Packet Broadcast Mechanism in a Split Architecture Network

• US 20130034104A1
• Filed: 08/02/2011
• Published: 02/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Yedavalli, Kiran, Mishra, Ramesh
• Granted Patent: US 8,971,334 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/400
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1877 Measures taken prior to transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0826 for reduction of network costs H04L41/0833 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/32 Flooding denial of service attacks H04L63/1458
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/38 Flow based routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/15 Interconnection of switching modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/201 Multicast operation; Broadcast operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/25 Routing or path finding in a switch fabric
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/354 for supporting virtual local area networks [VLAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]

Abstract

A method and system is implemented in a network node that functions as a controller for a domain in a split architecture network. The domain comprises a plurality of flow switches, where the plurality of flow switches implement a data plane for the split architecture network and the controller implements a control plane for the split architecture network that is remote from the data plane. The method and system configure the plurality of flow switches to efficiently handle each type of broadcast packet in the domain of the split architecture network without flooding the domain with the broadcast packets to thereby reduce a number of broadcast packets forwarded within the domain.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a network node that functions as a controller for a domain in a split architecture network, the domain comprising a plurality of flow switches, where the plurality of flow switches implement a data plane for the split architecture network and the controller implements a control plane for the split architecture network that is remote from the data plane, the method to configure the plurality of flow switches to efficiently handle each type of broadcast packet in the domain of the split architecture network without flooding the domain with the broadcast packets to thereby reduce a number of broadcast packets forwarded within the domain, the method comprising the steps of:

tracking a set of external ports for the domain, where each external port connects one of the plurality of flow switches to a device outside the domain;

configuring each of the plurality of flow switches in the domain to forward a self generated broadcast packet to each flow switch having at least one external port in the set of external ports for the domain without flooding the domain with the self generated broadcast packet;

configuring each of the plurality of flow switches having at least one external port from the set of external ports for the domain to forward a received control broadcast packet to the controller of the domain without flooding the domain with the received control broadcast packet; and

configuring the plurality of flow switches in the domain to forward a received data broadcast packet to the set of external ports for the domain without flooding the domain with the received data broadcast packet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking the set of external ports further comprises the step of identifying each active port of each flow switch in the domain.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein tracking the set of external ports further comprises the step of identifying whether each active port is an internal port, the internal port connecting a first flow switch in the domain to a second flow switch in the domain.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein tracking the set of external ports further comprises the step of identifying each external port of the domain by comparing the internal ports of the domain to the active ports of the domain, each external port being an active non-internal port of the domain.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein identifying the internal ports further comprises the step of identifying internal ports using a neighbor discovery protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a neighbor discover protocol (NDP) message from a network node outside the domain; and

comparing a source of the NDP message to a set of controlled flow switches.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of adding an ingress port for a flow switch through which an NDP message from external source was received to the external port list.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of forwarding received control packets by the controller to each flow switch having an external port in the set of external ports, each flow switch to forward the control packet through each external port.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

calculating a set of flows from each flow switch with an external port to each other flow switch with an external port; and

programming each flow switch in a path of the set of flows to forward received data broadcast packets according to the set of flows.

10. A network node that functions as a controller for a domain in a split architecture network, the domain comprising a plurality of flow switches, where the plurality of flow switches implement a data plane for the split architecture network and the controller implements a control plane for the split architecture network that is remote from the data plane, the network node to configure the plurality of flow switches to efficiently handle each type of broadcast packet in the split architecture network without flooding the domain with broadcast packets to thereby reduce a number of broadcast packets forwarded within the domain, the network node comprising:

an external port tracking module to track a set of external ports for the domain, where each external port connects one of the plurality of flow switches to a device outside the domain;

a broadcast configuration module communicatively coupled to the external port tracking module, the broadcast configuration module configured to configure each of the plurality of flow switches in the domain to forward a self generated broadcast packet to each flow switch having at least one external port in the set of external ports for the domain without flooding the domain with the self generated broadcast packet, the broadcast configuration module configured to configure each of the plurality of flow switches having at least one external port from the set of external ports for the domain to forward a received control broadcast packet to the controller of the domain without flooding the domain, and configured to configure the plurality of flow switches for the domain to forward a received data broadcast packet to the set of external ports for the domain without flooding the domain with the received data broadcast packet.

11. The network node of claim 10, further comprising a broadcast processing module communicatively coupled to the broadcast configuration module, the broadcast processing module configured to forward received broadcast packets to the flow switches having the set of external ports.

12. The network node of claim 10, wherein the external port tracking module is configured to identify each active port of each flow switch in the domain.

13. The network node of claim 12, wherein the external port tracking module is configured to identify whether each active port is an internal port, the internal port connecting a first flow switch in the domain to a second flow switch in the domain.

14. The network node of claim 13, wherein the external port tracking module is configured to identify each external port of the domain by comparing the internal ports of the domain to the active ports of the domain, each external port being an active non-internal port of the domain.

15. The network node of claim 13, wherein the external port tracking module is configured to identify internal ports using a neighbor discovery protocol.

16. The network node of claim 11, wherein the external port tracking module is configured to receive a neighbor discover protocol (NDP) message from a network node outside the domain, and to compare a source of the NDP message to a set of controlled flow switches.

17. The network node of claim 16, wherein the external port tracking module is configured to add an ingress port for a flow switch through which an NDP message from external source was received to the external port list.

18. The network node of claim 11, wherein the broadcast processing module is configured to forward received control packets by the controller to each flow switch having an external port in the set of external ports, each flow switch to forward the control packet through each external port.

19. The network node of claim 10, wherein the broadcast configuration module is configured to calculate a set of flows from each flow switch with an external port to each other switch with an external port, and is configured to program each flow switch in the set of flows to forward received data broadcast packets according to the set of flows.