System and method for enhancing network stability by selectively controlling adjacency formation

• US 8,953,470 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2011
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tran, Thuan Van, Savage, Donnie Van, Slice, Donald Earl Jr., Moore, Steven Edward, Yang, Yi, Ng, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH TRANG T
• Application Number:
  US13/269,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20120026911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/252
• 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 45/123 Evaluation of link metrics techniques for monitoring network metrics H04L43/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating connecting a switch to a network to improve network performance. In an illustrative embodiment, the system includes a first module for determining when the switch is initially connected to a network and providing a signal in response thereto. A second module selectively forms adjacencies with peers of the switch in response to the signal and based on one or more predetermined parameters. In a more specific embodiment, the switch is a router or Layer-3 (L3) switch. The one or more predetermined parameters include a load factor, values pertaining to capabilities of a processor included in the router, bandwidth capabilities of the interface and/or the router, internal router queue counts, and so on. The router employs a routing protocol such as Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP). The second module throttles and adjacency-formation rate based on the predetermined parameters.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a switch, an initial connection between the switch and a network;

in response to detecting the initial connection between the switch and the network, providing a signal;

determining one or more characteristics of the switch, the network, or an interface to which the switch is connected;

determining an adjacency-forming rate based on the one or more determined characteristics, wherein the adjacency-forming rate is a rate at which adjacency-forming messages are sent by the switch; and

selectively forming adjacencies between the switch and a plurality of peers of the switch in response to the signal and based on the adjacency-forming rate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adjacencies between the switch and one or more of the plurality of peers of the switch are periodically formed at intervals determined based on the adjacency-forming rate.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a number of adjacencies formed at each interval is determined based on the adjacency-forming rate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein an adjacency between the switch and a peer of the switch is formed in response to an adjacency-forming message sent by the switch to the peer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein adjacencies between the switch and one or more subsets of the plurality of peers of the switch are periodically formed at intervals determined based on the adjacency-forming rate, and wherein a number of peers included in each subset is determined based on the adjacency-forming rate.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting the adjacency-forming rate based on one or more characteristics of the switch, the network, or of the interface to which the switch is connected; and

selectively forming adjacencies between the switch and a plurality of peers of the switch based on the adjusted adjacency-forming rate.

7. A switch comprising:

a module configured to;

detect an initial connection between the switch and a network; and

in response to detecting the initial connection between the switch and the network, provide a signal; and

one or more processors configured to;

determine one or more characteristics of the switch, the network, or of an interface to which the switch is connected,

determine an adjacency-forming rate based on the one or more determined characteristics, wherein the adjacency-forming rate is a rate at which adjacency-forming messages are sent by the switch, and

selectively form adjacencies between the switch and a plurality of peers of the switch in response to the signal and based on the adjacency-forming rate.

8. The switch of claim 7, wherein adjacencies between the switch and one or more of the plurality of peers of the switch are periodically formed at intervals determined based on the adjacency-forming rate.

9. The switch of claim 8, wherein a number of adjacencies formed at each interval is determined based on the adjacency-forming rate.

10. The switch of claim 7, wherein an adjacency between the switch and a peer of the switch is formed in response to an adjacency-forming message sent by the switch to the peer.

11. The switch of claim 7, wherein adjacencies between the switch and one or more subsets of the plurality of peers of the switch are periodically formed at intervals determined based on the adjacency-forming rate, and wherein a number of peers included in each subset is determined based on the adjacency-forming rate.

12. The switch of claim 7, further comprising:

adjusting the adjacency-forming rate based on one or more characteristics of the switch, the network, or of the interface to which the switch is connected; and

selectively forming adjacencies between the switch and a plurality of peers of the switch based on the adjusted adjacency-forming rate.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more processing devices which, upon such execution, cause the one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising:

detecting, by a switch, an initial connection between the switch and a network;

in response to detecting the initial connection between the switch and the network, providing a signal;

determining one or more characteristics of the switch, the network, or an interface to which the switch is connected;

determining an adjacency-forming rate based on the one or more determined characteristics, wherein the adjacency-forming rate is a rate at which adjacency-forming messages are sent by the switch; and

selectively forming adjacencies between the switch and a plurality of peers of the switch in response to the signal and based on the adjacency-forming rate.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein adjacencies between the switch and one or more of the plurality of peers of the switch are periodically formed at intervals determined based on the adjacency-forming rate.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein a number of adjacencies formed at each interval is determined based on the adjacency-forming rate.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein an adjacency between the switch and a peer of the switch is formed in response to an adjacency-forming message sent by the switch to the peer, and wherein the adjacency-forming rate is a rate at which adjacency-forming messages are sent by the switch.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein adjacencies between the switch and one or more subsets of the plurality of peers of the switch are periodically formed at intervals determined based on the adjacency-forming rate.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions executable by the one or more processing devices which, upon such execution, cause the one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising:

adjusting the adjacency-forming rate based on one or more characteristics of the switch, the network, or of the interface to which the switch is connected; and

selectively forming adjacencies between the switch and a plurality of peers of the switch based on the adjusted adjacency-forming rate.