SDN Forwarder Lock Mechanism for Multi-Controller Data Consistency

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Solution Overview

Problem

In software-defined networking (SDN) multi-head management scenarios, data inconsistency between management devices and forwarders leads to inefficient and complex data synchronization, affecting communication reliability due to conflicting data from multiple management devices.

Innovation Solution

A data processing method where a management device locks the forwarder to ensure exclusive control, performs difference comparison, and synchronizes data using a preset synchronization manner to maintain consistency, thereby improving communication efficiency and reliability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple management devices control a forwarder simultaneously, then management flexibility is improved, but data consistency deteriorates due to conflicting data from different management devices

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanagement flexibilityVSAvoiddata consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by having the first management device send a lock instruction to the forwarder before performing data synchronization. This pre-locking mechanism ensures that no other management devices can modify the forwarder's data during the synchronization process, preventing data conflicts while maintaining multi-head management capability. The lock is released after synchronization completes, allowing flexible switching between management devices.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If data synchronization is performed without locking, then communication efficiency is improved, but data consistency deteriorates due to potential data conflicts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication efficiencyVSAvoiddata consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The lock instruction is sent as a preliminary action before data synchronization begins. This ensures the forwarder is locked exclusively to the first management device before any data operations occur, preventing conflicts while enabling efficient synchronization without repeated conflict resolution overhead.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The lock mechanism acts as an intermediary that mediates between multiple management devices and the forwarder. It coordinates access by granting exclusive rights to one management device at a time, ensuring data consistency while allowing multiple devices to ultimately control the forwarder through sequential access.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If locking is performed before data synchronization, then data consistency is improved, but communication efficiency deteriorates due to exclusive control requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata consistencyVSAvoidcommunication efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The lock is acquired as a preliminary action that enables subsequent efficient data synchronization. By establishing exclusive control before data operations begin, the system avoids repeated conflict detection and resolution during synchronization, actually improving overall communication efficiency despite the initial locking overhead.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The lock maintains continuous exclusive access during the entire data synchronization process, allowing uninterrupted data operations without pause for conflict resolution. This continuous useful action ensures data consistency while completing synchronization efficiently in one continuous operation rather than through multiple interrupted attempts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentEP3761604B1Lock-based synchronisation of data between an SDN forwarder and an SDN controller in a network management scenario involving multiple controllers

Publication Date: 2024.01.24 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD

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AI summary

This application provides a data processing method and a related device, to keep data consistency between a management device and a forwarder in a multi-head management scenario, so that the data consistency between the management device and the forwarder can be implemented more efficiently and flexibly, and reliability of communication between the management device and the forwarder is improved. The method includes: sending, by a first management device in the plurality of management devices, a lock instruction to the forwarder, where the lock instruction is used to instruct the forwarder to switch to a locked state, and the locked state is a state in which the forwarder is controlled only by the first management device; performing, by the first management device, difference comparison between target data of the first management device and corresponding data that is on the forwarder and that corresponds to the target data to obtain a comparison result; and synchronizing, by the first management device, the target data with the corresponding data if the first management device determines, by using the comparison result, that the target data and the corresponding data do not match, so that the target data matches the corresponding data.