address routing information of the SIMM-node is established at least according to the obtained multiple MAC addresses corresponding to the IP address of the SIMM-node. In response to having received a data message sent to the IP address of the SIMM-node, routing the data message by using the established multi-MAC address routing information of the SIMM-node.