UPF IP Block Allocation for Smaller Routing Tables
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Solution Overview
Problem
The management of Ternary Content Addressable Memory (TCAM) in network switches and routers is inefficient, leading to high utilization and increased operational costs due to the need to search through large numbers of randomly assigned IP addresses, slowing down packet forwarding and requiring additional hardware to manage routing tables.
Innovation Solution
The Session Management Function (SMF) allocates IP address blocks to user plane functions (UPFs) in a structured manner, allowing network switches to summarize and advertise supernet prefixes, reducing the number of entries in the TCAM by learning and advertising a single supernet route instead of multiple subnet routes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If IP addresses are randomly assigned to user plane functions, then address allocation flexibility is improved, but routing table size increases and packet forwarding speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the IP address space into structured blocks assigned to specific UPF racks rather than random individual addresses. This segmentation allows routing tables to be organized by rack boundaries, enabling efficient summarization and reducing the number of entries that need to be searched during packet forwarding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the Session Management Function pre-allocate IP address blocks to UPF racks before packet forwarding occurs. This pre-configuration allows network switches to pre-establish routing entries for supernet prefixes, eliminating the need to search through large random address lists during actual data transmission.
2Ease of manufacture
If IP addresses are randomly assigned to user plane functions, then address allocation simplicity is improved, but TCAM utilization increases and hardware costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual IP address entries into a single supernet prefix entry for each UPF rack. By combining the routing information for all addresses within a rack into a single summarized entry, the system dramatically reduces the quantity of entries required in TCAM, thereby reducing hardware requirements and costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the Supernet Prefix as an intermediary representation between individual IP addresses and physical routing entries. Instead of storing every individual address, the system uses these intermediate supernet prefixes that represent ranges of addresses, reducing the storage burden on TCAM while maintaining routing functionality.
3Measurement precision
If multiple subnet routes are advertised by network switches, then routing precision is improved, but routing table size increases and operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential routing information from individual subnet entries and consolidates it into supernet prefix entries. By taking out the common supernet portion from multiple subnet routes, the system retains the necessary routing precision while eliminating redundant sub-net level entries, thereby simplifying routing table management.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for wireless communication is disclosed. The device determines a pool of internet protocol (IP) addresses for multiple user plane (UP) racks. Each UP rack comprises multiple user plane functions (UPFs) connected to the device. The multiple UP racks are further connected to a network switch or an aggregation router gateway (ARG) in a telecommunications network. The device divides the pool of IP addresses into multiple IP address blocks, each IP address block forming a unique subnet in the pool of IP addresses. The device assigns each unique subnet IP address block to a UP rack.