IP Library Granted Patent US 12,368,612
Granted Patent B2
US 12,368,612 · App. 18/418,621 · Granted Jul 22, 2025

Service-based transport classes for mapping services to tunnels

Inventors: Kaliraj Vairavakkalai (Fremont, CA); Natrajan Venkataraman (Sunnyvale, CA); Balaji Rajagopalan (Bangalore, IN); Vasudevan Navaneetha Krishnan (Bangalore, IN)
Assignee: Juniper Networks, Inc.
H04L12/4633H04L45/302H04L45/745H04L47/193H04L47/2408H04L67/75
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,368,612
App. No.
18/418,621
Granted
Jul 22, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for disseminating network service-specific mapping information across administrative domains. In one example, a network device receives an indication of a route target and one or more underlay tunnels configured to support a service route. The service route is configured to transport network traffic associated with a first network service of a plurality of network services. The network device defines, based on the indication, a first transport class of a plurality of transport classes. The network device receives a service route for the first network service and stores a correspondence between the service route and the first transport class. The network device receives network traffic associated with the first network service and forwards, based on the correspondence, the network traffic along the underlay tunnels specified by the first transport class.

Claims (64)

1. A method comprising:

storing, by processing circuitry of a network device, data indicative of a first transport class of a plurality of transport classes, wherein the first transport class is a service-specific group associated with a route target and that specifies one or more underlay tunnels of a first administrative domain as belonging to the service-specific group, and wherein the route target associated with the first transport class is different from route targets associated with each other transport class of the plurality of transport classes, wherein the network device comprises a border node at a border of the first administrative domain and a second administrative domain;

storing, by the processing circuitry, an association between a service route and the first transport class to enable stitching together the one or more underlay tunnels of the first administrative domain with one or more underlay tunnels of the second administrative domain that also belong to the service-specific group;

receiving, by the processing circuitry, network traffic associated with a network service via the one or more underlay tunnels of the second administrative domain;

identifying, by the processing circuitry, the network traffic associated with the network service as being associated with the service route; and

forwarding, by the processing circuitry and based on the association between the service route and the first transport class, the network traffic associated with the network service along the one or more underlay tunnels of the first administrative domain specified by the first transport class.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, by the processing circuitry, the service route, wherein the service route specifies a mapping community;

determining, by the processing circuitry, a correspondence of the mapping community of the service route to a first transport Routing Information Base (RIB) of the first transport class of the plurality of transport classes, the first transport RIB being one of a plurality of transport RIBs, wherein each transport RIB of the plurality of transport RIBs corresponds to a transport class of the plurality of transport classes; and

storing, by the processing circuitry and based on the correspondence of the mapping community of the service route to the first transport RIB, the association between the service route and the first transport class of the plurality of transport classes.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein storing, based on the correspondence of the mapping community of the service route to the route target of the first transport class of the plurality of transport classes, the association between the service route and the first transport class of the plurality of transport classes comprises:

installing a transport route for the service route in the first transport RIB, and

wherein forwarding, based on the association between the service route and the first transport class of the plurality of transport classes, the network traffic associated with the network service along the one or more underlay tunnels specified by the first transport class comprises:

forwarding, based on the transport route for the service route specified by the first transport RIB of the plurality of transport RIBs, the network traffic associated with the network service to a protocol next hop (PNH) for the network service.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein forwarding the network traffic associated with the network service to the PNH for the network service comprises:

obtaining, from a forwarding information base (FIB), a next hop for the PNH; and

forwarding the network traffic associated with the network service to the next hop for the PNH.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network device comprises a first network device, the method further comprising receiving, by the processing circuitry and via a first routing protocol message from a second network device, data indicating the route target and the one or more underlay tunnels.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first routing protocol message comprises a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) message.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising in response to receiving the first routing protocol message, outputting, by the processing circuitry and to a network device, a second routing protocol message specifying the route target and the one or more underlay tunnels.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first routing protocol message further specifies data indicating a route distinguisher, and

wherein the first transport class comprises the route distinguisher and the route target and specifies the one or more underlay tunnels.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first routing protocol message further specifies data indicating a color of the one or more underlay tunnels, and

wherein the first transport class comprises the route target and specifies the one or more underlay tunnels and the color of the one or more underlay tunnels.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, by the processing circuitry, fallback resolution information specifying an order in which to use the one or more underlay tunnels specified by the first transport class.

11. A network device comprising processing circuitry, the network device configured to:

store data indicative of a first transport class of a plurality of transport classes, wherein the first transport class is a service-specific group associated with a route target and that specifies one or more underlay tunnels of a first administrative domain as belonging to the service-specific group, and wherein the route target associated with the first transport class is different from route targets associated with each other transport class of the plurality of transport classes, wherein the network device comprises a border node at a border of the first administrative domain and a second administrative domain;

store an association between a service route and the first transport class to enable stitching together the one or more underlay tunnels of the first administrative domain with one or more underlay tunnels of the second administrative domain that also belong to the service-specific group;

receive network traffic associated with a network service via one or more underlay tunnels of the second administrative domain;

identify the network traffic associated with the network service as being associated with the service route; and

forward, based on the association between the service route and the first transport class, the network traffic associated with the network service along the one or more underlay tunnels of the first administrative domain specified by the first transport class.

