Partial SDN Switch Replacement for IP Network Failure Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional IP networks face challenges in achieving comprehensive and efficient failure recovery and load balancing due to the complexity and disruptive nature of existing methods, which often result in suboptimal solutions and increased congestion.
Innovation Solution
Partial integration of SDN-OF enabled devices into traditional IP networks, replacing a limited number of IP nodes with SDN switches to create a hybrid network that enables ultra-fast failure recovery and load balancing, utilizing an external controller for centralized routing decisions and flow table management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional IP networks use sophisticated failure recovery methods to provide sufficient coverage, then network reliability is improved, but device complexity and operational disruption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network into SDN-controlled segments and traditional IP segments. The SDN controller handles complex failure recovery decisions for specific network portions, while traditional IP devices continue standard operations. This segmentation allows sophisticated recovery coverage without requiring all devices to implement complex recovery logic, thus improving reliability while managing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The SDN controller acts as an intermediary between network devices and failure recovery operations. It receives status information from traditional IP devices, computes optimal recovery paths, and installs flow rules to redirect traffic. This intermediary approach centralizes complex recovery logic, providing sufficient failure coverage without increasing complexity at individual device levels.
2Reliability
If traditional IP networks implement comprehensive failure recovery methods, then network reliability is improved, but convergence time to stand-by resources increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-computing alternate paths and pre-installing flow rules in SDN switches before failures occur. When a failure is detected, traffic is immediately redirected using pre-prepared recovery paths, significantly reducing convergence time compared to traditional methods that calculate routes after failure detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The SDN controller implements continuous feedback monitoring of network device status and link health. This real-time feedback enables the controller to detect failures immediately and trigger pre-computed recovery actions without waiting for traditional distributed protocols to converge, thereby reducing convergence time while maintaining comprehensive recovery coverage.
3Device complexity
If traditional IP networks use distributed recovery methods, then device complexity is reduced, but network congestion increases due to locally optimal solutions
Solution Approach 1:
The SDN controller serves as a centralized intermediary that receives status information from simple traditional IP devices, computes globally optimal recovery paths considering overall network state, and distributes flow rules back to devices. This approach maintains simplicity at device level while preventing congestion through centralized, coordinated recovery decisions that avoid the locally optimal but globally suboptimal outcomes of purely distributed methods.
4Speed
If SDN switches replace IP nodes in hybrid networks, then failure recovery speed is improved, but device complexity and deployment cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by replacing only a limited number of strategic IP nodes with SDN switches rather than converting the entire network. These partial SDN deployments provide ultra-fast recovery capabilities at critical points while leaving the majority of the network as traditional IP infrastructure, thus achieving speed improvement without proportionally increasing overall device complexity and deployment cost.
Data Source
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AI summary
The claimed subject matter is directed to novel methods and systems for a network topology wherein an IP network is partially integrated and enhanced with a relatively small number of SDN-OF enabled network devices to provide a resilient network that is able to quickly recover from a network failure and achieves post-recovery load balancing while minimizing cost and complexity. By combining SDN-OF enabled switches with traditional IP nodes such as routers, a novel network architecture and methods are described herein that allows for ultra-fast and load balancing-aware failure recovery of the data network.