Network Device VTEP MAC Address Clearing for VXLAN Port Failures
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Solution Overview
Problem
In VXLAN networks, when a physical port failure requires a change in layer 2 route, the existing systems face issues with clearing MAC addresses, as VTEPs with the same VLAN ID are inadvertently identified and information from non-failed VLANs is cleared, leading to communication disruptions between different tenants sharing the same VLAN ID.
Innovation Solution
A network device is configured to detect failed virtual networks, identify the corresponding virtual network identifier (VNI), and send a clear request to the appropriate VTEPs using tunnel information and mapping data, ensuring accurate MAC address deletion for failed networks while preserving information for non-failed VLANs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If VTEPs are identified by finding the VNI of the VLAN ID that is subjected to the route change, then the layer 2 route can be changed due to physical port failure, but VTEPs with the same VLAN ID from different tenants are inadvertently identified and their MAC address information is erroneously cleared
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the identification process by introducing a unique VNI for each combination of physical port and virtual network. Instead of using only VLAN ID, the system now uses VNI which uniquely identifies specific virtual networks, thereby segmenting the identification space to avoid conflicts between different tenants using the same VLAN ID.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces VNI as an intermediary identifier between VLAN ID and VTEP identification. The VNI acts as a mediator that maps the physical port-Virtual Network combination to the appropriate VTEP, preventing direct identification errors that occur when only VLAN ID is used.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the same VLAN ID is assigned to multiple different tenants to avoid manual configuration changes, then resource utilization is improved, but MAC address clearing operations cannot distinguish between failed and non-failed VLANs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the VLAN identification space by creating unique VNI for each physical port-Virtual Network combination. This segmentation allows the same VLAN ID to be reused across different tenants and physical ports while maintaining precise identification of each virtual network instance, thereby enabling accurate failure identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by assigning specific VNIs to specific physical port-Virtual Network combinations. Each VNI has the local quality of being unique to its specific combination, allowing precise identification and differentiation of virtual networks even when they share the same VLAN ID globally.
Data Source
AI summary
A network device is configured to: detect a virtual network that is unable to relay communication as a failed virtual network; identify, as a failed virtual network identifier, a virtual network identifier assigned to a combination of the failed virtual network and a physical port through which communication of the failed virtual network pass, based on mapping information; identify a first virtual tunnel end point that relays communication of the failed virtual network; identify a second virtual tunnel end point of another network device that communicates with the first virtual tunnel end point based on the tunnel information; and send, to the second virtual tunnel end point, a clear request including the failed virtual network identifier and an IP address of the first virtual tunnel end point, and the clear request being used for clearing a MAC address used in Layer 2 protocol.