Reachability detection in trill networks

• US 8,885,488 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2010
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vobbilisetty, Suresh, Koganti, Phanidhar, Mahajan, Arun
• Primary Examiner(s): HAILE, AWET A
• Application Number:
  US12/950,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20110299409A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: 370/224, 370/241, 370/242, 370/244, 370248-252, 370/401, 709/224
• US Class Current: 370/248
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/66 Layer 2 routing, e.g. in Ethernet based MAN's

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for testing reachability between two nodes within a network. During operation, the system transmits a network-testing request frame from a source node to a destination node, and in response to receiving a network-testing response frame corresponding to the request frame, the system determines reachability of the destination node. The network-testing request or response frame is not processed on an Internet Protocol (IP) layer.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

processing a command to test reachability in a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) network, wherein the command specifies a type of layer two or layer three network operating on top of the TRILL network;

generating a network-test request flame based at least on the specified type of layer two or layer three network operating on top of the TRILL network and an address of a destination node;

transmitting a network testing request frame from a source node to a destination node; and

in response to a network-testing response frame corresponding to the network-testing request frame, determining reachability of the destination node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network-testing request frame or the network-testing response frame includes an Ethernet frame.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the Ethernet frame includes a field which indicates that the Ethernet frame is an Operation, Administration, and Management (OAM) frame.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the network-testing request frame or the network-testing response frame is a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) frame.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the network-testing request frame or the network-testing response frame includes TRILL headers comprising an address of the destination node in an outer media access control (MAC) destination address (DA) field.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the network-testing request frame or the network-testing response frame includes TRILL headers and an encapsulated Ethernet frame, and wherein an Ethertype field of the encapsulated Ethernet frame specifies that the network-testing request frame or the network-testing response frame is a TRILL OAM frame.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the encapsulated Ethernet frame includes a TRILL OAM header field.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the TRILL OAM header field includes an operation code (opcode) field, and wherein the opcode field specifies whether a TRILL OAM frame is a request frame or a response frame.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the TRILL OAM header field includes a transaction identifier, and wherein the network-testing request frame and the corresponding network-testing response frame have the same transaction identifier.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a round trip time between the time when the network-testing request frame is transmitted and the time when the network-testing response frame is received.

11. A switch, comprising:

a processing mechanism configured to process a command to test reachability in a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) network, wherein the command specifies a type of layer two or layer three network operating on top of the TRILL network;

a packet generator configured to generate a network-test request flame based at least on the specified type of layer two or layer three network operating on top of the TRILL network and an address of a destination node; and

a transmission mechanism configured to transmit a network testing request frame from a source node to a destination node; and

a determination mechanism configured to determine, in response to receiving the network-testing response frame corresponding to the network-testing request frame, reachability of the destination node.

12. The switch of claim 11, wherein the network-testing request frame or the network-testing response frame includes an Ethernet frame.

13. The switch of claim 11, wherein the Ethernet frame includes a field which indicates that the Ethernet frame is an Operation, Administration, and Management (OAM) frame.

14. The switch of claim 11, wherein the network-testing request frame or the network-testing response frame is a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) frame.

15. The switch of claim 14, wherein the network-testing request frame or the network-testing response frame includes TRILL headers comprising an address of the destination node in an outer media access control (MAC) destination address (DA) field.

16. The switch of claim 14, wherein the network-testing request or response frame includes TRILL headers and an encapsulated Ethernet frame, and wherein an Ethertype field of the encapsulated Ethernet frame specifies that the network-testing request frame or the network-testing response frame is a TRILL OAM frame.

17. The switch of claim 16, wherein the encapsulated Ethernet frame includes a TRILL OAM header field.

18. The switch of claim 17, wherein the TRILL OAM header field includes an operation code (opcode) field, and wherein the opcode field specifies whether a TRILL OAM frame is a request frame or a response frame.

19. The switch of claim 17, wherein the TRILL OAM header field includes a transaction identifier, and wherein the network-testing request frame and the corresponding network-testing response frame have the same transaction identifier.

20. The switch of claim 11, further comprising a round trip time calculator configured to calculate the round trip time between the time when the network-testing request frame is transmitted and the time when the network-testing response frame is received.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

means for processing a command to test reachability in a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) network, wherein the command specifies a type of layer two or layer three network operating on top of the TRILL network;

means for generating a network-test request frame based at least on the specified type of layer two or layer three network operating on top of the TRILL network and an address of a destination node;

means for transmitting a network testing request frame from a source node to a destination node; and

means for, in response to a network-testing response frame corresponding to the network-testing request frame, determining reachability of the destination node.