Communication Apparatus Packet Reception Notification Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In centralized control networks, such as OpenFlow, the communication apparatus (switch) often receives repeated packets, leading to potential packet drops due to processing limitations, causing delays or blockages in communication, especially when forwarding packets with the same header information, and unnecessary packets like GARP, keep alive, and Hello packets are transmitted to the controller, increasing load.
Innovation Solution
A communication apparatus with a packet reception notifying unit that transmits a packet reception notification to the control apparatus, allowing for transmission restraint control of specific packets, such as keep alive and Hello packets, to reduce the load on the controller by limiting inquiries of flow entries through methods like rate limitation, packet sampling, or packet dropping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the communication apparatus transmits packet reception notifications for all received packets to the control apparatus, then the control apparatus can maintain accurate network topology information, but the load on the control apparatus increases and processing delays occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and identifies specific packet types (GARP, keep alive, Hello packets) that are non-essential for topology detection from the overall packet stream. By separating these particular packets from general data packets, the system can selectively suppress notifications for extracted packet types, reducing controller load while maintaining accuracy for essential packets.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality levels of notification transmission to different packet types. Critical packets (unknown packets, data packets) receive full notification transmission, while non-critical packets (GARP, keep alive, Hello) have their notifications suppressed or sampled. This local differentiation in notification quality optimizes the balance between topology accuracy and controller load.
2Manufacturing precision
If the communication apparatus processes every received packet through flow entry inquiries, then packet forwarding accuracy is maintained, but packet drops occur due to processing ability limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by performing flow entry inquiries only for necessary packet types (unknown packets without matching flow entries) while omitting inquiries for non-essential packet types (GARP, keep alive, Hello packets). This partial application of the inquiry process maintains forwarding accuracy for critical packets while increasing overall processing throughput by skipping redundant inquiries.
3Loss of information
If the communication apparatus transmits notifications for all packet types including GARP and keep alive packets, then complete network state information is provided to the controller, but unnecessary load is imposed on the controller
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of unnecessary controller load into a benefit by strategically suppressing notifications for non-essential packets. The suppression of GARP, keep alive, and Hello packet notifications reduces controller energy consumption while the controller maintains adequate network state information through other packet types, turning what could be information loss into an optimized energy-efficient operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication apparatus comprises a packet reception notifying unit that, when receiving predetermined packets, transmits to a predetermined control apparatus a packet reception notification, wherein the packet reception notification indicates that the predetermined packets have been received. Regarding a packet specified by the control apparatus among the predetermined packets, the communication apparatus performs predetermined transmission restraint control of the packet reception notification.