Two-Part Metric Link State Routing Protocol
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing link state routing protocols in computer networks consume significant bandwidth and processing resources due to frequent updates of link state advertisements, especially in networks with rapid changes such as wireless or satellite-based networks.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a two-part metric system in link state advertisements, where routers communicate outbound and inbound cost metrics separately, allowing only updated metrics to be sent, reducing the number and size of advertisements and processing overhead.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional one-part metrics are used in link state advertisements, then complete routing information is provided, but network bandwidth consumption and processing resources increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the traditional single cost metric into two separate metrics: outbound cost metric and inbound cost metric. This segmentation allows routers to advertise costs separately for traffic leaving and entering the network, enabling more efficient updates where only changed metrics are advertised, thus reducing bandwidth consumption while maintaining complete routing information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation from a single cost value to a pair of cost values (outbound and inbound). This parameter change enables asymmetric cost advertising where the cost from router A to router B can differ from the cost from router B to router A, allowing for more accurate and efficient routing information dissemination.
2Measurement precision
If link state advertisements are flooded frequently to maintain synchronization, then routing topology accuracy is maintained, but processing overhead and bandwidth consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the changed metric information from link state advertisements rather than flooding complete advertisements. By separating outbound and inbound metrics, routers can identify and advertise only the specific metric that has changed, reducing processing overhead while maintaining routing topology accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If complete link state information is advertised for all routers, then accurate path selection is enabled, but advertisement size and network overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the link state advertisement into separate outbound and inbound cost metric fields. This segmentation reduces advertisement size by allowing routers to transmit only the relevant cost information for each direction, rather than complete symmetric information, while still enabling accurate path selection based on directional costs.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described for utilizing two-part metrics with link state routing protocols of computer networks. For example, link state advertisements communicated by a router convey outbound cost metrics representative of outbound costs for the router to send network traffic to a network, and inbound cost metrics representative of inbound costs to receive network traffic from the network. The techniques may be particularly useful with respect to shared access networks, including broadcast or non-broadcast multi-access networks.