OpenFlow Controller Segregating Multicast and Unicast Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multicast routing protocols like PIM often cause congruence between unicast and multicast paths due to their reliance on unicast Forwarding Information Bases (FIB), leading to inefficient network utilization and potential interference between unicast and multicast traffic.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an OpenFlow-based controller for multicast source discovery in non-flooding multicast routing domains, which segregates multicast and unicast paths by using virtual addresses and hash tables to manage flow rules, allowing independent routing of multicast traffic.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multicast routing protocols like PIM use unicast Forwarding Information Bases (FIB) to determine routing paths, then the routing implementation is simplified and easier to manage, but path congruence occurs between unicast and multicast traffic leading to inefficient network utilization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the routing information bases by creating separate data structures: a unicast FIB for unicast traffic and a multicast FIB for multicast traffic. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each routing type without the path congruence issues that arise when both types share the same FIB, thereby improving network utilization while maintaining manageable routing implementation through dedicated structures.
2Productivity
If separate multicast and unicast routing paths are implemented to avoid path congruence, then network utilization efficiency improves, but the device complexity and routing management become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the management of unicast and multicast routing under a common control framework while maintaining separate FIB structures. The system integrates both routing types through unified control logic that can independently manipulate packet headers (swapping unicast source addresses with multicast group addresses) and coordinate updates across both FIBs, thereby achieving separate routing paths without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method of source discovery for non-flooding multicast using OpenFlow. A data packet is received from a source address on a network device. The data packet is routed from the network device to an OpenFlow controller. The OpenFlow controller identifies a rendezvous point (RP) of the network device, maps a random address to the source address in a port used for connecting with the rendezvous point (RP), generates a flow message containing a rule for handling the data packet, transmits the flow message to the network device and adds a flow entry in the network device based on the rule for handling the data packet.