Shared Protection Path Switching for Fast L3 Service Restoration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current optical transport networks (OTN) struggle with slow restoration times and high resource costs when restoring Layer 3 (L3) services, as existing methods like 1 + 1 dedicated protection groups require twice the resource and are inefficient for L3 service restoration.
Innovation Solution
A service protection method that utilizes a shared protection section between network nodes, enabling end-to-end route switching to quickly restore L3 services with reduced resource costs, employing a network architecture with an intelligent network management system, RSVP-TE protocol, and flexible optical service unit frames.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If 1 + 1 dedicated protection group is configured to implement fast service switching after a fault occurs, then restoration speed is improved, but resource occupation increases to twice the requirement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple protection paths into a shared protection section where multiple services can share the same physical protection resources. Instead of dedicating separate protection paths for each service, the system allows multiple L3 services to share common protection sections, thereby reducing overall resource occupation while maintaining fast restoration capabilities through pre-configured protection switching.
Solution Approach 2:
The protection path is designed to serve multiple functions by enabling a single protection section to protect multiple different L3 services simultaneously. This multi-functional approach allows the same physical infrastructure to provide protection for various services, reducing the total amount of protection resources needed while maintaining the ability to quickly restore any individual service that experiences a fault.
2Reliability
If existing restoration methods are used for L3 services, then restoration capability is provided, but restoration time is slow at 100 millisecond scale
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary configuration of protection groups and protection paths before faults occur. Protection switching parameters, alternate routes, and resource allocations are pre-established, allowing the network to immediately switch to protection mode when a fault is detected, rather than calculating and setting up protection paths in real-time during the fault event. This preliminary preparation reduces restoration time from 100 milliseconds to a much faster timescale.
Solution Approach 2:
The protection mechanism implements dynamic switching capability that can rapidly transition between working and protection paths based on real-time fault conditions. The system maintains ready-to-switch protection paths that can be activated immediately upon detecting a fault, enabling dynamic adaptation to network conditions and achieving fast restoration without the delays associated with static or post-fault path computation.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments of this application provide a service protection method and a network node. The method includes: A first node determines that a fault occurs on a first working path, and generates a service switching message based on that a fault occurs on the first working path. The first node sends the service switching message on a first protection path, where the service switching message indicates to adjust a bandwidth of a service from a guard bandwidth to a target bandwidth, the guard bandwidth represents a pre-occupied bandwidth of the first protection path before the service is transmitted, and the target bandwidth represents an actually occupied bandwidth for transmitting the service on the first protection path, where the guard bandwidth is less than the target bandwidth. The first node switches a current working route to a working route corresponding to the first protection path. In embodiments of this application, few resources may be occupied to protect an L3 service.