Network Traffic Management via Context-Aware Routing Filters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication networks face challenges in efficiently managing traffic across multiple autonomous systems due to complexities in updating routing tables, especially when connected to third-party routers, which can lead to packet loss and suboptimal routing.
Innovation Solution
A traffic management control plane that uses a series of tunable filters and/or selectors to continuously update prefix mappings, balancing parameters like price, capacity, and performance, to proactively manage network traffic and avoid potential degradation events.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If routing tables are updated in the border network to manage traffic across multiple autonomous systems, then routing flexibility and traffic management capability are improved, but system complexity increases due to third-party router connections and competing path selection considerations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the routing decision process by separating control plane functions from data plane functions. The control plane handles complex routing calculations and policy decisions independently, while the data plane executes simple packet forwarding based on pre-computed paths. This segmentation reduces the complexity burden on individual routing devices while maintaining high routing flexibility across autonomous systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary control plane system that mediates between the border network and third-party routers. This intermediary layer abstracts the complexity of third-party connections and competing path selections, allowing the border network to update routing tables without directly managing the complexity of external router relationships. The control plane acts as a mediator that coordinates routing updates across multiple autonomous systems.
2Reliability
If reactive routing updates are used in response to network events, then routing responsiveness to failures is improved, but packet loss increases due to delayed corrective action
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by continuously monitoring network conditions and proactively adjusting routing paths before failures occur or degrade performance. The control plane analyzes telemetry data and predicts potential network issues, preemptively rerouting traffic to avoid packet loss. This proactive approach transforms reactive routing into predictive routing, maintaining reliability while preventing packet loss before it occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes a feedback mechanism where the control plane continuously receives telemetry data from the network, analyzes it, and adjusts routing decisions accordingly. This closed-loop feedback system enables real-time responsiveness to network conditions, allowing the system to detect and correct routing issues before they cause packet loss. The feedback mechanism ensures both responsiveness to failures and proactive prevention of degradation events.
3Productivity
If continuous monitoring and optimization of routing paths is implemented, then network performance is improved, but computational resources and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by monitoring and optimizing only the most critical routing parameters and paths rather than continuously analyzing all possible network conditions. The control plane prioritizes monitoring based on network importance and failure risk, focusing computational resources on high-impact areas. This selective monitoring approach maintains network performance while reducing unnecessary processing time and computational overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
Technologies are disclosed for performing context-aware routing of traffic based on an application of a series of filters and/or selectors to determine an optimal group of interfaces for servicing traffic relating to a prefix. A traffic management control plane processes input data corresponding to aggregated telemetry data for a network by determining candidate groups of interfaces to service a network prefix and applies tunable filters and/or selectors to the candidate groups to determine a targeted group to use for servicing traffic corresponding to the prefix. The determined targeted group is mapped to the prefix in a mapping result, which is then provided to an actuator interface to control network devices to inject the new mapping into the network to control traffic according to the mapping.