Load Balancing Based on TRILL

1 . A method for load balancing based on Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL), wherein said method comprises:

acquiring, by a routing bridge (RB), all current medium access control (MAC) addresses within each virtual local area network (VLAN) on a link where the RB is located, and wherein:

if said RB is selected as a designated routing bridge (DRB), distributing by said RB all the current MAC addresses acquired within each VLAN between said RB and other RBs on the same link according to a preset distribution rule, and notifying said other RBs to be responsible for forwarding of messages having a specified MAC address and VLAN; wherein said MAC addresses are the MAC addresses of the host devices on the link where said RB is located;

if said RB is a common RB, said RB receiving a notification sent by a DRB and learning that it is responsible for forwarding of messages having a MAC address and VLAN specified in said notification; and

upon receiving a message sent by a host device, said RB determining whether said message is a message it is responsible for forwarding according to the VLAN and the MAC address of the host device carried by the message; if yes, said RB forwards said message; and if no, said RB discards said message.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein when said RB senses a change of MAC address within a VLAN, after said RB acquires all the current MAC addresses within each VLAN on a link where the RB locates, said method further comprises: re-acquiring by said RB the MAC addresses within said VLAN on the link where the RB locates, as the current MAC addresses of said VLAN.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein sensing by said RB a change of MAC address within a VLAN comprises:

setting by said RB an aging time, and when a message with a MAC address in a VLAN is not received within said aging time, initiating by said RB an aging procedure to delete said MAC address.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said notifying other RBs to be responsible for forwarding of messages having a specified MAC address and VLAN is carried out by:

sending by the RB a TRILL Hello message to notify said other RBs to be responsible for forwarding of messages having a specified MAC address and VLAN; wherein said TRILL Hello message carries a VLAN, a routing bridge name (RB Nickname) and an MAC address.

5 . A load balancing routing bridge (RB) based on Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL), wherein said RB comprises an acquisition module, a distribution module, a notification module, a receiving module and a determining module;

wherein said acquisition module is to acquire all current medium access control (MAC) addresses within each virtual local area network (VLAN) on a link where said RB is located, wherein said MAC addresses are the MAC addresses of the host devices on the link where said RB is located;

wherein if said RB is selected as a designated routing bridge (DRB), said distribution module is to distribute all the current MAC addresses acquired within each VLAN by said acquisition module between said RB and other RBs on the same link as said RB according to a preset distribution rule;

wherein said notification module is to notify other RBs to be responsible for forwarding of messages having a specified MAC address and VLAN; said specified MAC address and VLAN for each RB being determined by the distribution of MAC addresses by said distribution module;

and if said RB is a common RB, said receiving module is to receive a notification sent by a DRB and learn that it is responsible for forwarding of messages having a MAC address and VLAN specified by said notification; and

wherein said determining module is to, upon receiving a message sent by a host device, determine whether said message is a message which said RB is responsible for forwarding according to the VLAN and the MAC address of the host device carried by the message; if yes, then forward said message; and if no, then discard said message.

6 . The RB of claim 5 , wherein said acquisition module is further to re-acquire the MAC addresses within a VLAN on the link where it locates as the current MAC addresses of said VLAN when it senses a change of MAC address within said VLAN.

7 . The RB of claim 6 , wherein said RB further comprises an aging module; wherein said aging module is to set an aging time for an MAC address acquired in each VLAN by said acquisition module, and when a message with an MAC address in a VLAN is not received within said aging time by said acquisition module, said aging module initiates an aging procedure to notify said acquisition module to delete said MAC addresses; wherein after receiving the notification sent by said aging module, said acquisition module deletes said MAC addresses.

8 . The RB of claim 5 ,wherein said notification module is to send a TRILL Hello message to notify other RBs to be responsible for forwarding of messages having a specified MAC address and VLAN; wherein said TRILL Hello message carries a VLAN, a routing bridge name (RB Nickname) and an MAC address.

9 . A method for load balancing based on Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL), wherein said method comprises:

distributing all medium access control (MAC) addresses within each virtual local area network (VLAN) between a plurality of routing bridges (RBs) so that a message from said VLAN can be forwarded by a respective one of said plurality of RBs.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein said distributing is carried out by a RB that is selected as a designated routing bridge (DRB) from said plurality of RBs and wherein said plurality of RBs are located on a link where said VLAN is.