Systems and methods for increasing the multiprotocol label switching stack
First Claim
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1. A multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) system, comprising:
- a plurality of input/output (I/O) ports, at least a portion of which are configurable to facilitate communications with one or more devices; and
one or more processors that are communicatively coupled to the plurality of I/O ports, the one or more processors performing the steps of;
receiving, at a network node, a packet comprising a concatenated label;
responsive to the concatenated label comprising a first placeholder and an identifier that identifies the network node, performing a pop-and-lookup operation;
responsive to the concatenated label comprising no identifier that identifies the network node, keeping the same concatenated label and forwarding the packet to a first forwarding node, the first forwarding node being identified in a most significant position within the concatenated label; and
responsive to the concatenated label comprising an identifier for the network node and a second identifier for a second forwarding node, replacing the identifier for the network node with the second identifier for a second forwarding node and forwarding the packet to the second forwarding node.
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Abstract
Aspects of the present invention include increasing the number of hops that can be specifically defined in a multiprotocol label switching stack. In embodiments of the present invention, a label space can be used to represent two or more labels. In embodiments of the present invention, the label space can be used by concatenating two or more labels and redefining the multiprotocol label switching stack operations and outgoing labels.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) system, comprising:
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a plurality of input/output (I/O) ports, at least a portion of which are configurable to facilitate communications with one or more devices; and one or more processors that are communicatively coupled to the plurality of I/O ports, the one or more processors performing the steps of; receiving, at a network node, a packet comprising a concatenated label; responsive to the concatenated label comprising a first placeholder and an identifier that identifies the network node, performing a pop-and-lookup operation; responsive to the concatenated label comprising no identifier that identifies the network node, keeping the same concatenated label and forwarding the packet to a first forwarding node, the first forwarding node being identified in a most significant position within the concatenated label; and responsive to the concatenated label comprising an identifier for the network node and a second identifier for a second forwarding node, replacing the identifier for the network node with the second identifier for a second forwarding node and forwarding the packet to the second forwarding node. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for multiprotocol label switching (MPLS), the method comprising:
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receiving, at a network node, a packet comprising a concatenated label; responsive to the concatenated label comprising a first placeholder and an identifier that identifies the network node, performing a pop-and-lookup operation; responsive to the concatenated label comprising no identifier that identifies the network node, keeping the same concatenated label and forwarding the packet to a first forwarding node, the first forwarding node being identified in a most significant position within the concatenated label; and
responsive to the concatenated label comprising an identifier for the network node and a second identifier for a second forwarding node, replacing the identifier for the network node with the second identifier for a second forwarding node and forwarding the packet to the second forwarding node. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) system comprising:
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a plurality of input/output (I/O) ports, at least a portion of which are configurable to facilitate communications with one or more devices; a non-transitory memory comprising a table, the table comprising; an incoming concatenated label; an outgoing concatenated label; and a MPLS action, the MPLS action being determined by the incoming label, and the outgoing concatenated label being determined by the incoming concatenated label and the MPLS action; and one or more processors that are communicatively coupled to the plurality of I/O ports, the one or more processors performing the steps of; receiving, at a network node, a packet comprising a concatenated label; responsive to the concatenated label comprising a first placeholder and an identifier that identifies the network node, performing a pop-and-lookup operation; responsive to the concatenated label comprising no identifier that identifies the network node, keeping the same concatenated label and forwarding the packet to a first forwarding node, the first forwarding node being identified in a most significant position within the concatenated label; and responsive to the concatenated label comprising an identifier for the network node and a second identifier for a second forwarding node, replacing the identifier for the network node with the second identifier for a second forwarding node and forwarding the packet to the second forwarding node. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification