SRv6 TE Policy Selection for SLA-Aware Packet Forwarding

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing multiple IPR templates with different quality conditions and link priorities before actual packet forwarding. When a packet arrives, the system has already prepared multiple candidate paths with assessed quality metrics, enabling rapid selection of the appropriate path without real-time quality degradation. This pre-assessment mechanism ensures both forwarding efficiency and service quality are maintained.

The patent utilizes parameter changes by varying the quality condition parameters (such as bandwidth thresholds, latency requirements, and link priority levels) across different IPR templates. This allows the system to manage complexity through standardized parameter variations rather than fundamentally different template structures. The headend device can systematically generate and manage templates by adjusting these parameters based on service requirements, making the complexity manageable and scalable.

The patent resolves this contradiction by performing quality assessment in advance and storing the results in pre-configured IPR templates. The templates contain pre-evaluated quality conditions and associated link priorities, so when a packet needs forwarding, the headend device simply matches the packet's service requirements against these pre-assessed templates rather than performing real-time quality measurements. This eliminates processing delays while maintaining service quality.

The patent applies dynamics by making the path selection adaptive rather than static. The system dynamically selects paths based on matching the packet's required quality conditions with the pre-assessed IPR templates. When path quality degrades, the system can dynamically switch to alternative paths with different quality conditions that still meet SLA requirements. This dynamic adaptation ensures both forwarding speed and SLA compliance are maintained under varying network conditions.