Multicast Router Redundancy via Hash-Based Group Designation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Live-Live deployments in communication networks face challenges in providing redundancy and load balancing for multicast traffic, leading to potential single points of failure and packet loss due to the election of a single designated router for multiple multicast groups over a shared link.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method and apparatus that selects a group designated router using a hash algorithm among candidate routers, ensuring redundancy and load balancing by forwarding multicast traffic streams through multiple last hop routers connected to a common link, thereby distributing traffic across diverse paths and minimizing packet loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single designated router is elected for multiple multicast groups over a shared link, then device complexity is reduced, but network reliability deteriorates due to single points of failure and packet loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the single designated router role into multiple group designated routers (GDRs), where each GDR is responsible for specific multicast groups. This is achieved by distributing GDR responsibilities across multiple last-hop routers based on hash algorithms, thereby eliminating the single point of failure while maintaining manageable complexity through structured segmentation of routing responsibilities.
2Reliability
If multiple last hop routers forward traffic to a common link, then network resiliency is improved through redundancy, but traffic distribution efficiency deteriorates without proper load balancing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic load balancing by using hash algorithms that dynamically distribute multicast traffic across multiple GDRs based on current network conditions and group memberships. The system continuously adapts traffic distribution by recalculating hash values when group memberships change, ensuring optimal utilization of available router resources while maintaining network resiliency.
3Reliability
If traffic is distributed across multiple routers, then packet loss is reduced through redundancy, but device complexity increases due to multiple GDR management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables routers to automatically select and manage their GDR responsibilities through hash algorithm computations based on their own router IDs and multicast group parameters. Each router independently determines which GDR it should forward traffic to, eliminating the need for complex centralized management and manual configuration, thereby reducing operational complexity while maintaining redundancy for packet loss prevention.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a method includes transmitting a packet from a router located in a communication path between a source and a receiver, the packet having one or more values used to select a group designated router from a list of candidate group designated routers for multicast traffic streams, selecting the router as said group designated router for one or more of the multicast traffic streams, and forwarding traffic for the one or more multicast traffic streams to the receiver. The candidate group designated routers are last hop routers for transmitting the multicast traffic streams to a common link connected to the receiver. An apparatus is also disclosed herein.