Label Stack Compression for Segment Routing Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing Segment Routing technology results in excessively long label stacks when forwarding packets, leading to increased packet length and reduced network transmission efficiency due to nested multiple layers of labels.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for compressing and decompressing label stacks by selecting specific node labels capable of encapsulating multiple layers of labels, replacing adjacent labels with compression labels, and sending label configuration information to enable efficient packet processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple layers of labels are pushed into the packet for segment routing, then the forwarding information can be enriched, but the label stack length becomes excessively large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple adjacent labels in the label stack into a single compressed label. Specifically, when a node is capable of encapsulating multiple layers of labels, the patent replaces at least two adjacent labels after the first node label with a first compression label, thereby reducing the label stack length while preserving the forwarding information through label configuration information that maps the compression label to the original labels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of label representation by introducing compression labels that encode multiple original labels. The label configuration information establishes a correspondence between the compression label and the at least two adjacent labels it represents, allowing the system to transition from a many-label representation to a fewer-label representation while maintaining the same forwarding functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the label stack length is increased to include more forwarding information, then the packet can carry more routing instructions, but the total packet length increases reducing transmission efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies merging by combining multiple labels that provide forwarding instructions into a single compression label. This reduces the total packet length while maintaining the forwarding instructions through the label configuration information, which is stored in the network device and can be used to expand the compression label back to multiple labels when needed for processing.
3Length of stationary object
If compression labels are used to shorten the label stack, then the packet length is reduced, but the system complexity increases due to label configuration management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing the label configuration information in the network device before packet forwarding. The correspondence between compression labels and original labels is configured in advance, allowing the compression and expansion operations to be performed efficiently during packet processing without adding complex real-time management overhead.
4Length of stationary object
If adjacent labels are replaced with compression labels, then the label stack becomes more compact, but the node capability requirement increases for label encapsulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by requiring the compression and expansion capability only at specific nodes along the forwarding path, not at all nodes. The first node label corresponds to a node that is capable of performing the encapsulation operation, while other nodes can simply forward packets with compression labels without needing the same capability. This distributes the complexity locally rather than universally.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and an apparatus for compressing a label stack. The method includes: obtaining, by a network device, a first label stack corresponding to a forwarding path, where the first label stack comprises node labels corresponding to each node on the forwarding path; selecting, by the network device, a first node label from the first label stack, where when forwarding a packet, a node corresponding to the first node label is capable of encapsulating at least two layers of labels in the packet; replacing, by the network device, at least two adjacent labels located after the first node label in the first label stack with a first compression label, to generate a second label stack; and instructing, by the network device, a source node on the forwarding path to perform packet processing according to the second label stack. In this way, when a forwarding node forwards a packet, a length of a label stack pushed into the packet can be shortened, thereby reducing a total length of the packet, which is conducive to transmitting the packet in a network. Correspondingly, the embodiments of the present invention further provide a method and an apparatus for decompressing a label stack.