Rendezvous Point Convergence via Bootstrap Router Holdtime Zero
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Solution Overview
Problem
In PIM-SM networks, when a network device serving as an RP becomes entirely faulty, it cannot send a candidate RP advertisement message to the BSR, leading to a prolonged downtime as the aging of the RP is time-consuming, causing the entire network to be unavailable for an extended period.
Innovation Solution
A method where a first node detects an unreachable original working RP and sends a notification message to the BSR, which then generates a bootstrap message with a Holdtime of 0, instructing all network nodes to disable the original RP and enable a candidate RP as a new working RP, ensuring timely convergence and network availability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the RP aging mechanism is used to ensure network reliability during RP failure, then the network can eventually recover, but the network remains unavailable for a long time during the aging period
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-configures candidate RPs and establishes monitoring relationships before actual failure occurs. When an RP fails, the pre-established monitoring mechanism immediately triggers candidate RP selection, eliminating the need for time-consuming aging processes and enabling rapid network recovery
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where monitoring devices continuously detect RP status and immediately report failures to the network. This real-time feedback enables the system to respond to RP failures instantly rather than waiting for aging mechanisms to expire, significantly reducing network downtime
2Reliability
If multiple candidate RPs are configured to ensure failover capability, then network reliability improves, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements automated candidate RP selection and failover mechanisms that operate without manual intervention. The system automatically monitors RP status, selects appropriate candidates from pre-configured lists, and executes failover procedures, thereby maintaining high reliability while minimizing the operational complexity for network administrators
3Device complexity
If the RP is monitored through traditional aging mechanisms, then the system operates simply, but the network cannot respond quickly to RP failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dedicated monitoring devices as intermediaries between RPs and the network control plane. These monitoring devices actively detect RP failures and immediately report them, providing simple yet effective monitoring that dramatically accelerates failure detection and response compared to traditional aging-based approaches
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a rendezvous point convergence method and apparatus and relates to the field of communications, to solve a problem that an entire network cannot work normally for a long time because a network device cannot send a candidate RP advertisement message to a bootstrap router BSR when the network device served as a rendezvous point RP is entirely faulty. In the present invention, when a route of an original working RP is unreachable, a first node receives a bootstrap message sent by a BSR, where Holdtime of the original working RP carried in the bootstrap message is 0; and the first node disables the original working RP and enables a candidate RP as a new working RP according to the bootstrap message. The present invention is applicable to the field of communications to implement rendezvous point convergence.