VGMP Protocol for VRRP Backup Group State Consistency
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Solution Overview
Problem
The Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) fails to guarantee reliable network operation in evolving networking environments, such as state firewalls and NAT gateways, due to its inability to maintain consistency of to-and-fro paths, leading to network disconnections and increased configuration complexity.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a VRRP Group Management Protocol (VGMP) that coordinates state consistency among VRRP backup groups by managing VRRP members through defined messages and priority adjustments, ensuring that VRRP members in different backup groups maintain synchronized states, thereby ensuring consistent packet transmission paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If VRRP backup groups are managed independently without coordination, then each group can operate autonomously, but state consistency across multiple backup groups cannot be maintained, leading to network disconnections in evolving networking environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a VGMP group that merges multiple VRRP backup groups under a single management framework. The VGMP group synchronizes states across all member VRRP backup groups, ensuring that when one group transitions states, all other groups transition simultaneously. This merging approach resolves the state consistency issue while providing centralized management to control complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The VGMP group acts as an intermediary between multiple independent VRRP backup groups. It receives state information from member groups and distributes synchronization commands to maintain consistent states across all groups. This mediator approach enables coordinated state management without requiring direct complex interactions between each individual VRRP backup group.
2Reliability
If VRRP advertisement packets are sent periodically to monitor master device availability, then backup devices can detect failures, but switching delays occur when the threshold number of missed intervals is reached
Solution Approach 1:
The VGMP group performs preliminary state synchronization by maintaining pre-coordinated state information across all member VRRP backup groups. When a failure is detected in one group, the other groups already have the necessary state information ready, allowing immediate state transitions without waiting for the standard VRRP advertisement packet timeout process. This preliminary preparation significantly reduces switching delays.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple VRRP backup groups are configured independently, then configuration flexibility is maintained, but system resource costs increase due to redundant health degree examinations and message exchanges
Solution Approach 1:
The VGMP group provides a universal management framework that serves multiple VRRP backup groups simultaneously. Instead of each VRRP backup group independently performing health degree examinations and state management, the single VGMP group performs these functions for all members. This multi-functionality reduces redundant resource consumption while maintaining the configuration flexibility of individual VRRP backup groups through the unified VGMP management interface.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for managing Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) backup groups includes: setting a VRRP Group Management Protocol (VGMP) group including at least one VRRP management group. Each VRRP management group includes at least one VRRP member, and the VRRP members belonging to one VRRP management group belong to different VRRP backup groups respectively; the VGMP group manages the included VRRP management groups uniformly. Embodiments of the invention manage multiple VRRP backup groups in devices based on the new VGMP protocol, and can guarantee the state consistency of multiple VRRP backup groups so as to realize reliable transmission of services requiring the consistency of to-and-fro paths. Meanwhile, embodiments of the invention can decrease the switching delay of the VRRP so as to meet the demands of telecommunication level carrier network when the VRRP is employed to perform route backup.