PATH COMPUTATION ELEMENT PROXYING FOR DETERMINISTIC WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20150023205A1
• Filed: 09/26/2013
• Published: 01/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vasseur, Jean-Philippe, Thubert, Pascal, Wetterwald, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 9,515,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing

Abstract

In one embodiment, an agent device discovers a set of path computation elements (PCEs) and corresponding available capabilities and resources, and determines particular capabilities and resources of interest in a particular computer network. Upon building a simplified view of the available capabilities and resources of the set of PCEs based on the particular capabilities and resources of interest, the agent device advertises the simplified view of the available capabilities and resources into the particular computer network.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

discovering a set of path computation elements (PCEs) and corresponding available capabilities and resources;

determining particular capabilities and resources of interest in a particular computer network;

building a simplified view of the available capabilities and resources of the set of PCEs based on the particular capabilities and resources of interest; and

advertising the simplified view of the available capabilities and resources into the particular computer network.

2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a subset of the set of PCEs, wherein the simplified view of the available capabilities and resources is of the subset of PCEs.

3. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a path request; and

directing the path request to a selected PCE of the set of PCEs.

4. The method as in claim 3, further comprising:

replicating the path request to a plurality of selected PCEs of the set of PCEs.

5. The method as in claim 4, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of path responses from the plurality of selected PCEs of the set of PCEs; and

selecting and returning one of the plurality of path responses to a requesting node for the path request.

6. The method as in claim 3, further comprising:

processing the path request prior to directing the path request.

7. The method as in claim 3, further comprising:

hiding the selected PCE from a requesting node for the path request.

8. The method as in claim 3, further comprising:

selecting the selected PCE from a plurality of PCEs of the set of PCEs.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein building the simplified view comprises:

including the available capabilities and resources without particular PCE correlation.

10. The method as in claim 1, wherein building the simplified view comprises:

suppressing updates to the available capabilities and resources from the particular computer network.

11. The method as in claim 1, wherein discovering, determining, building, and advertising are performed by an agent device selected from a group consisting of:

a backbone router;

a root node of a directed acyclic graph (DAG); and

a field area router (FAR).

12. The method as in claim 11, wherein there are a plurality of agent devices in the particular computer network.

13. The method as in claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of agent devices corresponds to a respective DAG.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more network interfaces to communicate with a particular computer network and with one or more path computation elements (PCEs);

a processor coupled to the network interfaces and adapted to execute one or more processes; and

a memory configured to store a process executable by the processor, the process when executed operable to;

discover a set of PCEs and corresponding available capabilities and resources;

determine particular capabilities and resources of interest in the particular computer network;

build a simplified view of the available capabilities and resources of the set of PCEs based on the particular capabilities and resources of interest; and

advertise the simplified view of the available capabilities and resources is into the particular computer network.

15. The apparatus as in claim 14, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

select a subset of the set of PCEs, wherein the simplified view of the available capabilities and resources is of the subset of PCEs.

16. The apparatus as in claim 14, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

receive a path request; and

directing the path request to a selected PCE of the set of PCEs.

17. The apparatus as in claim 16, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

replicate the path request to a plurality of selected PCEs of the set of PCEs.

18. The apparatus as in claim 17, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

receive a plurality of path responses from the plurality of selected PCEs of the set of PCEs; and

select and return one of the plurality of path responses to a requesting node for the path request.

19. The apparatus as in claim 16, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

process the path request prior to directing the path request.

20. The apparatus as in claim 16, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

hide the selected PCE from a requesting node for the path request.

21. The apparatus as in claim 16, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

select the selected PCE from a plurality of PCEs of the set of PCEs.

22. The apparatus as in claim 14, wherein the process when executed to build the simplified view is further operable to:

include the available capabilities and resources without particular PCE correlation.

23. The apparatus as in claim 14, wherein the process when executed to build the simplified view is further operable to:

suppress updates to the available capabilities and resources from the particular computer network.

24. The apparatus as in claim 14, wherein the apparatus is an agent device selected from a group consisting of:

a backbone router;

a root node of a directed acyclic graph (DAG); and

a field area router (FAR).

25. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having software encoded thereon, the software when executed by a processor operable to:

discover a set of path computation elements (PCEs) and corresponding available capabilities and resources;

determine particular capabilities and resources of interest in a particular computer network;

build a simplified view of the available capabilities and resources of the set of PCEs based on the particular capabilities and resources of interest; and

advertise the simplified view of the available capabilities and resources into the particular computer network.