IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,870,684
Granted Patent B2
US 11,870,684 · App. 17/903,200 · Granted Jan 9, 2024

Micro-loop avoidance in networks

Inventors: Sami Boutros (Union City, CA); Sowmya Chandran (San Jose, CA); Ram Parameswaran (San Jose, CA); Arun Prakash (Santa Clara, CA); Muthurajah Sivabalan (Kanata, CA)
Assignee: Ciena Corporation
H04L45/28H04L45/023H04L45/22
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,870,684
App. No.
17/903,200
Granted
Jan 9, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for micro-loop avoidance include detecting a remote link failure in a network and identifying an associated Point of Local Repair (PLR); determining destinations in the network that are impacted due to the remote link failure; and installing of a temporary tunnel to the PLR. The steps can further include sending traffic destined for nodes impacted by the remote link failure via the temporary tunnel to the PLR. The temporary tunnel can be implemented by a node Segment Identifier (SID) for the PLR.

Claims (35)

1. A node configured for micro-loop avoidance, the node comprising:

a plurality of ports and switching circuitry configured to switch packets between the plurality of ports, and a controller configured to

detect a remote link failure in a network and identify an associated Point of Local Repair (PLR),

determine destinations in the network that are impacted due to the remote link failure, and

cause installation of a temporary tunnel to the PLR that is located adjacent to the remote link failure, wherein the temporary tunnel forwards traffic for the determined destinations to the PLR which reroutes the traffic via a loop-free backup path.

2. The node of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of ports and the switching circuitry are configured to send traffic destined for nodes impacted by the remote link failure via the temporary tunnel to the PLR.

3. The node of claim 1 , wherein the temporary tunnel is implemented by a node Segment Identifier (SID) for the PLR.

4. The node of claim 1 , wherein the temporary tunnel is implemented for a predetermined time period, and wherein the controller is further configured to

delete the temporary tunnel upon expiry of the predetermined time, wherein the predetermined time is selected to ensure convergence at nodes in the network.

5. The node of claim 1 , wherein the node has a delay timer for updating its routing table and the delay timer is less than any delay timer at the PLR.

6. The node of claim 1 , wherein the PLR implements RFC 8333 micro-loop avoidance on packets received via the temporary tunnel.

7. The node of claim 1 , wherein the remote link failure is identified by Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) flooding and the PLR is identified as closest to the remote link failure.

8. The node of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to implement a heuristic to identify which traffic was impacted by the remote link failure.

9. A method implemented by a node for micro-loop avoidance, the method comprising steps of:

detecting a remote link failure in a network and identifying an associated Point of Local Repair (PLR);

determining destinations in the network that are impacted due to the remote link failure; and

installing a temporary tunnel to the PLR that is located adjacent to the remote link failure, wherein the temporary tunnel forwards traffic for the determined destinations to the PLR which reroutes the traffic via a loop-free backup path.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the steps further include

sending traffic destined for nodes impacted by the remote link failure via the temporary tunnel to the PLR.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the temporary tunnel is implemented by a node Segment Identifier (SID) for the PLR.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the temporary tunnel is implemented for a predetermined time period, and wherein the steps further include

deleting the temporary tunnel upon expiry of the predetermined time, wherein the predetermined time is selected to ensure convergence at nodes in the network.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the node has a delay timer for updating its routing table and the delay timer is less than any delay timer at the PLR.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the PLR implements RFC 8333 micro-loop avoidance on packets received via the temporary tunnel.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the remote link failure is identified by Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) flooding and the PLR is identified as closest to the remote link failure.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for programming a node to perform steps of:

detecting a remote link failure in a network and identifying an associated Point of Local Repair (PLR);

determining destinations in the network that are impacted due to the remote link failure; and

installing a temporary tunnel to the PLR that is located adjacent to the remote link failure, wherein the temporary tunnel forwards traffic for the determined destinations to the PLR which reroutes the traffic via a loop-free backup path.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the steps further include

sending traffic destined for nodes impacted by the remote link failure via the temporary tunnel to the PLR.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the temporary tunnel is implemented by a node Segment Identifier (SID) for the PLR.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the temporary tunnel is implemented for a predetermined time period, and wherein the steps further include

deleting the temporary tunnel upon expiry of the predetermined time, wherein the predetermined time is selected to ensure convergence at nodes in the network.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the node has a delay timer for updating its routing table and the delay timer is less than any delay timer at the PLR.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 6, 2022
From: BOUTROS, SAMI; CHANDRAN, SOWMYA; PARAMESWARAN, RAM; PRAKASH, ARUN; SIVABALAN, MUTHURAJAH
To: CIENA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 060994/0738 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63242318 · Sep 9, 2021
Related Publication 20230071325A1 · Mar 9, 2023