Automatic Site-ID Allocation in Virtual Private Networks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Manual configuration of unique site-IDs for customer sites in virtual private networks (VPNs) is resource-intensive and prone to errors, as network service providers must manually set up site-IDs for each customer site across a network, which can lead to inefficiencies and potential conflicts.
Innovation Solution
Network devices within a VPN automatically select and manage unique site-IDs for customer sites by receiving and analyzing advertisements from other network devices, performing collision resolution procedures to ensure site-ID uniqueness, thereby reducing the burden on service providers and minimizing manual configuration errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual configuration of site-IDs is performed for each customer site, then site-ID uniqueness can be ensured, but resource burden and configuration time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables network devices to automatically select and allocate site-IDs for themselves and other customer sites without manual intervention. The automatic site-ID selection mechanism allows devices to autonomously manage site-ID allocation, reducing the resource burden on network service providers while ensuring uniqueness through coordinated selection and collision resolution procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary site-ID selection and allocation before actual network operation begins. By pre-allocating site-IDs through automatic selection mechanisms and performing collision resolution in advance, the system ensures that when customer sites are activated, unique site-IDs are already assigned, eliminating the need for manual configuration while maintaining reliability
2Ease of operation
If manual configuration of site-IDs is performed, then control over site-ID allocation is maintained, but human error and configuration complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables network devices to automatically select and allocate site-IDs for themselves and other customer sites without manual intervention. The automatic site-ID selection mechanism allows devices to autonomously manage site-ID allocation, reducing the resource burden on network service providers while ensuring uniqueness through coordinated selection and collision resolution procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms through advertisement messages that allow network devices to communicate selected site-IDs to each other. This feedback loop enables collision detection and resolution, ensuring that manually configured or automatically selected site-IDs do not conflict, thereby maintaining configuration accuracy while simplifying the operation
3Productivity
If automatic site-ID selection is implemented, then configuration time is reduced, but risk of site-ID collisions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms through advertisement messages that allow network devices to communicate selected site-IDs to each other. This feedback loop enables collision detection and resolution, ensuring that manually configured or automatically selected site-IDs do not conflict, thereby maintaining configuration accuracy while simplifying the operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses advertisement messages as intermediaries to coordinate site-ID selection between network devices. These messages carry site-ID information and enable indirect communication between devices, allowing them to detect potential collisions and resolve conflicts without direct interaction, thus maintaining uniqueness while enabling automatic fast allocation
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described for automatically selecting virtual private network (VPN) site-IDs for each customer site within a VPN established over a network. The techniques described herein enable a network router within a VPN to automatically allocate unique site-IDs for each customer site included in the VPN in a dense manner. In some cases, the VPNs may comprise virtual private local area network (LAN) service (VPLS) domains that transmit layer two (L2) traffic between customer sites, i.e., VPLS sites, via the network. For example, a network service provider may configure a network device, such as a router, to belong to one or more VPNs. When a customer site within one of the VPNs connects to the router, the router configures the customer site on the router. The router then automatically selects a site-ID for the customer site configured on the router.