Router Queue Resource Manager for Flood Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network routers face issues with queue resource management, where floods of network management packets can fill up queues, leading to the dropping of legitimate packets and loss of valuable network management information.
Innovation Solution
A self-protecting network router is designed with multiple types of queues, including receive, transmit, traffic engineering, and service queues, where messages are classified and managed to prevent overflow, ensuring that service queues remain below a predetermined fraction full to accommodate internally generated messages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the router accepts all incoming network management packets, then complete network management information is captured, but the queues become flooded and legitimate packets are dropped
Solution Approach 1:
The router divides incoming packets into two separate queues: network management packets and data packets. This segmentation allows independent management of each queue type, preventing management packets from overwhelming the system while ensuring data packets receive guaranteed processing capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The router dynamically changes the admission parameter for management packets based on queue occupancy. When the management queue exceeds a threshold, the router stops accepting new management packets, effectively changing the acceptance rate from 100% to 0% to prevent overflow.
2Loss of information
If the router processes all network management packets, then address resolution and topology information are maintained, but processor resources are depleted
Solution Approach 1:
The router performs partial processing of management packets by accepting them into the management queue for later processing during low-utilization periods, rather than immediately processing all packets. This allows the router to maintain address resolution information while avoiding processor overload during high-load periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The router monitors its own processor utilization and automatically adjusts management packet acceptance based on current resource availability, enabling self-regulation without external control.
3Loss of information
If the router maintains large queues for network management packets, then packet loss is prevented, but buffer resources are consumed and data packet processing is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The router segments buffer resources into separate queues for management packets and data packets, with the data queue guaranteed sufficient capacity. This ensures data packets are not delayed by management packet buffering while management packets receive dedicated buffer space when available.
Solution Approach 2:
The router dynamically adjusts the queue length threshold for management packets based on available buffer resources. When buffer capacity is low, the threshold is reduced to prevent data packet delays; when capacity is abundant, the threshold increases to capture more management information.
Data Source
AI summary
A self-protecting router limits the extent to which its queues can be filled with potentially malicious or otherwise harmful messages received from outside the router, thereby ensuring the queues have sufficient room to accept messages generated internally within the router and are necessary for management and operation of the router. Such routers are, therefore, immune to attack by floods of messages from malicious or malfunctioning network nodes, such as computers, switches and other routers.