IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,531,774
Granted Patent B2
US 12,531,774 · App. 18/226,967 · Granted Jan 20, 2026

Fault detection method, network device, and system

Inventors: Zhiyong Li (Beijing, CN); Yaqun Xiao (Beijing, CN); Jianwu Hao (Beijing, CN); Sheng Fang (Beijing, CN); Li Fan (Beijing, CN)
Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
H04L41/0631H04L43/0823H04L45/34
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,531,774
App. No.
18/226,967
Granted
Jan 20, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A fault detection method, a network device, and a system are provided. The method includes: After a first network device receives, through a first forwarding path in an SR policy, a BFD packet that is sent by a second network device and that includes indication information of a SID list, the first network device determines, based on the indication information of the SID list, a second forwarding path that is reversely co-routed with the first forwarding path, and sends a response packet of the BFD packet to the second network device through the second forwarding path, so that the second network device can perform fault detection on the first forwarding path based on the response packet.

Claims (76)

1 . A fault detection method, comprising:

receiving, by a first network device through a first forwarding path in a first segment routing policy (SR policy), a first bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) packet sent by a second network device, wherein the first BFD packet comprises indication information of a first segment identifier list (SID list);

determining, by the first network device, a second forwarding path based on the indication information of the first SID list, wherein the second forwarding path and the first forwarding path are reversely co-routed; and

sending, by the first network device, a first response packet of the first BFD packet to the second network device through the second forwarding path, wherein the first response packet indicates the second network device to perform fault detection on the first forwarding path.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein before the receiving the first BFD packet sent by the second network device, the method further comprises:

generating, by the first network device, the indication information of the first SID list; or

receiving, by the first network device, the indication information of the first SID list sent by the second network device.

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

receiving, by the first network device, a message sent by a control management device, wherein the message comprises the indication information of the first SID list.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the message further comprises indication information of a second SID list, wherein the indication information of the second SID list indicates the first forwarding path, and the indication information of the first SID list indicates the second forwarding path; or the indication information of the second SID list indicates the second forwarding path, and the indication information of the first SID list indicates the first forwarding path.

5 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the message is a border gateway protocol segment routing policy (BGP SR policy) packet that carries the indication information of the first SID list by using a sub type length value (sub-TLV) field.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the indication information of the first SID list indicates a SID list corresponding to the second forwarding path.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the indication information of the first SID list indicates a SID list corresponding to the first forwarding path, and the determining the second forwarding path based on the indication information of the first SID list comprises:

determining, by the first network device, the indication information of the second SID list based on the indication information of the first SID list; and

determining, by the first network device, the second forwarding path based on the indication information of the second SID list.

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

sending, by the first network device, a second BFD packet to the second network device through the second forwarding path in a second SR policy, wherein the second BFD packet comprises indication information of a third SID list, and the indication information of the third SID list indicates the first network device to determine the first forwarding path through which a second response packet of the second BFD packet is sent;

receiving, by the first network device, the second response packet from the first forwarding path; and

performing, by the first network device, fault detection on the second forwarding path based on the second response packet.

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

receiving, by the first network device through a third forwarding path in the first SR policy, a third BFD packet sent by the second network device, wherein the third BFD packet comprises indication information of a fourth SID list, and the third forwarding path is different from the first forwarding path;

determining, by the first network device, a fourth forwarding path based on the indication information of the fourth SID list, wherein the fourth forwarding path and the third forwarding path are reversely co-routed; and

sending, by the first network device, a third response packet of the third BFD packet to the second network device through the fourth forwarding path, wherein the third response packet indicates the second network device to perform fault detection on the third forwarding path.

10 . A fault detection method, comprising:

sending, by a second network device, a bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) packet to a first network device through a first forwarding path in a first segment routing policy (SR policy), wherein the BFD packet comprises indication information of a first segment identifier list (SID list), the indication information of the first SID list indicates the first network device to determine a second forwarding path through which a response packet of the BFD packet is sent, and the second forwarding path and the first forwarding path are reversely co-routed;

receiving, by the second network device, the response packet of the BFD packet from the second forwarding path; and

performing, by the second network device, fault detection on the first forwarding path based on the response packet.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein before the sending the BFD packet to the first network device through the first forwarding path in the first SR policy, the method further comprises:

receiving, by the second network device, the indication information of the first SID list sent by the first network device; or

receiving, by the second network device, the indication information of the first SID list sent by a control management device.

