IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,537,761
Granted Patent B2
US 12,537,761 · App. 18/762,115 · Granted Jan 27, 2026

Route selection method and related device

Inventors: Ka Zhang (Beijing, CN); Bin Wang (Beijing, CN); Juan Zheng (Nanjing, CN); Li Fan (Beijing, CN); Sheng Fang (Beijing, CN)
Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
H04L45/34H04L45/24H04L45/745
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,537,761
App. No.
18/762,115
Granted
Jan 27, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

This application discloses a route selection method and a related device. A control entity determines first metric information of a first segment routing (SR) path, generates a first border gateway protocol (BGP) update message including the first metric information, and sends the first BGP update message to an ingress node of the first SR path, where the first metric information represents quality of the first SR path, the first metric information is used for route selection on a plurality of paths, each of the plurality of paths has a same IP prefix of a destination node, and the plurality of paths include the first SR path. According to the method, the control entity can send, to the ingress node of the SR path by using the BGP update message, the metric information that represents the quality of the SR path.

Claims (61)

1 . A method of route selection, the method comprising:

determining, by a control entity, first metric information of a first segment routing (SR) path, wherein the first metric information represents quality of the first SR path;

generating, by the control entity, a first border gateway protocol (BGP) update message, wherein the first BGP update message comprises the first metric information, the first metric information is used for route selection on a plurality of paths, each of the plurality of paths has a same internet protocol (IP) prefix of a destination node, and the plurality of paths comprise the first SR path;

sending, by the control entity, the first BGP update message to a first network device, wherein the first network device is an ingress node of the first SR path;

determining, by the control entity, second metric information of a second SR path, wherein the second metric information represents quality of the second SR path;

generating, by the control entity, a second BGP update message, wherein the second BGP update message comprises the second metric information, the second metric information is used for route selection on the plurality of paths, and the plurality of paths comprise the second SR path; and

sending, by the control entity, the second BGP update message to the first network device, wherein the first network device is an ingress node of the second SR path.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein if an egress node of the first SR path is a second network device, and an egress node of the second SR path is a third network device, next hops of routes corresponding to the IP prefix comprise the second network device and the third network device, the plurality of paths comprise a first path and a second path, the first path comprises the first SR path, and the second path comprises the second SR path.

3 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the first network device is connected to a fourth network device, and the first metric information is used by the fourth network device to perform route selection on the plurality of paths.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein if the first path further comprises a first segment path from the fourth network device to the first network device, metric information of the first path comprises the first metric information and third metric information of the first segment path.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein if an egress node of the first SR path and an egress node of the second SR path are both a second network device, a next hop of a route corresponding to the IP prefix comprises the second network device, the plurality of paths comprise a first path and a second path, the first path comprises the first SR path, and the second path comprises the second SR path.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first metric information is used by the first network device to perform route selection on the plurality of paths.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

determining, by the control entity, fourth metric information of a third SR path, wherein the fourth metric information represents quality of the third SR path;

generating, by the control entity, a third BGP update message, wherein the third BGP update message comprises the fourth metric information, the fourth metric information is used for route selection on the plurality of paths, and the plurality of paths comprise the third SR path; and

sending, by the control entity, the third BGP update message to a fifth network device, wherein the fifth network device is an ingress node of the third SR path.

8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein if an egress node of the first SR path is a second network device, and an egress node of the third SR path is a third network device, next hops of routes corresponding to the IP prefix comprise the second network device and the third network device, the plurality of paths comprise a first path and a third path, the first path comprises the first SR path, and the third path comprises the third SR path.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the first network device and the fifth network device are both connected to a fourth network device, and the first metric information is used by the fourth network device to perform route selection on the plurality of paths.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein if the first path further comprises a first segment path from the fourth network device to the first network device, and the third path further comprises a second segment path from the fourth network device to the fifth network device, fifth metric information of the first path comprises the first metric information and sixth metric information of the first segment path, seventh metric information of the third path comprises the fourth metric information and eighth metric information of the second segment path, and the fifth metric information and the seventh metric information are used by the fourth network device to perform route selection on the first path and the third path.

11 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein if a type of the first SR path is a segment routing policy (SR policy), the first BGP update message is a BGP SR policy packet.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein if the first SR path comprises at least one candidate path, the first metric information comprises metric information of a working path in the at least one candidate path.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the first metric information is carried in a candidate path sub-type-length-value (sub-TLV) field corresponding to the working path in the BGP SR policy packet.

14 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the determining, by a control entity, first metric information of a first segment routing (SR) path comprises: obtaining, by the control entity, metric information corresponding to at least one segment list of a working path in the first SR path; and determining, by the control entity, the first metric information based on the metric information corresponding to the at least one segment list.

15 . A method of route selection, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a first network device, a first border gateway protocol (BGP) update message generated by a control entity, wherein the first BGP update message comprises first metric information of a first segment routing (SR) path, and the first metric information represents quality of the first SR path;

performing, by the first network device, route selection on a plurality of paths to a destination node based on the first metric information, wherein each of the plurality of paths has a same internet protocol (IP) prefix of the destination node, and the plurality of paths comprise the first SR path;

obtaining, by the first network device, a second BGP update message generated by the control entity, wherein the second BGP update message comprises second metric information of a second SR path, and the second metric information represents quality of the second SR path; and

wherein the performing, by the first network device, route selection on a plurality of paths to a destination node based on the first metric information comprises: performing, by the first network device, route selection on the plurality of paths to the destination node based on the first metric information and the second metric information, wherein the plurality of paths further comprise the second SR path.

