Multicast Forwarding Path Isolation for Reliable Data Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multicast data transmission systems face reliability issues due to faults affecting both active and standby forwarding paths, leading to interruptions in data transmission.
Innovation Solution
A method where transmission devices determine their location on active paths and skip establishing standby paths if already on the active path, ensuring that faults only impact the active path and not the standby path, thereby maintaining data transmission reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a transmission device establishes both active and standby forwarding paths for multicast data transmission, then transmission reliability is improved through redundancy, but the probability of fault impact increases when the same device appears on both paths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the forwarding path establishment process into active path and standby path, with the transmission device selectively joining only one path type. This segmentation isolates fault impact to a single path, preventing cascading failures while maintaining redundancy benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of allowing a transmission device to join both active and standby forwarding paths (conventional approach), the patent inverts the logic by having the device join only one path type. This inversion prevents the device from becoming a single point of failure that could disrupt both paths simultaneously.
2Device complexity
If a transmission device joins both active and standby forwarding paths, then path establishment simplicity is improved, but fault isolation capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the transmission device determine its location on the active forwarding path before joining the standby path. This pre-check prevents the device from creating conflicting path memberships, ensuring fault isolation is maintained without adding complex coordination mechanisms.
3Reliability
If the transmission device skips establishing standby paths when already on active paths, then fault isolation is improved, but path establishment time increases due to additional determination steps
Solution Approach 1:
The determination of active path membership is performed preliminarily during the path establishment process itself, rather than as a separate subsequent check. This integrates the fault isolation logic into the existing path setup workflow, minimizing additional time overhead while ensuring reliable fault isolation.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention discloses a data multicast implementation method, apparatus, and system. The method includes: A transmission device receives a standby forwarding path establishment request, where the standby forwarding path establishment request includes a device identifier, has a destination address being an address of a multicast source device, and is used to request to establish a standby forwarding path between a multicast destination device identified by the device identifier and the multicast source device. When determining, based on the device identifier in the standby forwarding path establishment request, that the transmission device is located on an active forwarding path between the multicast destination device and the multicast source device, the transmission device skips using the transmission device as a device on the standby forwarding path between the multicast destination device and the multicast source device, and skips forwarding the standby forwarding path establishment request. Therefore, when a fault occurs on the transmission device, the transmission device affects only the active forwarding path of the multicast destination device, but does not affect the standby forwarding path of the multicast destination device. This improves reliability of multicast data transmission.