Packet Protection Flagging for End-to-End Path Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network protection mechanisms fail to timely switch traffic from a faulty primary path to an end-to-end protection path due to misinterpretation of fault detection, leading to prolonged transmission on non-SLA compliant paths, thus violating service level agreements.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a protection flag into packets to indicate whether local protection is allowed, preventing nodes from switching packets to local protection paths when the primary path is faulty, ensuring timely transition to end-to-end protection paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a large number of messages are processed in parallel, then processing efficiency is improved, but memory consumption increases linearly with the number of messages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the message processing task into multiple independent processing units, each handling a subset of messages. This segmentation allows parallel processing of multiple messages simultaneously while distributing memory requirements across multiple units, preventing linear memory consumption growth.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested data structure where message queues are organized in a hierarchical manner. The first message queue contains pointers to multiple second message queues, creating a nested structure that allows efficient memory management and parallel access to multiple messages without requiring a single large memory allocation.
2Quantity of substance
If message processing is performed sequentially, then memory consumption is reduced, but processing time increases linearly with the number of messages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sequential processing into multiple parallel processing threads or units, each working on different message subsets simultaneously. This maintains low memory consumption per unit while achieving parallel processing that reduces overall processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-organizes messages into multiple queues with pointers established in advance, allowing parallel processing units to immediately access and process messages without sequential dependency. This preliminary structuring enables concurrent processing while maintaining efficient memory usage.
3Device complexity
If a single large message queue is used, then device complexity is reduced, but processing efficiency decreases due to sequential access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the single large message queue into multiple smaller message queues while maintaining a simple pointer-based structure. This segmentation improves processing efficiency through parallel access to different queues without significantly increasing overall device complexity, as the pointer relationships provide straightforward navigation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal message queue structure that can be dynamically instantiated and connected through pointers. This multi-functional design allows the same basic queue structure to serve multiple purposes in parallel processing while maintaining simplicity and ease of implementation.
4Adaptability or versatility
If message queues are dynamically created and connected, then flexibility is improved, but device complexity increases due to pointer management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the queue management into independent units, each with its own message queue and pointer references. This segmentation isolates pointer management complexity to local scope rather than requiring global coordination, thereby maintaining flexibility in queue configuration while reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces pointer structures as intermediaries between message queues, providing a simple and standardized mechanism for connecting queues dynamically. These pointer intermediaries abstract the complexity of queue connection and management, allowing flexible configuration without exposing the underlying complexity to the rest of the system.
Data Source
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AI summary
This application provides a packet processing method and apparatus, a network device, and a storage medium, and belongs to the field of communications technologies. In this application, an identifier that can indicate whether local protection is allowed is added to a packet. In a process in which a packet that carries a protection flag is transmitted along a primary path, if a node along the path determines that the primary path is faulty, but the protection flag indicates that local switching to a protection path is not allowed, the node along the path does not perform local protection, so that the packet is not switched by the node along the path to the protection path. This prevents the packet from passing through a protection path with the node along the path as an ingress when the primary path is faulty, helps traffic on the primary path to be switched to an end-to-end protection path in time, helps a packet sending side to switch the traffic on the primary path to the end-to-end protection path in time, and helps the packet sending side to detect service impairment and a cause of the fault on the primary path in time.