Spanning Tree Generation for Link and Node Failure Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for generating spanning trees in networks require a large number of trees to protect against single failures, making network management difficult, and do not adequately consider the type of network failure when generating trees.
Innovation Solution
A method that generates a minimal number of spanning trees by ensuring each link has at least one tree not including it and each node has a tree where it is a leaf, with two phases: one for link failures and an optional second phase for node failures, allowing trees to be configured offline before network startup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a large number of spanning trees are generated to protect against single failures, then network reliability is improved, but device complexity and management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the spanning tree generation into two distinct phases: first phase generates trees to protect against link failures, second phase (optional) generates additional trees to protect against node failures. This segmentation allows the system to generate only the necessary number of trees based on actual failure risks, avoiding unnecessary complexity while maintaining required reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different spanning tree generation strategies based on the specific failure type being protected against. For link failures, a specific algorithm generates trees ensuring each link has at least one tree not including it. For node failures, additional trees are generated only when needed, with each node having at least one tree where it is a leaf. This localized approach ensures optimal tree generation for each protection scenario without unnecessarily increasing the total number of trees.
2Reliability
If spanning trees are generated to protect against both link and node failures, then network reliability is improved, but the number of spanning trees increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary analysis of the network topology and failure risks before generating spanning trees. In the first phase, it identifies links that need protection and generates trees accordingly. In the second phase, it identifies nodes that need protection and generates additional trees only when necessary. This preliminary action ensures that the minimum number of trees is generated to achieve the required reliability, avoiding unnecessary quantity increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by generating spanning trees selectively based on actual network needs. The first phase generates trees to protect against link failures, and the second phase generates additional trees only when node failure protection is required. This partial approach ensures that the system generates exactly the right number of trees for the given failure scenarios, avoiding excessive tree generation while maintaining adequate protection.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of generating spanning trees in a network in which a plurality of network nodes are interconnected by links. The spanning trees are utilized for handling link and node failures. For link failures, each link has at least one tree that does not include that link. For node failures, each node has at least one tree to which the node is connected by a single link. A first spanning tree connects all of the nodes, and from each node one link is left unconnected. A second spanning tree includes all of the nodes and all of the unconnected links. Thus, none of the links is included in both trees. If a node failure prevents other nodes from communicating, a third spanning tree is needed. The method minimizes the number of required trees in large networks of any topology and can be implemented off-line.