Methods, systems, and computer readable media for mitigating traffic storms

• US 9,391,897 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2013
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Sparks, Robert James, Campbell, Ben Allen, McMurry, Sam Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Haile, Awet
• Assistant Examiner(s): KRUEGER, KENT K
• Application Number:
  US13/956,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20150036505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/746 Reaction triggered by a failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1031 Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for mitigating traffic storms are provided herein. In some aspects, a system for mitigating traffic storms includes a traffic storm detector configured to detect an indication of a traffic storm. The system may also include a software defined network (SDN) controller configured to generate and send SDN commands to a controllable network entity for mitigating the traffic storm. In some aspects, a method for mitigating traffic storms includes detecting an indication of a traffic storm, wherein the traffic storm includes a burst of message traffic in a network. The method further includes sending one or more SDN commands to a controllable and/or controlled network entity to mitigate the traffic storm.

Claims

1. A method for mitigating traffic storms, the method comprising:

providing a traffic storm detector at a controlled network entity associated with a first network, wherein the controlled network entity is configured to route message traffic to a first node in the first network;

detecting, at the traffic storm detector, an indication of a traffic storm, wherein the traffic storm includes a burst of message traffic directed towards the controlled network entity;

communicating the indication of the traffic storm to a separate controller that is remotely located with respect to the traffic storm detector;

in response to receiving the indication of the traffic storm at the controller, sending, by the controller, one or more software defined network (SDN) commands to the controlled network entity to mitigate the traffic storm; and

in response to receiving the one or more SDN commands at the controlled network entity, routing some of the message traffic to the first node in the first network and dynamically re-routing at least some of the message traffic to a second node in a second network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlled network entity comprises a switch, a gateway, a registration node, or an addressable data plane entity configured to reroute traffic according to the one or more SDN commands.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises an OpenFlow controller and wherein the controlled network entity comprises an OpenFlow compatible switch.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller includes is a stand-alone node.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller is integrated within a policy and charging rules function (PCRF).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more SDN commands instruct the controlled network entity to dynamically establish a switching path to the second node to mitigate the traffic storm.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second node is an access node associated with the second network or a service node.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second network is a virtual network that is dynamically created and implemented to receive packets.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second network is a pre-existing network offered by an alternate carrier.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more SDN commands partition traffic between the first node in the first network and the second node in the second network based upon a class of traffic, an emergency indicator, a destination, an address, an IP prefix, an IP address, one or more QoS rules, or one or more policy rules.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the traffic storm includes registration traffic following a service outage.

12. A system for mitigating traffic storms, the system comprising:

a traffic storm detector disposed at a controlled network entity for detecting an indication of a traffic storm, wherein the traffic storm comprises a burst of message traffic directed towards the controlled network entity, and wherein the controlled network entity is configured to route message traffic to a first node in a first network; and

a software defined network (SDN) controller configured to receive a communication from the traffic storm detector regarding the indication of the traffic storm, wherein the SDN controller is remotely located with respect to the traffic storm detector, and wherein the SDN controller is configured to generate and send SDN commands to the controlled network entity to mitigate the traffic storm;

wherein, in response to receiving the one or more SDN commands at the controlled network entity, the controlled network entity is configured to route some of the message traffic to the first node in the first network and dynamically re-route at least some of the message traffic to a second node in a second network.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the controlled network entity comprises an OpenFlow compatible switch, a gateway, a registration node, or an addressable data plane entity.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the SDN controller is a stand-alone node.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the SDN controller is integrated with a policy and charging rules function (PCRF).

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the SDN commands instruct the controlled network entity to dynamically establish a switching path to the second node to mitigate the traffic storm.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the second node is an access node associated with the second network or a service node.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the second network is a virtual network that is dynamically created and implemented to receive packets.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the second network is a pre-existing network offered by an alternate carrier.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the SDN commands partition traffic between the first node in the first network and the second node in the second network according to a class of traffic, an emergency indicator, a destination, an address, an IP prefix, an IP address, one or more QoS rules, or one or more policy rules.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the traffic storm includes registration traffic following a service outage.

22. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions embodied in a computer readable medium and when executed by a processor of a computer performs steps comprising:

detecting an indication of a traffic storm via a traffic storm detector provided at a controlled network entity, wherein the controlled network entity is configured to route message traffic to a first node in a first network, and wherein the traffic storm includes a burst of message traffic in the first network directed towards the controlled network entity;

communicating the indication of the traffic storm to a separate controller that is remotely located with respect to the traffic storm detector;

in response to receiving the indication of the traffic storm at the controller, sending, by the controller, one or more software defined network (SDN) commands to the controlled network entity to mitigate the traffic storm; and

in response to receiving the one or more SDN commands at the controlled network entity, routing some of the message traffic to the first node in the first network and dynamically re-routing at least some of the message traffic to a second node in a second network.