Temporary Host Route Mechanism for Data Center Traffic Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

In computer networks, especially in virtual private clouds and data centers, unnecessary flood traffic due to ARP/ND packet flooding hinders scalability and performance, and existing solutions fail to effectively suppress such flooding across multi-fabric deployments.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a temporary host route mechanism using BGP extensions with special communities to prevent ARP/ND flooding, where network nodes generate and propagate artificial BGP routes to discover destination hosts without flooding the network, and border network elements synchronize MAC-IP bindings across domains to suppress unnecessary traffic.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If ARP/ND packet flooding is used to discover destination hosts and enable host-to-host communication, then host discovery and communication capability is improved, but network traffic volume increases and scalability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehost discovery capabilityVSAvoidnetwork traffic volume

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the host discovery function from the data plane flooding mechanism and relocates it to the control plane. Border network elements use BGP routing protocols to exchange host route information (MAC-IP bindings) across fabric domains, separating control functions from data forwarding and eliminating the need for ARP/ND flooding in the data plane.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces border network elements as intermediaries between different fabric domains. These border elements terminate ARP/ND requests locally and use BGP routing to communicate host reachability information across domains, acting as mediators that prevent flooding from propagating between fabrics while maintaining host discovery functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If ARP/ND suppression is implemented within a single fabric domain, then network performance is improved, but ARP/ND flooding still occurs across multi-fabric boundaries

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork performanceVSAvoidmulti-fabric host discovery

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extends the ARP/ND suppression mechanism universally across multiple fabric domains by using BGP routing protocols that operate across domain boundaries. The same control plane-based host discovery mechanism that works within single fabrics is made universal across multi-fabric deployments through BGP route exchange between border elements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary host discovery and MAC-IP binding establishment within each fabric domain before cross-fabric communication is needed. Border network elements pre-learning host routes within their domains enable them to suppress flooding at fabric boundaries, as the control plane already has the necessary routing information before data plane traffic arrives.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Quantity of substance

If border network elements terminate ARP/ND requests to suppress flooding, then flooding is reduced, but host MAC-IP bindings are not propagated across fabric domains

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflooding trafficVSAvoidhost route information propagation

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical flooding mechanism with an electronic control plane signaling system using BGP routing protocols. Instead of relying on broadcast/multicast flooding to propagate host information, border network elements use BGP UPDATE messages to exchange MAC-IP binding information across fabric domains, substituting a targeted protocol-based mechanism for brute-force flooding.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Quantity of substance

If control plane-based host route propagation is used, then ARP/ND flooding is eliminated, but implementation complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveARP/ND flood trafficVSAvoidcontrol plane configuration

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the operational parameters of border network elements to enable control plane-based host route propagation. By configuring border elements with appropriate BGP routing parameters and enabling them to terminate ARP/ND requests, the system transitions from data plane flooding to control plane signaling, eliminating flooding traffic while managing complexity through standardized protocol configurations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10673736B2Traffic reduction in data center fabrics

Publication Date: 2020.06.02 CISCO TECHNOLOGY INC

AI summary

A first network node of a computer network discovers a host route by leveraging a temporary host route on the control plane of the computer network. The first network node receives, from a source host, a request for a host route associated with a destination host. The first network node determines that it has not previously stored the host route associated with the destination host, and generates a temporary host route associated with the destination host. The first network node propagates the temporary host route across the control plane of the computer network, causing each respective network node to discover if the destination host is connected to the respective network node.