METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR A SCALABLE NETWORK WITH EFFICIENT LINK UTILIZATION

• US 20130083782A1
• Filed: 10/04/2011
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: MURPHY, James, CHOUDHURY, Abhijit, MALLYA, Raghavendra, POGDE, Pranay, NANDA, Phalguni, BODDU, Jayabharat, SINDHU, Pradeep, SHETH, Nischal
• Granted Patent: US 9,118,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2212/00 Encapsulation of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer

Abstract

In some embodiments, an apparatus comprises a core network node configured to be operatively coupled to a set of network nodes. The core network node is configured to receive a broadcast signal from a network node from the set of network nodes, which is originated from a host device operatively coupled to the network node. The broadcast signal is sent via a tunnel from the network node to the core network node, such that other network nodes that are not included in the tunnel do not receive the broadcast signal. The core network node is configured to retrieve control information associated with the broadcast signal without sending another broadcast signal, and then send the control information to the network node.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a core network node configured to be operatively coupled to a plurality of network nodes,

the core network node configured to receive, from a network node from the plurality of network nodes, a first broadcast signal via a tunnel between the core network node and the network node, the first broadcast signal originated from a host device operatively coupled to the network node, the tunnel including at least one intervening network node from the plurality of network nodes between the core network node and the network node and excluding remaining network nodes from the plurality of network nodes,

the core network node configured to receive the first broadcast signal such that the remaining network nodes from the plurality of network nodes do not receive the first broadcast signal,

the core network node configured to retrieve control information associated with the first broadcast signal without sending a second broadcast signal, the core network node configured to send the control information to the network node.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network nodes includes a plurality of wired network nodes and a plurality of wireless network nodes.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first broadcast signal is an address resolution protocol (ARP) signal requesting a media access control (MAC) address associated with an internet protocol (IP) address, the core network node configured to access an association between the MAC address and the IP address.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first broadcast signal is a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) request, the core network node configured to send a unicast signal to a DHCP server to retrieve an internet protocol (IP) address associated with the host device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first broadcast signal is a neighbor discovery (ND) request, the core network node configured to send, in response to the ND request, a signal to a database to retrieve (1) an internet protocol (IP) address and a media access control (MAC) address associated with the network node, or (2) information associated with network nodes having an IP address corresponding to the IP address of the network node.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the host device is a wired host device and the network node is an access network node, the wired host device being directly coupled to the access network node.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the core network node is configured to receive the first broadcast signal via a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) tunnel that includes an aggregation network node operatively coupled between the core network node and the network node.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the core network node is configured to receive the first broadcast signal via an Ethernet-over-layer-3 tunnel that includes an aggregation network node operatively coupled between the core network node and the network node.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the core network node is configured to receive the first broadcast signal via one path from a plurality of paths included within the tunnel.

10. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to cause a processor to:

receive, at a network node configured to be included in a plurality of network nodes, a first broadcast signal from a host device operatively coupled to the network node, the first broadcast signal requesting control information;

send, via a tunnel between the core network node and the network node, the first broadcast signal to a core network node such that the core network node retrieves the control information without sending a second broadcast signal, the tunnel including at least one intervening network node from the plurality of network nodes between the core network node and the network node and excluding remaining network nodes from the plurality of network nodes, the first broadcast signal being sent to the core network node such that the remaining network nodes from the plurality of network nodes do not receive the first broadcast signal;

receive, via the tunnel, the control information from the core network node; and

send the control information to the host device.

11. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first broadcast signal is an address resolution protocol (ARP) signal requesting a media access control (MAC) address associated with an internet protocol (IP) address, the first broadcast signal configured to cause the core network node to access an association between the MAC address and the IP address.

12. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first broadcast signal is a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) request configured to cause the core network node to send a unicast signal to a DHCP server to retrieve an internet protocol (IP) address associated with the host device.

13. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first broadcast signal is a neighbor discovery (ND) request configured to cause the core network node to send a signal to a database to retrieve (1) an internet protocol (IP) address and a media access control (MAC) address associated with the network node, or (2) information associated with network nodes having an IP address corresponding to the IP address of the network node.

14. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the host device is a wired host device and the network node is an access network node, the wired host device being directly coupled to the access network node.

15. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the host device is a wireless host device and the network node is a wireless access point, the wireless host device being wirelessly coupled to the wireless access point.

16. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the tunnel is a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) tunnel that includes an aggregation network node operatively coupled between the core network node and the network node.

17. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the tunnel is an Ethernet-over-layer-3 tunnel that includes an aggregation network node operatively coupled between the core network node and the network node.

18. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first broadcast signal is an address resolution protocol (ARP) signal requesting a media access control (MAC) address associated with an internet protocol (IP) address, the first broadcast signal configured to cause the core network node to send a multicast request to each IP address not associated with a MAC address at the core network node to determine the MAC address associated with the IP address.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a network node configured to be included in a plurality of network nodes operatively coupled to a core network node, the network node configured to receive a broadcast signal from a host device operatively coupled to the network node, the broadcast signal being one of an address resolution protocol (ARP) request, a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) request or a neighbor discovery (ND) request,

the network node configured to send the broadcast signal to the core network node via a tunnel between the network node and the core network node, the tunnel including at least one intervening network node from the plurality of network nodes between the core node and the network switch and excluding remaining network nodes from the plurality of network nodes, the network node configured to send the broadcast signal such that the remaining network nodes from the plurality of network nodes do not receive the broadcast signal, the network node configured to receive control information in response to the core network node retrieving the control information based on the broadcast signal.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the host device is a first host device, the network node is configured to receive the control information in response to the core network node retrieving the control information from a database that includes an association between a media access control (MAC) address of a second host device and an internet protocol (IP) address of the second host device.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the network node is an access network node and the host device is a wired host device, the access network node being directly coupled to the wired host device.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the tunnel is a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) tunnel that includes an aggregation network node from the plurality of network nodes operatively coupled between the core network node and the network node.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the network node is configured to send the broadcast signal to the core network node via one path from a plurality of paths included within the tunnel.