Multipath Routing in Contiguous Network Fabric
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network fabrics face challenges in ensuring data routing resilience due to switching device failures, as maintaining physically discontiguous networks is costly and complex, and existing solutions do not effectively provide redundant paths within a singly contiguous network fabric.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a network fabric controller device and a network fabric forwarder device that programmatically create and manage multipaths within a singly contiguous network fabric, using OpenFlow protocol and fiber channel or fiber channel over Ethernet technologies to route data through switching devices, ensuring disjoint or shared multipaths for data transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physically discontiguous networks are implemented to provide redundant paths, then data routing resilience is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network fabric into multiple logical paths between source and destination nodes. The fabric is divided into discrete routing segments that can be independently programmed with routing logic, allowing data to traverse different segments forming multiple paths. This segmentation enables redundancy without requiring physically separate network infrastructures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a controller device as an intermediary that programs routing logic into switching devices. The controller calculates multiple paths and installs routing tables in intermediate switching devices, enabling these devices to automatically forward data along redundant paths. This intermediary approach provides complex routing functionality without increasing the complexity of individual switching devices.
2Reliability
If multiple physically discontiguous networks are created for multipathing, then redundant paths are provided, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes a single network fabric multi-functional by enabling it to provide multiple paths for data transmission. The same physical infrastructure serves multiple routing functions simultaneously through programmable switching devices that can be configured with different routing logic for different data flows, eliminating the need for separate physical networks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the routing parameters of existing switching devices through software programming rather than physical reconfiguration. By modifying routing tables and forwarding logic in switching devices, the system creates multiple paths without any physical changes to the network infrastructure, significantly reducing deployment costs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If routing logic is programmed in switching devices for multipathing, then path determination flexibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts complex routing calculation and path determination functions from individual switching devices and centralizes them in a controller device. The controller performs the intensive computation for determining multiple paths and generates routing tables, which are then installed in switching devices. This extraction allows switching devices to have simpler, more deterministic forwarding logic while maintaining overall system flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller performs preliminary path calculation and routing table generation before data transmission begins. By pre-computing multiple paths and installing routing logic in advance, the system enables switching devices to simply follow pre-determined paths without requiring complex real-time routing decisions, thus maintaining flexibility while reducing device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Each of a network fabric controller device and a network fabric forwarder devices includes network connecting hardware and network managing logic. The network connecting hardware of the devices connects them to a singly contiguous network fabric including switching devices that route data between initiator nodes and target nodes and that have routing logic programmable by the controller device. The controller device does not directly route the data themselves. The network managing logic of the devices effects multipaths for transmission of the data through the singly contiguous network fabric from the initiator node to the target nodes via programming of the routing logic of the switching devices.