Spoke-to-Spoke VPN Routing via Hub Redirect
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional technologies for spoke-to-spoke traffic within a VPN are limited, as the hub router must know the IP addresses of all spoke routers, leading to overburdening in large networks and overshadowing smaller subnets by larger ones, which can result in inefficient routing.
Innovation Solution
A packet routing process that determines the best spoke-to-spoke tunnel path by sending a packet to a hub, which identifies and redirects it through a preferred route, allowing spokes to create direct tunnels and bypass the hub, thereby optimizing traffic flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the hub router maintains IP addresses of all spoke routers and transmits routing information to spokes, then routing coverage is improved, but device complexity and processing burden increase significantly in large networks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the routing information by introducing wildcard entries that represent groups of spoke routers. Instead of maintaining individual IP address entries for each spoke, the hub uses segmented wildcard patterns (e.g., 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12) to represent multiple spokes, thereby reducing routing table size while maintaining comprehensive routing coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by implementing selective route advertisement. The hub router advertises only necessary routing information to spokes using wildcard entries, rather than transmitting complete routing tables. This partial information suffices for spokes to route traffic correctly while keeping their routing tables compact.
2Measurement precision
If individual routing entries are maintained for all spoke networks, then routing precision is improved, but smaller subnets are overshadowed by larger overlapping subnets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making routing precision local rather than global. Wildcard entries provide coarse-grained routing for general traffic, while more specific routes are advertised only when needed for particular spokes. This allows smaller subnets to be reached with appropriate precision without being overshadowed, as each spoke receives routing information tailored to its specific needs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the hub router processes and distributes routing information for all spokes, then routing completeness is improved, but processing time and network overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring wildcard routing entries in the hub router that represent groups of spokes. These wildcard entries are established in advance and do not require dynamic updates when spokes are added or removed, significantly reducing routing update time and processing overhead compared to maintaining individual entries for each spoke.
Data Source
AI summary
A system receives a request at a hub. The request is received from a first spoke regarding a packet to be transmitted from the first spoke to a second spoke. The system identifies, at the time of the request, a preferred route from the first spoke to the second spoke. The system sends a redirect message to the first spoke, the redirect message directing the packet along the preferred route. The system transmits, from a first spoke to a hub, a first request associated with a packet. In response, the system receives, at the first spoke, a redirect message from the hub. The redirect message identifies a preferred route by which the first spoke transmits the packet to a second spoke. The system creates, at the first spoke, a second request containing a destination address of the second spoke, and transmits the second request along the preferred route.