Edge Node Diversity in MPLS Tunnel Resilience
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current network resiliency schemes in MPLS and connection-oriented networks are limited in resilience as they cannot bypass the ingress and egress nodes, relying solely on path diversity between the same nodes, which restricts their ability to provide effective redundancy.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a connection-oriented communications network with primary and secondary tunnels between different pairs of edge nodes, allowing traffic to switch from a primary tunnel to a secondary tunnel in case of failure, with each pair having at least one unique node, enabling node diversity and enhanced resilience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dual parenting schemes are implemented allowing customer equipment to communicate with multiple ingress or egress nodes, then resiliency against edge node failures is improved, but such schemes are not currently available for MPLS or connection oriented networks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network path into multiple independent tunnels (primary and secondary) connecting different pairs of edge nodes. Each tunnel provides separate routing paths through the network, allowing traffic to be divided and rerouted independently. This segmentation enables MPLS networks to implement dual-parenting-like resiliency by switching between segmented tunnel paths when failures occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces node diversity as an additional dimension of resiliency beyond traditional path diversity. By establishing tunnels between different pairs of edge nodes (e.g., primary tunnel between nodes A and B, secondary tunnel between nodes C and D), the system adds a dimensional aspect of edge node redundancy that was previously unavailable in MPLS networks, enabling bypass of failed edge nodes.
2Reliability
If path diversity between the same ingress and egress nodes is used for resiliency, then some redundancy is provided, but the degree of resilience is limited because the same edge nodes cannot be bypassed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal tunnel structure where multiple tunnels (primary and secondary) follow a consistent architectural pattern of connecting different pairs of edge nodes. This multi-functional tunnel system can serve both normal traffic routing and failure recovery purposes, providing universal resiliency coverage across all edge node pairs without requiring complex specialized configurations for each scenario.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes secondary tunnels in advance as pre-configured backup paths before failures occur. These secondary tunnels are set up with different edge node pairs and ready-to-use routing instructions, enabling immediate traffic switching upon failure detection without requiring complex real-time routing calculations or reconfiguration during the failure event.
Data Source
AI summary
A connection oriented communications network has a plurality of nodes including a plurality of edge nodes. The network is arranged to define a primary tunnel connecting a primary one of the edge nodes to another edge node and a secondary tunnel connecting a secondary one of the edge nodes to another edge node. The network is arranged to enable switching of traffic from the primary tunnel to the secondary tunnel in the event of detection of a failure in the primary tunnel.