Monitoring link aggregation links

• US 8,630,188 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2010
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Pitchforth, Donald Jr., Schell, Richard C, Wellbrock, Glenn, Kotrla, Scott R, Chiu, Howard H, Bencheck, Michael U, Turlington, Matthew W, Lee, James D
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper, Kevin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOUDHRY, SAMINA F
• Application Number:
  US12/945,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20110058487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0659 by isolating or reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0805 by checking availability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/245 Link aggregation, e.g. trunking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/41 by acting on aggregated flows or links
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A device detects a signal condition for a link aggregation group (LAG) link, compares the detected signal condition to a signal threshold range, and enables one of a disabled state or a disabled timer state for the LAG link if the detected signal condition is outside the signal threshold range.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a plurality of links; and

at least one processor to;

define a link aggregation group (LAG) from two or more of the plurality of links,

the LAG arranging two or more of the plurality of links into a logical port,

monitor, during a first time period, a signal condition for a LAG link, of the two or more of the plurality of links in the LAG,

disable the LAG link during a second time period when the signal condition is outside a signal threshold range associated with normal operation of the LAG link,

the second time period occurring after the first time period, perform maintenance on the LAG link during the second time period,

the at least one processor, when performing the maintenance on the LAG link, being further to;

enable the LAG link to receive, during the second time period, first traffic, which is related to the maintenance, and second traffic, which is unrelated to the maintenance,

enable the LAG link to transmit the first traffic and not the second traffic, and

monitor transmission of the first traffic by the LAG link, and

reactive the disabled LAG link based on a first occurring one of;

the signal condition being within the signal threshold range with respect to the transmission of the first traffic during the second time period, or

expiration of the second time period.

2. The device of claim 1, where the at least one processor is further to:

generate an alert for the LAG link when the monitored signal condition is outside the signal threshold range.

3. The device of claim 1, where the LAG link is associated with the signal degrade condition when the signal condition is within a signal degrade threshold range.

4. The device of claim 3, where the signal degrade condition is detected based on at least one of errored frames or a code violation rate.

5. The device of claim 1, where the LAG link is associated with a signal failure condition when the signal condition is within a signal failure threshold range.

6. The device of claim 5, where the signal failure condition is detected based on at least one of errored frames or a code violation rate.

7. The device of claim 1,

where the processor, when reactivating the LAG link, is further to:

prevent new traffic from being received by the LAG link during a third time period after the LAG link is reactivated.

8. The device of claim 1,

where the processor, when reactivating the LAG link, is further to:

prevent new traffic, received by the LAG link, from being transmitted by the LAG link during a third time period after the LAG link is reactivated.

20. The device of claim 1, where the at least one processor is further to:

forward a copy of the second traffic to another LAG link, of the two or more of the plurality of links, for transmission during the second time period.

9. A method comprising:

monitoring, by a network device, a signal condition associated with a link aggregation group (LAG) link during a first time period,

an associated LAG arranging multiple links, that include the LAG link, into a logical port;

comparing, by the network device, the signal condition to a signal threshold range associated with normal operation of the LAG link;

disabling, by the network device and during a second time period, the LAG link when the signal condition is outside the signal threshold range,

the second time period occurring after the first time period;

performing, by the network device, maintenance on the LAG link during the second time period,

performing the maintenance on the LAG link including;

enabling the LAG link to receive, during the second time period, first traffic, which is related to the maintenance, and second traffic, which is unrelated to the maintenance,

enabling the LAG link to transmit the first traffic without transmitting the second traffic, and

monitoring transmission of the first traffic by the LAG link; and

reactivating the disabled LAG link based on a first occurring one of;

the signal condition being within the signal threshold range with respect to the transmission of the first traffic during the second time period, or

expiration of the second time period.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating an alert for the LAG link when the signal condition is outside the signal threshold range.

11. The method of claim 10, where the LAG link is associated with the signal degrade condition when the signal condition is within a signal degrade threshold range.

12. The method of claim 11, where the signal degrade condition is detected based on at least one of errored frames or a code violation rate.

13. The method of claim 9, where the LAG link is associated with a signal failure condition when the signal condition is within a signal failure threshold range.

14. The method of claim 13, where the signal failure condition is detected based on at least one of errored frames or a code violation rate.

15. The method of claim 9, where reactivating the LAG link includes:

preventing new traffic from being transmitted by the LAG link for at least a particular period of time after the LAG link is reactivated.

16. The method of claim 9, where reactivating the LAG link includes:

preventing new traffic from being received by the LAG link during a third time period after the LAG link is reactivated.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, the stored instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by a processor of a network device, cause the processor to monitor a signal condition associated with a link aggregation group (LAG) link during a first time period,

an associated LAG arranging multiple links, included in the LAG link, into a logical port;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to disable the LAG link, during a second time period, when the signal condition is outside a signal threshold range associated with normal operation of the LAG link,

the second time period occurring after the first time period; and

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform maintenance on the LAG link during the second time period,

the one or more instructions to perform the maintenance including;

one or more instructions to enable the LAG link to receive, during the second time period, first traffic, which is related to the maintenance, and second traffic, which is unrelated to the maintenance,

one or more instructions to enable the LAG link to transmit the first traffic and prevent transmission of the second traffic, and

one or more instructions to monitor transmission of the first traffic by the LAG link,

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to reactive the disabled LAG link based on a first occurring one of;

the signal condition being within the signal threshold range with respect to the transmission of the first traffic during the second time period, or

expiration of the second time period.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, where the stored instructions further include:

one or more instructions to prevent new traffic from being transmitted by the LAG link, after the LAG link is reactivated, during a third time period.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, where the stored instructions further include:

one or more instructions to reactivate the LAG link prior to the expiration of the second time period and prior to completion of the maintenance based on detecting that more than a particular number of the links in the LAG are disabled during the second time period.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, where the stored instructions further include:

one or more instructions to forward a copy of the second traffic to another LAG link, of the multiple links included in the LAG, for transmission during the second time period.