Line Card Interface Module OIR With Shared Forwarding Table
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity of online insertion and removal (OIR) of physical interface modules in network devices leads to errors and potential crashes due to the need for synchronizing multiple forwarding tables, consuming significant computing resources and complicating the process.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a distributed, container-based approach with a base container managing a single forwarding table for all physical interface modules, allowing for seamless OIR without the need to synchronize individual tables, reducing resource consumption and error-proneness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple forwarding tables are synchronized for each physical interface module during OIR, then forwarding accuracy is maintained, but device complexity and computing resource consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple forwarding tables into a single shared forwarding table that serves all physical interface modules. Instead of maintaining separate forwarding tables for each module and synchronizing them during OIR operations, the system uses one unified forwarding table that all modules access, eliminating the complexity of table synchronization while maintaining forwarding accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The single forwarding table is designed to be universal, serving multiple physical interface modules simultaneously. This universal forwarding table can handle forwarding decisions for any inserted module without requiring module-specific tables, enabling hot-plug operations without recalculating or synchronizing individual tables.
2Reliability
If multiple forwarding tables are synchronized during OIR, then forwarding consistency is maintained, but computing resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
By combining multiple forwarding tables into one shared table, the system eliminates the computationally expensive synchronization operations that would otherwise be required to keep multiple tables consistent. The single table approach reduces CPU cycles and memory operations needed during OIR events.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the synchronization requirement entirely from the system by using a single forwarding table. Since there is only one table to manage, the complex synchronization logic that consumes computing resources is removed, while forwarding consistency is maintained through the unified table structure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If individual forwarding tables are maintained for each physical interface module, then module-specific forwarding control is achieved, but error-proneness increases during OIR operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the forwarding control functionality into a single shared table that serves all modules. This eliminates the errors that occur during synchronization of individual tables during hot-plug operations, while still allowing module-specific forwarding control through the unified table structure.
Data Source
AI summary
In some implementations, a network device may cause instantiation of a base container associated with a line card of the network device. The network device may cause, based on causing the instantiation of the base container, instantiation of a module container associated with a physical interface module of the line card of the network device. The network device may manage, using the base container, a forwarding table associated with the line card. The network device may manage, using the module container, one or more physical components of the physical interface module.