SDN Network Controller Ring Protection Link Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional network architectures face increased complexity and prolonged link switching times when implementing failure protection on ring protection links, leading to poor network transmission performance.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a uniform control function of a network controller to compute and manage network topology centrally, enabling quick ring protection link switching by reporting failure information as high-priority messages and updating MAC address tables across nodes, thereby improving network transmission performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If failure protection is implemented using conventional network architecture with distributed control, then reliability is improved through failure detection and switching, but device complexity increases and link switching time is prolonged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a network controller as an intermediary component that centralizes the control functions for ring protection links. The controller receives failure messages from nodes, computes the ring topology, determines port state changes, and sends switching messages to nodes. This intermediary approach transfers complexity from individual nodes to a centralized controller, reducing node complexity while maintaining reliability through coordinated failure protection.
2Reliability
If failure protection is implemented using conventional network architecture with distributed control, then reliability is improved through failure detection and switching, but link switching time increases resulting in poor network transmission performance
Solution Approach 1:
The network controller pre-computes and stores the ring topology information and port state change mappings before failures occur. When a failure is detected, the controller can immediately retrieve the pre-computed switching actions and send them to nodes without performing complex real-time computations. This preliminary preparation significantly reduces the link switching time while maintaining reliable failure protection.
3Productivity
If centralized control is used to compute network topology and determine port state changes, then link switching time is reduced improving network transmission performance, but device complexity increases due to network controller
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple control functions (topology computation, port state determination, switching message generation) into a single network controller. This consolidation eliminates the need for distributed computation across multiple nodes, enabling faster centralized decision-making and improving network transmission performance. The complexity is consolidated in one device rather than distributed across many, achieving faster response times.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention provide a failure protection method based on a ring protection link, a device, and a system, and nodes in the ring protection link include a forwarding device in an SDN. The method includes: receiving, by a network controller, a high-priority failure message sent by a first node, where the failure message includes information used to indicate a failure, and the first node is any one node in the ring protection link; obtaining, according to the failure message, data information about port state changes that are of the nodes and that are caused by the failure; and sending a high-priority switching message to each of the nodes, so that each of the nodes updates a local MAC address table according to the switching message, to complete failure protection based on the ring protection link, where the switching message includes the data information about port state changes that are of the nodes and that are caused by the failure. In the embodiments of the present invention, failure protection is implemented in priority in a centralized manner through exchange of the high-priority failure message and the high-priority switching message between the first node and the network controller, so as to implement quick ring protection link switching upon a failure in the SDN.