16 . A route selection apparatus, used in a first network device, the apparatus comprising:

a non-transitory memory storing instructions; and

a processor coupled to the non-transitory memory; wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to be configured to:

obtain a first border gateway protocol (BGP) update message generated by a control entity, wherein the first BGP update message comprises first metric information of a first segment routing (SR) path, and the first metric information represents quality of the first SR path;

perform route selection on a plurality of paths to a destination node based on the first metric information, wherein each of the plurality of paths has a same internet protocol (IP) prefix of the destination node, and the plurality of paths comprise the first SR path; and

obtain a second BGP update message generated by the control entity, wherein the second BGP update message comprises second metric information of a second SR path, and the second metric information represents quality of the second SR path, wherein

perform route selection on the plurality of paths to the destination node based on the first metric information and the second metric information, wherein the plurality of paths further comprise the second SR path.

17 . A route selection method, comprising:

obtaining, by a first network device, a first border gateway protocol (BGP) update message generated by a control entity, wherein the first BGP update message comprises first metric information of a first segment routing (SR) path, the first metric information represents quality of the first SR path, the first metric information is used for route selection on a plurality of paths to a destination node, each of the plurality of paths has a same internet protocol (IP) prefix of the destination node, and the plurality of paths comprise the first SR path;

flooding, by the first network device, the first metric information; and

obtaining, by the first network device, a second BGP update message generated by the control entity, wherein the second BGP update message comprises second metric information of a second SR path, and the second metric information represents quality of the second SR path, wherein performing route selection on the plurality of paths to the destination node based on the first metric information and the second metric information, wherein the plurality of paths further comprise the second SR path.

18 . A route selection apparatus, used in a first network device, wherein the apparatus comprises:

a non-transitory memory storing instructions; and

a processor coupled to the non-transitory memory; wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to be configured to:

obtain a first border gateway protocol (BGP) update message generated by a control entity, wherein the first BGP update message comprises first metric information of a first segment routing (SR) path, the first metric information represents quality of the first SR path, the first metric information is used for route selection on a plurality of paths to a destination node, each of the plurality of paths has a same internet protocol (IP) prefix of the destination node, and the plurality of paths comprise the first SR path;

flood the first metric information; and

obtain, by the first network device, a second BGP update message generated by the control entity, wherein the second BGP update message comprises second metric information of a second SR path, and the second metric information represents quality of the second SR path, wherein perform route selection on the plurality of paths to the destination node based on the first metric information and the second metric information, wherein the plurality of paths further comprise the second SR path.

19 . The apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the first metric information comprises at least one of the following information: an interior gateway protocol (IGP) metric, a traffic engineering (TE) metric, a delay, or a packet loss rate.

20 . A route selection apparatus, used in a control entity, the apparatus comprising:

a non-transitory memory storing instructions; and

a processor coupled to the non-transitory memory; wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to be configured to:

determine first metric information of a first segment routing (SR) path, wherein the first metric information represents quality of the first SR path;

generate a first border gateway protocol (BGP) update message, wherein the first BGP update message comprises the first metric information, the first metric information is used for route selection on a plurality of paths, each of the plurality of paths has a same internet protocol (IP) prefix of a destination node, and the plurality of paths comprise the first SR path;

send the first BGP update message to a first network device, wherein the first network device is an ingress node of the first SR path;

determine second metric information of a second SR path, wherein the second metric information represents quality of the second SR path;

generate a second BGP update message, wherein the second BGP update message comprises the second metric information, the second metric information is used for route selection on the plurality of paths, and the plurality of paths comprise the second SR path; and

send the second BGP update message to the first network device, wherein the first network device is an ingress node of the second SR path.

21 . The apparatus according to claim 20 , wherein if an egress node of the first SR path is a second network device, and an egress node of the second SR path is a third network device, next hops of routes corresponding to the IP prefix comprise the second network device and the third network device, the plurality of paths comprise a first path and a second path, the first path comprises the first SR path, and the second path comprises the second SR path.

22 . The apparatus according to claim 20 , wherein if an egress node of the first SR path and an egress node of the second SR path are both a second network device, a next hop of a route corresponding to the IP prefix comprises the second network device, the plurality of paths comprise a first path and a second path, the first path comprises the first SR path, and the second path comprises the second SR path.

23 . The apparatus according to claim 20 , wherein if a type of the first SR path is a segment routing policy (SR policy), the first BGP update message is a BGP SR policy packet.

24 . The apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein if the first SR path comprises at least one candidate path, the first metric information comprises metric information of a working path in the at least one candidate path.

25 . The apparatus according to claim 24 , wherein the first metric information is carried in a candidate path sub-type-length-value (sub-TLV) field corresponding to the working path in the BGP SR policy packet.

26 . The apparatus according to claim 23 , further configured to: obtain metric information corresponding to at least one segment list of a working path in the first SR path; and determine the first metric information based on the metric information corresponding to the at least one segment list.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 10, 2025
From: ZHANG, KA; WANG, BIN; ZHENG, JUAN; FAN, LI; FANG, SHENG
To: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 072536/0042 →
Priority Claims (2)
CN 202210005282.9 · Jan 5, 2022 · national
CN 202210197494.1 · Mar 1, 2022 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTCN2022140543 · Dec 21, 2022
Related Publication 20240356839A1 · Oct 24, 2024
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