12. The network device of claim 11 , wherein the network device comprises a first network device and is further configured to:

receive, from a second network device, the service route, wherein the service route specifies a mapping community;

determine a correspondence of the mapping community of the service route to a first transport Routing Information Base (RIB) of the first transport class of the plurality of transport classes, the first transport RIB being one of a plurality of transport RIBs, wherein each transport RIB of the plurality of transport RIBs corresponds to a transport class of the plurality of transport classes; and

store, based on the correspondence of the mapping community of the service route to the first transport RIB, the association between the service route and the first transport class of the plurality of transport classes.

13. The network device of claim 12 ,

wherein to store, based on the correspondence of the mapping community of the service route to the route target of the first transport class of the plurality of transport classes, the association between the service route and the first transport class of the plurality of transport classes, the network device is configured to:

install a transport route for the service route in the first transport RIB, and

wherein to forward, based on the association between the service route and the first transport class of the plurality of transport classes, the network traffic associated with the network service along the one or more underlay tunnels specified by the first transport class, the network device is configured to:

forward, based on the transport route for the service route specified by the first transport RIB of the plurality of transport RIBs, the network traffic associated with the network service to a protocol next hop (PNH) for the network service.

14. The network device of claim 13 , wherein to forward the network traffic associated with the network service to the PNH for the network service, the network device is configured to:

obtain, from a forwarding information base (FIB), a next hop for the PNH; and

forward the network traffic associated with the network service to the next hop for the PNH.

15. The network device of claim 11 , wherein the network device comprises a first network device, and wherein the first network device is configured to receive, via a routing protocol message from a second network device, data indicating the route target and the one or more underlay tunnels.

16. The network device of claim 15 , wherein the routing protocol message further specifies data indicating a route distinguisher, and

wherein the first transport class comprises the route distinguisher and the route target and specifies the one or more underlay tunnels.

17. The network device of claim 15 , wherein the routing protocol message further specifies data indicating a color of the one or more underlay tunnels, and

wherein the first transport class comprises the route target and specifies the one or more underlay tunnels and the color of the one or more underlay tunnels.

18. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising encoded instructions for causing processing circuitry of a network device to:

store data indicative of a first transport class of a plurality of transport classes, wherein the first transport class is a service-specific group associated with a route target and that specifies one or more underlay tunnels of a first administrative domain as belonging to the service-specific group, and wherein the route target associated with the first transport class is different from route targets associated with each other transport class of the plurality of transport classes, wherein the network device comprises a border node at a border of the first administrative domain and a second administrative domain;

store an association between a service route and the first transport class to enable stitching together the one or more underlay tunnels of the first administrative domain with one or more underlay tunnels of the second administrative domain that also belong to the service-specific group;

receive network traffic associated with a network service via one or more underlay tunnels of the second administrative domain;

identify the network traffic associated with the network service as being associated with the service route; and

forward, based on the association between the service route and the first transport class, the network traffic associated with the network service along the one or more underlay tunnels of the first administrative domain specified by the first transport class.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 18 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

receive, from another network device, the service route, wherein the service route specifies a mapping community;

determine a correspondence of the mapping community of the service route to a first transport Routing Information Base (RIB) of the first transport class of the plurality of transport classes, the first transport RIB being one of a plurality of transport RIBs, wherein each transport RIB of the plurality of transport RIBs corresponds to a transport class of the plurality of transport classes; and

store, based on the correspondence of the mapping community of the service route to the first transport RIB, the association between the service route and the first transport class of the plurality of transport classes.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 19 ,

wherein to store, based on the correspondence of the mapping community of the service route to the route target of the first transport class of the plurality of transport classes, the association between the service route and the first transport class of the plurality of transport classes, the processing circuitry is configured to:

install a transport route for the service route in the first transport RIB, and

wherein to forward, based on the association between the service route and the first transport class of the plurality of transport classes, the network traffic associated with the network service along the one or more underlay tunnels specified by the first transport class, the processing circuitry is configured to:

forward, based on the transport route for the service route specified by the first transport RIB of the plurality of transport RIBs, the network traffic associated with the network service to a protocol next hop (PNH) for the network service.

Assignments (2)
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded May 6, 2026
From: JUNIPER NETWORKS, INC.
To: HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT LP
Reel/Frame 075513/0034 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 3, 2025
From: VAIRAVAKKALAI, KALIRAJ; VENKATARAMAN, NATRAJAN; RAJAGOPALAN, BALAJI; KRISHNAN, VASUDEVAN NAVANEETHA
To: JUNIPER NETWORKS, INC.
Reel/Frame 072790/0854 →
Priority Claims (1)
IN 202041008536 · Feb 28, 2020 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation 16836457 · Mar 31, 2020
Related Publication 20240267257A1 · Aug 8, 2024
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