METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SYNCHRONIZING WITH NEIGHBOR IN A DISTRIBUTED RESILIENT NETWORK INTERCONNECT (DRNI) LINK AGGREGATION GROUP

• US 20140317250A1
• Filed: 04/21/2014
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Saltsidis, Panagiotis
• Granted Patent: US 9,660,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• 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 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5652 Cell construction, e.g. including header, packetisation, depacketisation, assembly, reassembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2212/00 Encapsulation of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0659 by isolating or reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0869 Validating the configuration within one network element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/342 between virtual entities, e.g. orchestrators, SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/344 Out-of-band transfers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/245 Link aggregation, e.g. trunking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/46 : Cluster building
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/253 : using establishment or release of connections between ports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/354 : for supporting virtual local area networks [VLAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/03 : Protocol definition or specification protocol conformance testing H04L1/244
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 : in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 : in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A method of updating operational states of a network device in a distributed resilient network interconnect (DRNI) of a link aggregation group is disclosed. The method starts with initializing the network device for link aggregation, wherein the initialization includes setting variables of the network device for a first portal as configured by administrative settings, where the first portal includes the network device and at least one neighbor network device. The method continues with determining that an operational state associated with the first portal is changed and updating a set of operational states of the network device for link aggregation in response to the operational state change, where the set of operational states of the network device for link aggregation includes an operational state of the gateway of the network device.

Claims

1. A method of updating operational states of a network device in a distributed resilient network interconnect (DRNI) of a link aggregation group, wherein the network device and a neighbor network device are included in a first portal of the link aggregation group, wherein the first portal is coupled via links of the link aggregation group with a second portal including one or more remote network devices, wherein the network device is communicatively coupled to the neighbor network device via an intra-portal port (IPP) using an intra-portal link (IPL), wherein each of the network device and the neighbor network device implements link aggregation including aggregation ports with a single aggregator of the first portal, and wherein each of the network device and the neighbor network device includes a single gateway of the first portal, the method comprising:

initializing the network device for link aggregation, wherein the initialization includes setting variables of the network device for the first portal as configured by administrative settings;

determining that an operational state associated with the first portal is changed; and

updating a set of operational states of the network device for link aggregation in response to the operational state change, wherein the set of operational states of the network device for link aggregation includes an operational state of the gateway of the network device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the variables of the network device for the first portal includes:

a system priority of the aggregator of the network device, a system identifier of the aggregator, a system priority of the first portal, an identifier for the network device in the first portal, an administrative aggregator key value associated with the aggregator.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the change of operational state associated with the first portal is indicated by a Boolean variable that is set to true when an operational value of the network device'"'"'s view of value of the neighbor network device'"'"'s IPP activity is active.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the change of operational state associated with the first portal is indicated by a Boolean variable that is set to true when an operational state of the gateway of the network device changes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the change of operational state associated with the first portal is indicated by a Boolean variable that is set to true when one of operational states of aggregation ports of the network device associated with the first portal changes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the operational state of the network device for link aggregation further includes:

creating a list of operational aggregation ports including only identifiers of aggregation ports that are operable.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting one or more variables indicating no operational state change associated with the first portal after determining the operational state change associated with the first portal.

8. A network device supporting updating its operational states in a distributed resilient network interconnect (DRNI) of a link aggregation group, wherein the network device and a neighbor network device are included in a first portal of the link aggregation group, wherein the first portal is coupled via links of the link aggregation group with a second portal including one or more remote network devices, wherein the network device is communicatively coupled to the neighbor network device via an intra-portal port (IPP) using an intra-portal link (IPL), wherein each of the network device and the neighbor network device implements link aggregation including aggregation ports with a single aggregator of the first portal, and wherein each of the network device and the neighbor network device includes a single gateway of the first portal, the network device comprising:

ports coupled to the physical or aggregation link of the link aggregation group, wherein the ports include aggregation ports; and

a network processor coupled to the ports, the network processor executing a DRNI function, the DRNI function operative to initialize the network device for link aggregation, wherein the initialization includes setting variables of the network device for the first portal as configured by administrative settings, further operative to determine that an operational state associated with the first portal is changed, and further operative to update a set of operational states of the network device for link aggregation in response to the operational state change, wherein the set of operational states of the network device for link aggregation includes an operational state of the gateway of the network device.

9. The network device of claim 8, wherein the variables of the network device for the first portal includes:

a system priority of the aggregator of the network device, a system identifier of the aggregator, a system priority of the first portal, an identifier for the network device in the first portal, an administrative aggregator key value associated with the aggregator.

10. The network device of claim 8, wherein the change of operational state associated with the first portal is to be indicated by a Boolean variable that is set to true when an operational value of the network device'"'"'s view of value of the neighbor network device'"'"'s IPP activity is active.

11. The network device of claim 8, wherein the change of operational state associated with the first portal is to be indicated by a Boolean variable that is set to true when an operational state of the gateway of the network device changes.

12. The network device of claim 8, wherein the change of operational state associated with the first portal is to be indicated by a Boolean variable that is set to true when one of operational states of aggregation ports of the network device associated with the first portal changes.

13. The network device of claim 8, wherein updating the operational state of the network device for link aggregation includes to:

create a list of operational aggregation ports including only identifiers of aggregation ports that are operable.

14. The network device of claim 8, the DRNI module further operative to:

set one or more variables indicating no operational state change associated with the first portal after determining the operational state change associated with the first portal.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations at a network device to support updating operational states of a network device in a distributed resilient network interconnect (DRNI) of a link aggregation group, wherein the network device and a neighbor network device are included in a first portal of the link aggregation group, wherein the first portal is coupled via links of the link aggregation group with a second portal including one or more remote network devices, wherein the network device is communicatively coupled to the neighbor network device via an intra-portal port (IPP) using an intra-portal link (IPL), wherein each of the network device and the neighbor network device implements link aggregation including aggregation ports with a single aggregator of the first portal, and wherein each of the network device and the neighbor network device includes a single gateway of the first portal, the operations comprising:

initializing the network device for link aggregation, wherein the initialization includes setting variables of the network device for the first portal as configured by administrative settings;

determining that an operational state associated with the first portal is changed; and

updating a set of operational states of the network device for link aggregation in response to the operational state change, wherein the set of operational states of the network device for link aggregation includes an operational state of the gateway of the network device.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the variables of the network device for the first portal includes:

a system priority of the aggregator of the network device, a system identifier of the aggregator, a system priority of the first portal, an identifier for the network device in the first portal, an administrative aggregator key value associated with the aggregator.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the change of operational state associated with the first portal is indicated by a Boolean variable that is set to true when an operational value of the network device'"'"'s view of value of the neighbor network device'"'"'s IPP activity is active.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the change of operational state associated with the first portal is indicated by a Boolean variable that is set to true when an operational state of the gateway of the network device changes.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the change of operational state associated with the first portal is indicated by a Boolean variable that is set to true when one of operational states of aggregation ports of the network device associated with the first portal changes.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein updating the operational state of the network device for link aggregation further includes:

creating a list of operational aggregation ports including only identifiers of aggregation ports that are operable.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

setting one or more variables indicating no operational state change associated with the first portal after determining the operational state change associated with the first portal.