IP Traffic Rerouting with Adaptive Buffering for Service Priority
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for rerouting Internet Protocol (IP) traffic in response to layer 1 defects do not account for individual network user preferences, leading to inefficient and potentially disruptive service disruptions for businesses, as they affect all users equally without considering specific customer requirements or network protocols.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system where network users can specify their IP traffic rerouting preferences within service level agreements, including defect counter thresholds, clear counter thresholds, rerouting paths, and precedence bits, allowing routers to buffer and reroute traffic based on customer-defined parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If IP traffic is rerouted immediately upon detecting a layer 1 defect, then service reliability is improved for critical services, but service disruptions occur for non-critical services that could tolerate brief outages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by varying the rerouting response time based on service priority levels. Critical services trigger immediate rerouting (zero or minimal buffering time), while non-critical services allow for extended buffering periods to prevent unnecessary rerouting due to transient defects. This dynamic parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction by optimizing both reliability and time loss for different service categories.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments traffic into different priority categories (critical vs. non-critical services) and applies different rerouting strategies to each segment. This segmentation allows the system to improve reliability for critical services through immediate rerouting while minimizing time loss for non-critical services through selective buffering, thereby resolving the contradiction across different service types.
2Reliability
If IP traffic is buffered for extended periods before rerouting, then unnecessary rerouting is prevented for transient defects, but service disruptions occur for critical services requiring immediate rerouting
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the buffering time parameter based on service priority and defect characteristics. For critical services, the buffering time parameter is set to zero or minimal values to ensure immediate rerouting. For non-critical services, the parameter is extended to allow transient defects to self-correct. This parameter adaptation resolves the contradiction between service continuity and rerouting delay.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the rerouting decision process adaptive rather than static. The system continuously monitors defect persistence and service priority, dynamically adjusting the buffering period before rerouting. This dynamic approach prevents unnecessary rerouting for transient defects while ensuring timely rerouting for persistent defects affecting critical services, resolving the contradiction between continuity and delay.
3Device complexity
If uniform rerouting policies are applied to all network users, then system complexity is reduced, but adaptability to individual customer requirements is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by customizing rerouting parameters (buffering time, priority levels, threshold values) for each customer or service type rather than applying uniform policies. The system maintains individualized quality attributes for different customers while using a common rerouting infrastructure, thereby achieving adaptability without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-configuring rerouting policies, priority levels, and threshold parameters for different customers before defects occur. These customer-specific preferences are stored and automatically applied when defects are detected, eliminating the need for complex real-time negotiations and reducing the operational complexity of managing customized policies.
4Reliability
If frequent rerouting is performed in response to transient defects, then service reliability is maintained, but network stability deteriorates due to repeated path changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by implementing a buffering mechanism that absorbs transient defects before they trigger rerouting. The system monitors defect persistence and only initiates rerouting when defects exceed predetermined thresholds, cushioning against the harmful effects of transient defects. This prevents unnecessary rerouting that would destabilize the network while maintaining reliability for persistent defects.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback by continuously monitoring defect status and adjusting rerouting decisions based on defect persistence. When defects are transient and self-correcting, the feedback loop prevents rerouting. When defects persist beyond thresholds, feedback triggers stable rerouting. This feedback mechanism maintains service reliability while preserving network stability by avoiding premature or unnecessary path changes.
Data Source
AI summary
Example methods disclosed herein to reroute Internet Protocol traffic include, after detecting a defect in a first communication path for routing user traffic associated with a network user, causing a router to buffer the user traffic for a first time period having a first duration before causing the router to reroute the user traffic over a second communication path, the first duration based on a first threshold. Such example methods also include, after detecting correction of the defect, causing the router to continue to route the user traffic over the second communication path for a second time period having a second duration before causing the router to revert to routing the user traffic over the first communication path, the second duration based on a second threshold, the first and second thresholds being adjustable based on a number of cycles of network defects and network corrections counted within a tracking period.