Routing packets in a ring communication network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10938964-B2
Application number	US-201815912512-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2018
Priority date	Mar 5, 2018
Publication date	Mar 2, 2021
Grant date	Mar 2, 2021

Abstract

A packet communication method that generates a header that includes information to route a packet through a ring communication network is described. The header can include a target node identifier that identifies a target node to which the packet is to travel, and a direction identifier that identifies a direction to be traversed by the packet through the ring communication network. In some embodiments, the direction indicated by the direction identifier can be clockwise or counter-clockwise relative to a starting node from which the packet is to travel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A packet communication method, comprising:
generating, by a starting node, a header for a packet, the header includes information to route the packet through a ring communication network that comprises nodes in a ring-shaped topology, wherein the header includes at least:
one or more target node identifiers that identify one or more target nodes to which the packet is to travel,
one or more direction identifiers that identify one or more directions to be traversed by the packet through the ring communication network, wherein each of the one or more target node identifiers and the one or more direction identifiers is associated with an index value,
a first field includes a value that describes a total of a number of the one or more target node identifiers and a number of the one or more direction identifiers, and
a second field that includes a last index value associated with a last identifier in a list of the one or more target node identifiers and the one or more direction identifiers; and

transmitting, by the starting node, the packet to another node.

2. The packet communication method of claim 1 , wherein a direction identified by the one or more direction identifiers is clockwise.

3. The packet communication method of claim 1 , wherein a direction identified by the one or more direction identifiers is counter-clockwise.

4. The packet communication method of claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more direction identifiers has a unique value within the ring communication network.

5. The packet communication method of claim 1 , wherein the header includes a segment routing header (SRH).

6. A packet communication method, comprising:
receiving, by a node from a starting node, a first packet comprising a first header that includes information to route the first packet through a ring communication network;
wherein the first header includes one or more target node identifiers that identify one or more target nodes to which the first packet is to travel,
wherein the first header includes one or more direction identifiers that identify one or more directions to be traversed by the first packet through the ring communication network;
wherein each of the one or more target node identifiers and the one or more direction identifiers is associated with an index value,
wherein the first header comprises a first field that includes a value that describes a total of a number of the one or more target node identifiers and a number of the one or more direction identifiers, and
wherein the first header comprises a second field that includes a last index value associated with a last identifier in a list of the one or more target node identifiers and the one or more direction identifiers;

determining, by the node, that the first header includes a direction identifier and that a target node identifier included in the first header is same as an identifier of the node; and
generating, by the node after the determining, a second packet to transmit to the starting node that sent the first packet.

7. The packet communication method of claim 6 , wherein
the direction identifier identifies a first direction to be traversed by the first packet through the ring communication network, and
the target node identifier identifies a target node to which the first packet is to travel.

8. The packet communication method of claim 7 , wherein the second packet comprises a second header that includes:
a second direction identifier that identifies a second direction to be traversed by the second packet through the ring communication network, wherein the second direction opposite to the first direction identified by the first packet, and
a starting node identifier that identifies the starting node to which the second packet is to travel.

9. The packet communication method of claim 8 , wherein the direction identifier and the second direction identifier have unique values within the ring communication network.

10. The packet communication method of claim 6 , wherein the direction identified by the direction identifier is clockwise.

11. The packet communication method of claim 6 , wherein the direction identified by the direction identifier is counter-clockwise.

12. The packet communication method of claim 6 , further comprising:
decreasing, by the node, a value in the first field of the first header.

13. The packet communication method of claim 6 , wherein in response to determining that the direction identifier is absent from the first header or that the target node identifier is different from the identifier of the node:
forwarding, by the node, the first packet to the target node in response to determining that the target node identifier is associated with the ring communication network; and
dropping, by the node, the first packet in response to determining that the target node identifier is unassociated with the ring communication network.

14. The packet communication method of claim 6 , wherein each of the first and second headers include a segment routing header (SRH).

15. A packet communication apparatus comprising a processor configured to:
generate a header for a packet, the header comprising information to route the packet through a ring communication network that comprises nodes in a ring-shaped topology, wherein the header includes at least:
one or more target node identifiers that identify one or more target nodes to which the packet is to travel,
one or more direction identifiers that identify one or more directions to be traversed by the packet through the ring communication network,
wherein each of the one or more target node identifiers and the one or more direction identifiers is associated with an index value,
a first field includes a value that describes a total of a number of the one or more target node identifiers and a number of the one or more direction identifiers, and
a second field that includes a last index value associated with a last identifier in a list of the one or more target node identifiers and the one or more direction identifiers; and

transmit the packet to a node.

16. The packet communication apparatus of claim 15 , wherein a direction identified by the one or more direction identifiers is clockwise.

17. The packet communication apparatus of claim 15 , wherein a direction identified by the one or more direction identifiers is counter-clockwise.

18. The packet communication apparatus of claim 15 , wherein each of the one or more direction identifiers has a unique value within the ring communication network.

19. The packet communication apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the header includes a segment routing header (SRH).

20. A packet communication apparatus comprising a processor configured to:
receive, by a node from a starting node, a first packet comprising a first header that includes information to route the first packet through a ring communication network,
wherein the first header includes one or more target node identifiers that identify one or more target nodes to which the first packet is to travel,
wherein the first header includes one or more direction identifiers that identify one or more directions to be traversed by the first packet through the ring communication network;
wherein each of the one or more target node identifiers and the one or more direction identifiers is associated with an index value,
wherein the first header comprises a first field that includes a value that describes a total of a number of the one or more target node identifi

Assignees

• Zte Corp

Inventors

• Mirsky Gregory

Classifications

• H04L45/74

  Address processing for routing · CPC title

• H04L47/13

  in a LAN segment, e.g. ring or bus · CPC title

• H04L47/125

  by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering · CPC title

• H04L69/22 Primary

  Parsing or analysis of headers · CPC title

• H04L12/42

  Loop networks · CPC title