Polymorphic Network Flow Table Management via Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In large-scale polymorphic networks, the rapid increase in flow table entries due to increasing access terminals leads to network transmission delays and complexity in maintaining flow tables, with limited next hop addresses and prone failures in programmable switches.
Innovation Solution
A method and device for identification management and optimized forwarding, involving constructing a polymorphic backbone network with switching clusters, modality identification management, and splitting flow tables across switching nodes to reduce the load and complexity, using a balanced distributor to allocate traffic and determine forwarding actions based on packet types and key field information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the network scale expands rapidly with increasing access terminals, then the network capacity and coverage are improved, but the flow table scale increases rapidly causing great pressure on backbone network operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the backbone network into multiple autonomous domains, with each domain managing its own flow table entries independently. This segmentation prevents the centralized flow table from growing uncontrollably as network scale expands, as each switch only needs to maintain flow entries relevant to its domain rather than the entire network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hierarchical dimension to flow table management by implementing multi-level flow tables with different granularity levels. This allows the system to manage flow entries in a structured manner across multiple dimensions (domain level, switch level, port level), reducing the complexity burden on any single switch.
2Device complexity
If gateway nodes are divided into different autonomous domains to reduce flow table entries, then the flow table size per switch is reduced, but the maximum number of next hop addresses is limited which seriously limits the size of autonomous domains
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the flow table functionality across multiple switches within an autonomous domain, allowing the domain to support more next-hop addresses collectively rather than being limited by any single switch's capacity. Each switch handles a portion of the routing responsibilities, enabling the domain to scale beyond individual device limitations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes switches within an autonomous domain multi-functional, where each switch can serve multiple purposes: local forwarding, domain-level routing, and acting as a gateway for specific next hops. This universal capability allows autonomous domains to exceed the next-hop address limits of individual commercial forwarding devices.
3Extent of automation
If programmable switches are used to dynamically configure and maintain flow tables, then the flow table can be maintained programmatically for each modality, but the system is prone to failure and difficult to maintain quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service mechanisms where switches automatically synchronize flow table entries from domain controllers and perform self-healing operations. When failures occur, the system automatically detects and recovers without requiring manual intervention, maintaining high reliability while preserving programmable automation benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback loops where switches continuously monitor their operational status and report to domain controllers. This enables real-time detection of failures and automatic adjustment of flow table configurations, ensuring system reliability while maintaining programmable control. The feedback mechanism allows quick maintenance response without sacrificing automation.
4Quantity of substance
If the number of flow table entries on each switch increases sharply due to terminal increase, then the network can handle more traffic, but the network transmission delay increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the flow table lookup process by implementing hierarchical matching where switches first perform coarse-grained domain-level matching, then refer to more specific flow entries only when necessary. This reduces the average number of entries that need to be searched, decreasing transmission delay while maintaining the capability to handle large numbers of flow entries across the distributed system.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and a device for identification management and optimized forwarding in a large-scale polymorphic network, the method comprising the follow steps: S1, constructing a polymorphic backbone network; S2, modality identification management; S3, determining a modality to be forwarded; S4, configuring a flow table for a switching node; S5, receiving a packet by a balanced distributor, and preliminarily parsing the type of the packet; S6, parsing key field information in the packet, determining the switching nodes to be allocated according to the key field information, and transmitting the key field information to the corresponding switching node; S7, the switching node matching the stored flow table according to the key field information to determine a correct forwarding action.