Network Controller Decoupling for Independent Failover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing networks have control and data planes that are inextricably interrelated, making it difficult to scale or failover independently, requiring both planes to be expanded or failover together, which limits flexibility and resilience.
Innovation Solution
A network architecture where a first controller manages session and node state independently of the forwarding gateway, allowing it to failover to a second controller without affecting the forwarding gateway or configuration entity, enabling independent scaling and failover of control and data planes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the control plane and data plane are inextricably interrelated, then the network structure is simple and easy to manage, but the network cannot scale or failover independently, limiting flexibility and resilience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network into distinct control plane and data plane components that operate independently. The control plane includes control entities that manage signaling and session establishment, while the data plane includes forwarding entities that handle actual data transmission. This segmentation allows each plane to be scaled and failover independently, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the control plane functions from the data plane infrastructure by introducing separate control entities that communicate with forwarding entities through standardized interfaces. This extraction enables the control plane to be scaled and failover independently without affecting the data plane, achieving independent adaptability while maintaining manageable complexity through clear separation of concerns.
2Productivity
If both control plane and data plane are expanded together, then the network maintains consistent capability, but resource utilization is inefficient when only one plane needs expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic scaling where the control plane and data plane can be expanded independently based on actual network needs. Control entities can be added or removed without requiring proportional changes to forwarding entities, and vice versa. This dynamic approach optimizes resource utilization while maintaining network reliability through independent plane operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the control plane fails over, then control functionality is maintained, but the data plane must also fail over, reducing operational flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments failover capabilities into independent control plane failover and data plane failover mechanisms. When a control entity fails, the system can fail over to a standby control entity without requiring data plane failover, and conversely, data plane failures can be handled independently. This segmentation provides failover flexibility while managing complexity through clear separation of failover domains.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces standardized communication interfaces as intermediaries between control entities and forwarding entities. These intermediaries enable independent failover operations by allowing the control plane to fail over without directly impacting the data plane, and vice versa. The intermediary layer abstracts the failover complexity while maintaining operational flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a first controller configured to be operatively coupled within a network having a set of network nodes, a forwarding gateway and a configuration entity. The first controller is configured to manage session state and node state associated with the set of network nodes independent of the forwarding gateway. The first controller is configured to fail over to a second controller when the first controller fails, without the forwarding gateway failing over and without the configuration entity failing over.