IOAM Headers for IoT Packet Forwarding Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network communication technologies for IoT devices are inefficient due to limited processing power and network bandwidth, requiring repeated decapsulation and encapsulation of packets and relying on out-of-band channels for management and monitoring, which consumes additional resources and bandwidth.
Innovation Solution
Implementing In-situ Operations, Administration, and Management (IOAM) headers in Ethernet communication to include forwarding and priority data directly within packets, reducing the need for repeated processing and using in-band communication to manage and monitor network events, thereby decreasing resource and bandwidth usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional decapsulation and encapsulation methods are used for packet forwarding, then network devices can access forwarding and priority information, but processing resources such as CPU cycles are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-encapsulating forwarding and priority information into IOAM headers at the packet source before transmission. This allows network devices to access the required information directly from the packet header without performing decapsulation operations, thereby reducing CPU cycle consumption while maintaining accurate packet forwarding
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential forwarding and priority information from the packet payload and places it into dedicated IOAM headers. This extraction allows network devices to access only the necessary information without processing the entire packet structure, reducing processing resource consumption while maintaining forwarding accuracy
2Reliability
If out-of-band channels are used for network management and monitoring, then network data can be sent to monitoring devices, but additional network bandwidth is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges network management and monitoring functions with the data plane by embedding IOAM headers directly into the packet stream. This allows management and monitoring information to be transmitted in-band alongside data traffic, eliminating the need for separate out-of-band channels and reducing overall network bandwidth consumption while maintaining full monitoring capability
3Adaptability or versatility
If billions of IoT devices are deployed, then internet of things connectivity is achieved, but limited processing power and network bandwidth become key constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the structural parameters of packet transmission by introducing IOAM headers with standardized fields for forwarding and priority information. This parameter change enables more efficient packet processing at network devices, improving overall network communication efficiency to support the deployment of billions of IoT devices without being constrained by limited processing power and bandwidth
Data Source
AI summary
In an embodiment, a computer implemented method comprises at an internetworking device that is logically located in an edge position with respect to an internet protocol network and a plurality of industrial devices, receiving packet and frame data from a first computing device that is associated with an industrial system and communicates using a device-level Ethernet data communication protocol that does not define a management layer; at the internetworking device, generating an Operations, Administration, Management (OAM) header using, at least in part, the packet and frame data, wherein the OAM header comprises a device identifier, a data type, and a variable; encapsulating the packet and frame data with the OAM header to generate encapsulated packet and frame data; storing the encapsulated packet and frame data in a database; sending the encapsulated packet and frame data to a second internetworking device that is associated with the industrial system and communicates using the device-level Ethernet data communication protocol that does not define a management layer.