Router methods and apparatus for managing memory for network overlay routes with fallback route support prioritization

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, at a router, a network overlay route as a candidate network overlay route for storage in a memory, wherein the memory stores a plurality of network overlay routes for forwarding user plane traffic in a network;

performing an assessment for storage of the candidate network overlay route based on a priority level indicator of the candidate network overlay route, the priority level indicator being indicative of a fallback route support level of the candidate network overlay route in the router, wherein the priority level indicator of the candidate network overlay route is based on a route type of the candidate network overlay route, wherein performing the assessment for storage of the candidate network overlay route based on the priority level indicator of the candidate network overlay route comprises:

determining a route type of the candidate network overlay route, and

identifying the priority level indicator of the candidate network overlay route based on the determined route type and a mapping between a plurality of route types and a plurality of priority level indicators, wherein each route type of the plurality of route types is associated with a respective one of the plurality of priority level indicators in accordance with a respective fallback route support level of the route type; and

performing, based on the assessment, at least one of the following: adding the candidate network overlay route to the memory and refraining from adding the candidate network overlay route to the memory.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein adding the candidate network overlay route further comprises:

removing one of the plurality of network overlay routes from the memory and adding the candidate network overlay route to the memory based on the assessment, which includes identifying that the priority level indicator of the candidate network overlay route has a greater priority than the priority level indicator of a removed network overlay route indicative of the fallback route support level in the router.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein refraining from adding the candidate network overlay route further comprises:

refraining from adding the candidate network overlay route to the memory based on the assessment comprising identifying that the priority level indicator of the candidate network overlay route has a lesser priority than the priority level indicator of a removed network overlay route.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

maintaining an access to the mapping between the plurality of route types and the plurality of priority level indicators.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of route types comprises a default route type, a prefix redirection route type, and one or more level route types.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the assessment for storage of the candidate route is further based on the priority level indicator of the candidate network overlay route relative to at least some of priority level indicators associated with at least some of the plurality of network overlay routes.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of stored network overlay routes is associated with a route usage level indicator, and wherein performing the assessment is further based on at least some of route usage level indicators associated with at least some of the plurality of stored network overlay routes.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of stored network overlay routes is associated with a route age level indicator, and wherein performing the assessment is further based on at least some of the route age level indicators associated with at least some of the plurality of stored network overlay routes.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network comprises fallback routes, wherein the fallback routes are for use in forwarding user plane traffic when the network is compromised.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying a state of a memory space of the memory; and

performing the assessment in response to identifying the state of the memory state.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the state is indicative of a memory full or near full.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network comprises an endpoint-to-router address mapping.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the memory comprises a high-speed memory comprising one of the following: a ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM) and a static random access memory (SRAM).

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein a network overlay protocol of the network comprises one of the following: a Locator ID/Separation Protocol (LISP), a Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN), an Enhanced Virtual Private Network (EVPN), and a Identifier Locator Addressing (ILA).

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

repeating performing the assessment to optimize fallback route support in the router.

16. A router device comprising:

a memory for storing a plurality of network overlay routes for forwarding user plane traffic in a network;

a processor connected to the memory, the processor being configured to:

obtain a network overlay route as a candidate network overlay route for storage in the memory;

perform an assessment for storage of the candidate network overlay route, based at least on a priority level indicator of the candidate network overlay route, the priority level indicator indicative of a fallback route support level relative to at least some priority level indicators of at least some of the stored network overlay routes indicative of their fallback route support levels in the router device, wherein the priority level indicator of the candidate network overlay route is based on a route type of the candidate network overlay route, wherein the processor being configured to perform the assessment for storage of the candidate network overlay route based on the priority level indicator of the candidate network overlay route comprises the processor being configured to:

determine a route type of the candidate network overlay route; and

identify the priority level indicator of the candidate network overlay route based on the determined route type and a mapping between a plurality of route types and a plurality of priority level indicators, wherein each route type of the plurality of route types is associated with a respective one of the plurality of priority level indicators in accordance with a respective fallback route support level of the route type; and

perform, based on the assessment at least one of the following: add the candidate network overlay route to the memory and refrain from adding the candidate network overlay route to the memory.

17. The router device of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

identify a state of a memory space of the memory; and

perform, further based on the identified state of the memory space one of the following: add the candidate network overlay route to the memory and refrain from adding the candidate network overlay route to the memory.

18. The router device of claim 16 , wherein each of the plurality of network overlay routes is associated with a route usage level indicator, and wherein the processor is further configured to perform the assessment further based on at least some of the route usage level indicators associated with at least some of the stored network overlay routes.

19. The router device of claim 16 , wherein the processor maintains access to the mapping between the plurality of route types and the plurality of priority level indicators.

20. The router device of claim 16 , wherein the memory comprises a high-speed memory comprising one of the following: a ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM) and a static random access memory (SRAM).