Network Service Header for Scalable Network Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
As service provider networks grow in scale, network management and maintenance complexity increase exponentially, and existing technologies struggle to efficiently manage network services across diverse forwarding elements and control planes, leading to challenges in routing and service provisioning.
Innovation Solution
The use of Network Service Headers (NSH) with path identifiers and metadata enables transparent mapping between control plane elements and forwarding elements, facilitating inter-process communication and policy-based routing, thereby creating a unified routing view and scalable network infrastructure through virtualized control planes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If network scale increases, then network capacity and coverage improve, but network management complexity increases exponentially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a Service Header as an intermediary element that carries service identification information and metadata between network elements. This header acts as a mediator that enables centralized service management and policy enforcement across distributed network infrastructure, thereby managing complexity while maintaining scalability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments network management into distinct functional components: service identification, policy enforcement, and traffic routing. By dividing the management function into separate manageable segments handled by different network elements, the system can scale without proportionally increasing overall management complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If diverse forwarding elements are used, then network versatility and functionality improve, but routing and service provisioning efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The Service Header provides a universal interface that works across diverse forwarding elements regardless of their specific implementations. By encoding service information in a standardized header format, the system achieves multi-functionality where a single management approach can handle various network elements uniformly, maintaining both versatility and efficiency.
3Device complexity
If control plane and data plane are coupled, then system simplicity is maintained, but scalability and flexibility are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates control plane functions (service policy management, routing decisions) from data plane functions (packet forwarding, service execution). This segmentation allows independent optimization and scaling of each plane, with the Service Header serving as the communication interface between them, thereby achieving both flexibility and managed complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the embodiments are directed to augmenting a control packet with an interface identifier, the interface identifier identifying an interface at a physical network forwarding element; and transmitting the control packet with the interface identifier to the physical network forwarding element. The interface identifier can be included in metadata of a network service header (NSH). The NSH is encapsulated with the control packet, which is transmitted with the control packet. The NSH can be extracted and the interface identifier used to identify a user interface (or a presenting interface) based on a metadata lookup.