Traffic engineering for bit indexed explicit replication
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- receiving, at a first node in a network configured for traffic-engineered bit indexed forwarding, a message comprising a message bit array;
comparing bit values at one or more bit positions in the message bit array to one or more entries in a forwarding table stored at the first node, wherein the one or more bit positions are assigned to separate segments of a path or tree in the network; and
forwarding the message over a segment represented in the forwarding table if a result of the comparing indicates that the segment is included in a path to be taken by the message, whereinthe segment represented in the forwarding table is assigned one of the bit positions in the message bit array,the one of the bit positions in the message bit array does not represent an egress node, of the network configured for traffic-engineered bit indexed forwarding, reachable via the segment,the path to be taken by the message is defined as an end to end connection of multiple segments assigned bit positions having a first bit value in the message bit array, andthe forwarding comprises changing the bit value of the bit position, in the message bit array, assigned to the segment represented in the forwarding table.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and network devices are disclosed for traffic-engineered forwarding through a new form of bit indexed explicit replication. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving at a first node in a network a message comprising a message bit array, and comparing bit values at one or more bit positions in the message bit array to one or more entries in a forwarding table stored at the first node. The one or more bit positions correspond in this embodiment to links in the network. This embodiment of the method further includes forwarding the message over a link represented in the forwarding table if a result of the comparing indicates that the link is included in a path to be taken by the message. In a further embodiment of the method, the message is a multicast message and forwarding the message comprises forwarding a replica of the multicast message.
-
Citations
19 Claims
-
1. A method comprising:
-
receiving, at a first node in a network configured for traffic-engineered bit indexed forwarding, a message comprising a message bit array; comparing bit values at one or more bit positions in the message bit array to one or more entries in a forwarding table stored at the first node, wherein the one or more bit positions are assigned to separate segments of a path or tree in the network; and forwarding the message over a segment represented in the forwarding table if a result of the comparing indicates that the segment is included in a path to be taken by the message, wherein the segment represented in the forwarding table is assigned one of the bit positions in the message bit array, the one of the bit positions in the message bit array does not represent an egress node, of the network configured for traffic-engineered bit indexed forwarding, reachable via the segment, the path to be taken by the message is defined as an end to end connection of multiple segments assigned bit positions having a first bit value in the message bit array, and the forwarding comprises changing the bit value of the bit position, in the message bit array, assigned to the segment represented in the forwarding table. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A network device associated with a node in a network configured for traffic-engineered bit indexed forwarding, the network device comprising:
-
one or more network interfaces; a memory configured to store a forwarding table comprising one or more entries; and a processor configured to receive via one of the network interfaces a message comprising a message bit array, compare bit values at one or more bit positions in the message bit array to one or more entries in the forwarding table, wherein the one or more bit positions are assigned to separate segments of a path or tree in the network, and forward the message over a segment represented in the forwarding table if a result of comparing the bit values indicates that the segment is included in a path to be taken by the message, wherein the segment represented in the forwarding table is assigned one of the bit positions in the message bit array, the one of the bit positions in the message bit array does not represent an egress node, of the network configured for traffic-engineered bit indexed forwarding, reachable via the segment, the path to be taken by the message is defined as an end to end connection of multiple segments assigned bit positions having a first bit value in the message bit array, and forwarding the message comprises changing the bit value of the bit position, in the message bit array, assigned to the segment represented in the forwarding table. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
Specification