Routing Information Base Priority Processing for Network Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network elements lack the capability to prioritize the processing of routing information, leading to potential interruptions in forwarding services, especially during routing or topology changes, as they cannot differentiate between separate routing tables and download changes accordingly.
Innovation Solution
Assigning priorities to routing information stored in a Routing Information Base (RIB) and transferring it to a Forwarding Information Base (FIB) based on these priorities, using scheduling algorithms and priority queues to ensure timely and deterministic forwarding services.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If routing information is processed in a first-in-first-out manner without prioritization, then the processing is simple and fast, but forwarding services may be interrupted when routing changes occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent assigns different priority levels to different routing information entries based on their specific characteristics (e.g., VPN routes, critical destinations). This allows the system to treat different routing information differently, with high-priority routes being processed and downloaded to the FIB before low-priority routes, thereby maintaining forwarding service continuity for critical routes while accepting that the overall system is more complex than simple FIFO processing.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple routing tables are managed separately, then different services (e.g., VPNs) can be differentiated, but the network element cannot determine which routing tables should be downloaded first to the FIB
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by assigning priority values to routing information entries before they need to be downloaded to the FIB. This pre-prioritization allows the RIB process to systematically download high-priority routing information first when routing changes occur, eliminating the uncertainty about download ordering while maintaining the ability to manage multiple separate routing tables for different services.
3Productivity
If all routing information is downloaded to the FIB simultaneously, then the forwarding service is restored quickly, but critical routes may be delayed if the routing table is large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the routing information download process by priority levels. Instead of downloading all routing information simultaneously or in a single batch, the system divides the download into segments based on priority, with high-priority critical routes being downloaded first to the FIB, followed by lower-priority routes. This ensures that critical route forwarding reliability is maintained while still achieving reasonable overall download speed through systematic processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A method is disclosed for prioritized processing of routing information in a network element. A priority is assigned to routing information received at the network element. The priority and the routing information are stored in a Routing Information Base (RIB) of the network element. The routing information is transferred from the RIB to a Forwarding Information Base (FIB) of the network element according to the priority assigned to the network element.