GRE Tunnel Auto-Establishment With Base Address Deconfliction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing GRE tunnel establishment methods require manual configuration, leading to increased costs and potential human errors due to the need for manual operations.
Innovation Solution
Automated GRE tunnel establishment using auto-GRE service modules that manage tunnel creation and termination through the selection of unused base addresses, including IPv4 class E addresses, and communication of auto-tunnel create messages to establish secure and efficient GRE tunnels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual GRE tunnel configuration is used, then tunnel establishment is possible, but costs increase and human errors occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables routers to automatically discover and establish GRE tunnels with multicast groups without human intervention. The router autonomously selects unused base addresses, constructs auto-tunnel create messages, and manages the entire tunnel lifecycle including termination when multicast members leave, thereby eliminating manual configuration errors and reducing operational costs
2Extent of automation
If automated tunnel establishment is implemented, then costs are reduced and errors are eliminated, but address deconfliction complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-allocates unused base addresses from IPv4 class E address space to routers before tunnel establishment. This preliminary address assignment simplifies the automated tunnel creation process by eliminating the need for complex runtime address negotiation and deconfliction, as each router already has reserved addresses available for immediate tunnel establishment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces auto-tunnel create messages as an intermediary communication mechanism between routers and multicast group leaders. These standardized messages encapsulate base address information and tunnel parameters, automating the negotiation process while maintaining structured address allocation, thereby reducing the perceived complexity through protocol abstraction
3Device complexity
If base addresses are selected from IPv4 class E addresses, then address deconfliction is simplified, but address space utilization is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and utilizes the previously unused IPv4 class E address space (240.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255) for GRE tunnel base addresses. By taking out this underutilized address range and dedicating it specifically for tunnel automation, the system simplifies address deconfliction without further encroaching on already-allocated address spaces, thereby maintaining overall address space availability while achieving automation goals
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods for automatically managing tunnels in a network. The methods comprise: detecting, by a router of the network, that a tunnel is needed for communicating a packet to at least one member of a multicast group of another network; selecting, by the router, a base address from a set of unused base addresses; communicating, from the router, an auto-tunnel create message including the base address which was previously selected; receiving, by the router, a tunnel create ACK message sent from another router of the network upon the another router's verification that base address is unused; creating the tunnel using the base address for the router and another base address for the another router; encapsulating the packet; and communicating the encapsulated packet from the router to the another router using the tunnel which was created.