Source Routing Delay Segments for Packet Reordering
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Solution Overview
Problem
In source routing, moving a packet transmission path from a path with higher delay to one with lower delay can cause packet loss or mis-ordering, as existing techniques lack mechanisms to introduce necessary delay without impacting the end service.
Innovation Solution
The method introduces additional delay in source routing using delay segments to ensure packets arrive at the destination without mis-ordering, by calculating and distributing the delay across nodes in the network, either at the ingress, egress, or tandem nodes, to maintain equivalent or greater delay as the original path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a packet transmission path is changed from a path with higher delay to one with lower delay, then the transmission speed is improved, but packet mis-ordering occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by calculating the delay difference between the original path and the new path before rerouting packets. The system determines the required additional delay and configures it in advance at the ingress node or tandem nodes, ensuring that packets are delayed appropriately before being transmitted along the new path, thereby preventing packet mis-ordering while maintaining improved transmission speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the delay parameter by introducing an additional delay equal to the difference between the original path delay and the new path delay. This parameter adjustment is implemented by configuring delay values at specific nodes (ingress or tandem nodes) to ensure that the total delay on the new path matches or exceeds the original path delay, thus maintaining packet ordering reliability while benefiting from the faster transmission path.
2Reliability
If additional delay is introduced to prevent packet mis-ordering, then packet ordering is maintained, but service quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by introducing delay only at specific locations in the network rather than uniformly across all nodes. The delay is configured locally at the ingress node or at specific tandem nodes along the new path, affecting only the necessary packets that need delay adjustment. This localized approach maintains packet ordering while minimizing the overall impact on service quality, as delay is applied only where and when needed.
3Adaptability or versatility
If delay is distributed across multiple nodes, then implementation flexibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the total required delay into portions that can be distributed across multiple tandem nodes along the new path. Instead of concentrating all delay at a single node, the system segments the delay requirement and assigns appropriate delay values to different nodes based on their capabilities and the specific path characteristics. This segmentation improves implementation flexibility while managing device complexity by spreading the configuration burden across multiple nodes rather than concentrating it at one point.
Data Source
AI summary
A plurality of network nodes, under the control of a network controller, are configured to perform a method to direct packets in a packet flow from a source to a destination. In one embodiment, the network controller transmits an instruction to a first node in a network instructing the first node to transmit a first packet in the packet flow along a first route from the source to the destination, the first route having a first delay. The network controller also transmits an instruction to a node in the network to transmit a second packet in the packet flow along a second route different from the first route, the second route having a second delay, the second delay having a duration less than a duration of the first delay. The network controller further transmits an instruction to a node in the second route to delay the second packet in order to delay arrival of the second packet at the destination.