Centralized Service Topology Exchange Protocol for Router Scalability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current service-oriented routing platforms, such as the 128T routing platform, face challenges in extending service configuration to a large number of Session Smart Routers (SSRs) and managing dynamic network and application state across routers.
Innovation Solution
The Service and Topology Exchange Protocol (STEP) is introduced, which enables routers to exchange service and topology state information through a central authority, allowing for intelligent routing decisions and scalable network management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If service configuration is extended to a large number of SSRs using explicit configuration through the Conductor, then service management capability is improved, but device complexity and difficulty of operation increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Each SSR autonomously discovers services and publishes routing information to the Conductor without requiring explicit manual configuration. The router automatically generates service advertisements and updates routing tables based on local service availability, eliminating the need for administrators to manually configure each router while maintaining centralized visibility and control.
Solution Approach 2:
The Conductor continuously receives service and topology state information from SSRs and uses this feedback to maintain an updated view of network services. This feedback mechanism allows the system to dynamically adapt to changes in service availability and automatically update routing information across the network without manual intervention.
2Reliability
If dynamic network and application state information is maintained across all routers, then service availability monitoring is improved, but information flow requirements and network overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The Conductor extracts and centralizes the storage of service and topology state information from individual routers. Instead of each router maintaining complete network state, only the necessary local routing information is kept at each SSR, while the comprehensive service database resides at the Conductor. This extraction reduces information flow requirements while maintaining monitoring capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a distributed state maintenance model to a hierarchical model where service state information is maintained in a different dimension (centralized at the Conductor) while local routers maintain only their forwarding state. This dimensional separation allows comprehensive service monitoring without requiring proportional information flow across all network links.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a centralized approach is used to manage service configuration across multiple SSRs, then service consistency is improved, but network scalability and flexibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments service configuration management into two independent parts: service definition and advertisement (centralized at the Conductor for consistency) and service instantiation and routing (distributed at each SSR for scalability). This segmentation allows the Conductor to maintain service configuration consistency while individual routers independently process and implement routing decisions, enabling the network to scale without compromising consistency.
Data Source
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AI summary
A routing system for implementing a service and topology exchange protocol (STEP) comprises a primary STEP sewer configured to maintain a STEP repository and a plurality of routers, each router including a STEP client in communication with the primary STEP server. The STEP client of each router is configured to transmit, using the service and topology exchange protocol, service and topology state information for at least one route or service available through the router to the primary STEP sewer for storage in the STEP repository. The primary STEP sewer is configured to determine, for each router, whether the STEP repository includes any service and topology state information changes for the router based at least in part, on the service and topology state information received from the routers and to transmit to the STEP client of each router for which there are service and topology state information changes, using the service and topology exchange protocol, only the service and topology state information changes.