12 . The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:

generating, by the second network device, the indication information of the first SID list.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:

sending, by the second network device, the indication information of the first SID list to a control management device.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the sending the indication information of the first SID list to the control management device comprises:

sending, by the second network device, a border gateway protocol-link state (BGP-LS) packet to the control management device, wherein the BGP-LS packet carries the indication information of the first SID list by using a sub type length value (sub-TLV) field.

15 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the indication information of the first SID list is a path segment or a binding segment identifier (BSID).

16 . A first network device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the first network device to be configured to:

receive through a first forwarding path in a first segment routing policy (SR policy), a first bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) packet sent by a second network device, wherein the first BFD packet comprises indication information of a first segment identifier list (SID list);

determine a second forwarding path based on the indication information of the first SID list, wherein the second forwarding path and the first forwarding path are reversely co-routed; and

send a first response packet of the first BFD packet to the second network device through the second forwarding path, wherein the first response packet indicates the second network device to perform fault detection on the first forwarding path.

17 . The first network device according to claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the first network device to be configured to:

generate the indication information of the first SID list; or

receive the indication information of the first SID list sent by the second network device.

18 . The first network device according to claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the first network device to be configured to:

receive a message sent by a control management device, wherein the message comprises the indication information of the first SID list.

19 . The first network device according to claim 18 , wherein the message further comprises indication information of a second SID list, wherein the indication information of the second SID list indicates the first forwarding path, and the indication information of the first SID list indicates the second forwarding path; or the indication information of the second SID list indicates the second forwarding path, and the indication information of the first SID list indicates the first forwarding path.

20 . The first network device according to claim 18 , wherein the message is a border gateway protocol segment routing policy (BGP SR policy) packet that carries the indication information of the first SID list by using a sub type length value (sub-TLV) field.

21 . The first network device according to claim 16 , wherein the indication information of the first SID list indicates a SID list corresponding to the first forwarding path, and wherein the first network device is further to be configured to:

determine the indication information of the second SID list based on the indication information of the first SID list; and

determine the second forwarding path based on the indication information of the second SID list.

22 . The first network device according to claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the first network device to be configured to:

send a second BFD packet to the second network device through the second forwarding path in a second SR policy, wherein the second BFD packet comprises indication information of a third SID list, and the indication information of the third SID list indicates the first network device to determine the first forwarding path through which a second response packet of the second BFD packet is sent;

receive the second response packet from the first forwarding path; and

perform fault detection on the second forwarding path based on the second response packet.

23 . The first network device according to claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the first network device to be configured to:

receive through a third forwarding path in the first SR policy, a third BFD packet sent by the second network device, wherein the third BFD packet comprises indication information of a fourth SID list, and the third forwarding path is different from the first forwarding path;

determine a fourth forwarding path based on the indication information of the fourth SID list, wherein the fourth forwarding path and the third forwarding path are reversely co-routed; and

send a third response packet of the third BFD packet to the second network device through the fourth forwarding path, wherein the third response packet indicates the second network device to perform fault detection on the third forwarding path.

24 . A second network device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor to store the instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the second network device to be configured to:

send a bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) packet to a first network device through a first forwarding path in a first segment routing policy (SR policy), wherein the BFD packet comprises indication information of a first segment identifier list (SID list), the indication information of the first SID list indicates the first network device to determine a second forwarding path through which a response packet of the BFD packet is sent, and the second forwarding path and the first forwarding path are reversely co-routed;

receive the response packet of the BFD packet from the second forwarding path; and

perform fault detection on the first forwarding path based on the response packet.

25 . The second network device according to claim 24 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the second network device to be configured to:

receive the indication information of the first SID list sent by the first network device; or

receive the indication information of the first SID list sent by a control management device.

26 . The second network device according to claim 24 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the second network device to be configured to:

generate the indication information of the first SID list.

27 . The second network device according to claim 26 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the second network device to be configured to:

send the indication information of the first SID list to a control management device.

28 . The second network device according to claim 27 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the second network device to be configured to:

send a border gateway protocol-link state (BGP-LS) packet to the control management device, wherein the BGP-LS packet carries the indication information of the first SID list by using a sub type length value (sub-TLV) field.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 9, 2025
From: XIAO, YAQUN; FANG, SHENG; FAN, LI
To: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 072523/0420 →
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 9, 2025
From: HAO, JIANWU
To: BEIJING HUAWEI DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD
Reel/Frame 073059/0339 →
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 9, 2025
From: LI, ZHIYONG
To: BEIJING HUAWEI DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD
Reel/Frame 073060/0270 →
Priority Claims (1)
CN 202110128378.X · Jan 29, 2021 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTCN2021141435 · Dec 27, 2021
Related Publication 20230388177A1 · Nov 30, 2023
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