Ring Topology Discovery for Network Integrity Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
In networks with ring topologies and redundant segments, ensuring the correct deployment and integrity of protocols like Ethernet Automatic Protection Switching (EAPS) and Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is challenging, leading to potential broadcast storms and network congestion, especially in large and dynamic networks.
Innovation Solution
A method to determine the integrity of a network domain by discovering the conceptual ring topology, identifying devices and ports participating in the domain, and verifying the completeness of the ring topology using link discovery protocols like LLDP, to alert administrators of mis-configurations or functional issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If redundant segments and loops are designed in the network to provide multiple routes to each node, then network reliability is improved, but broadcast storms and network congestion occur due to packets being rebroadcast by each node
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the harmful looping traffic from the network by implementing a mechanism that identifies and eliminates duplicate packets. The system detects when a packet has already been processed and prevents its re-broadcasting, effectively taking out the harmful circulating packets while preserving the redundant path structure for failover purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where nodes monitor and track packets they have received and processed. By maintaining state information about circulating packets and feeding this information back into the forwarding decision process, the system prevents broadcast storms while maintaining ring topology redundancy.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If Spanning Tree Protocol or EAPS is used to prevent loops, then broadcast storms are prevented, but it becomes difficult to ensure correct deployment and domain integrity in large and dynamic networks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the network to self-verify its own topology and configuration integrity. Nodes automatically exchange information about their domain memberships and ring topology characteristics, and the system autonomously detects misconfigurations or integrity violations without requiring external manual verification, thus solving the difficulty of detecting and measuring domain integrity.
3Reliability
If manual configuration review is performed to ensure proper operation of protection domains, then domain integrity can be verified, but network management complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The network system automatically performs topology discovery and integrity verification functions that would otherwise require manual configuration review. Nodes autonomously exchange information, construct topology maps, and verify domain integrity, eliminating the need for manual intervention while maintaining high reliability of protection domain configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors and reports on domain integrity status through automated feedback mechanisms. Network management systems receive real-time or periodic status information about protection domain configurations, enabling proactive detection and resolution of issues without time-consuming manual reviews.
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided for determining the integrity of a domain defined in a network. The method includes processes and systems to facilitate the discovery a conceptual ring topology of the domain in the network, and the determination of the integrity of the domain based on the conceptual ring topology that was discovered.