Network Interface Deny Lists for Reliable Address Assignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Network devices repeatedly receive undesired address information from network address assignment servers due to consistently processing the first-received response, leading to stalled self-provisioning operations.

Innovation Solution

Network devices maintain interface discrimination information to preferentially send requests from a subset of network interfaces, excluding those that have previously provided undesired responses, thereby updating an interface deny list to ensure timely and reliable access to the desired server information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If the network device processes the first-received response from any network interface, then the device can quickly obtain address information, but the device may repeatedly receive undesired address information causing self-provisioning operations to stall

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespeed of obtaining address informationVSAvoidreliability of self-provisioning operation

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The network device performs preliminary actions by maintaining interface discrimination information that identifies which network interfaces have previously provided undesired responses. Before sending address assignment requests, the device consults this discrimination information to exclude problematic interfaces, thereby preventing the receipt of undesired address information while maintaining quick provisioning.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If the network device sends address assignment requests from all network interfaces, then the device can maximize the chance of receiving desired address information, but the device waste time processing responses from interfaces that consistently provide undesired information

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveefficiency of address assignmentVSAvoidtime spent processing undesired responses

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The network device extracts and removes problematic network interfaces from the set of interfaces used for address assignment requests. By maintaining interface discrimination information that identifies interfaces providing undesired responses, the device excludes these interfaces from future request transmissions, thereby eliminating time waste while preserving productivity through continued use of functional interfaces.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If the network device maintains interface discrimination information to exclude problematic interfaces, then the device can ensure reliable communication with appropriate servers, but the device increases complexity of interface management

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereliability of server communicationVSAvoidcomplexity of interface management

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The network device performs self-service by automatically maintaining interface discrimination information based on its own experience with different network interfaces. The device autonomously identifies which interfaces provide undesired responses and excludes them from future use, thereby ensuring reliable server communication without requiring external configuration or complex manual interface management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS20250310297A1Interface Discrimination for Communication with Network Address Assignment Server

Publication Date: 2025.10.02 ARISTA NETWORKS INC

AI summary

A network device may transmit a request message on a plurality of network interfaces destined for one or more network address assignment servers communicatively coupled to the network interfaces. The network device may maintain interface discrimination information that identifies one or more network interfaces on which previously received response messages failed to facilitate the completion of a device operation. The network device may send subsequent request message(s) based on the interface discrimination information.