Logical Router Static Route Segmentation for Network Resilience

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for implementing logical routers in datacenters lack efficient mechanisms for configuring and managing logical networks, particularly in handling communications between virtual machines across different subnets, leading to suboptimal routing and network resilience.

Innovation Solution

A method involving a management plane that receives configuration data to define logical routers, including distributed and centralized routing components, and a central control plane that processes this data to generate forwarding information bases for forwarding elements, enabling active-active or active-standby configurations and equal-cost multi-path forwarding.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a logical router is implemented with multiple routing components (distributed and centralized) to improve network resilience and traffic distribution, then the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork resilienceVSAvoidrouting component structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The logical router is segmented into multiple routing components including distributed routing components and centralized routing components. Each component handles specific routing functions independently, allowing the system to maintain resilience through distribution while managing complexity through functional separation. The routing components are organized into tiers with clear responsibility boundaries.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A transit logical switch is introduced as an intermediary component that facilitates communication between distributed routing components and centralized routing components. This mediator abstracts the complexity of inter-component communication, allowing routing components to interact through standardized interfaces without direct point-to-point connections.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If static routes are propagated to all routing components to improve route availability, then the routing table size and processing overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveroute availabilityVSAvoidrouting table management

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Different routing components maintain different routing tables tailored to their specific functions and locations in the network. Distributed routing components maintain routing tables optimized for local traffic forwarding, while centralized routing components maintain routing tables for broader network routing. This local optimization reduces redundant route information while ensuring availability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The routing table management is segmented by component type and network tier. Rather than replicating complete routing tables across all components, each routing component receives and maintains only the subset of routes relevant to its function, reducing processing overhead while maintaining route availability through the distributed architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Productivity

If centralized routing components are configured in active-active mode to improve traffic distribution, then the configuration complexity and state synchronization requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetraffic distribution efficiencyVSAvoidconfiguration management

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple centralized routing components are merged into a logical active-active system that functions as a unified routing entity. The components share a common configuration management interface and coordinated state synchronization mechanism, allowing them to distribute traffic efficiently while presenting a simplified management interface that reduces configuration complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The active-active centralized routing components implement feedback mechanisms that automatically monitor traffic patterns, component health, and routing state. This feedback enables dynamic load balancing and automatic failover without manual intervention, improving traffic distribution efficiency while reducing the operational complexity of managing multiple active components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS11593145B2Static route types for logical routers

Publication Date: 2023.02.28 VMWARE INC

AI summary

Some embodiments provide method for implementing a logical router of a logical network. The method receives a configuration for a first logical router. The configuration includes a static route for the first logical router. The method defines several routing components with separate routing tables for the logical router. The method adds a first route, having a first static route type, for the static route to the routing tables of at least a first subset of the routing components. Based on the connection of a second logical router to the first logical router, adding a second route, having a second static route type, to the routing tables of at least a second subset of the routing components.