Packet forwarding method and device for a virtual private wire service (VPWS) pseudo wire (PW) network using traffic balancing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10992570-B2
Application number	US-201916360897-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2019
Priority date	Dec 20, 2016
Publication date	Apr 27, 2021
Grant date	Apr 27, 2021

Abstract

A packet forwarding method, a device, and a system, where a first provider edge (PE) device separately sends request packets to a second PE device and a third PE device. The second PE device receives the two request packets separately using a primary pseudo wire (PW) and using a secondary PW, the third PE device, and a bypass PW, switches preferential forwarding statuses relative to the primary PW and the bypass PW to a balance state, and then, notifies the first PE device and the third PE device using a response packet. The first PE device switches preferential forwarding statuses relative to the primary PW and the secondary PW to the balance state based on the response packet. The third PE device switches a preferential forwarding status relative to the bypass PW to the balance state based on the response packet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A packet forwarding method, wherein the packet forwarding method is applied to a virtual private wire service (VPWS) pseudo wire (PW) redundancy network, and wherein the packet forwarding method comprises:
sending, by a first provider edge (PE) device, a first packet to a second PE device using a primary PW, wherein the VPWS PW redundancy network comprises the first PE device, the second PE device, and a third PE device, wherein the primary PW is set up between the first PE device and the second PE device, wherein a secondary PW is set up between the first PE device and the third PE device, wherein a bypass PW is set up between the second PE device and the third PE device, wherein the first packet requests to switch the primary PW from an active state of forwarding traffic to a balance state of forwarding traffic, and wherein the balance state instructs to forward traffic in a traffic balancing manner;
sending, by the first PE device, a second packet to the third PE device using the secondary PW, wherein the second packet requests to switch the secondary PW from a standby state of not forwarding traffic to the balance state of forwarding traffic;
receiving, by the first PE device, a response packet from the second PE device using the primary PW, wherein the second PE device is enabled to determine and obtain the response packet based on the first packet and the second packet, wherein the third PE device is enabled to send the second packet to the second PE device using the bypass PW, and wherein the response packet indicates that switching requests in the first packet and the second packet are accepted; and
switching, by the first PE device based on the response packet, a preferential forwarding status of the first PE device relative to the primary PW from the active state of forwarding traffic to the balance state of forwarding traffic and a preferential forwarding status of the first PE device relative to the secondary PW from the standby state of not forwarding traffic to the balance state of forwarding traffic.

2. The packet forwarding method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the first PE device, traffic from a customer edge (CE) device; and
sending, by the first PE device, the traffic from the CE device to the second PE device and the third PE device in the traffic balancing manner using the primary PW and the secondary PW that are in the balance state.

3. The packet forwarding method of claim 1 , wherein the first packet and the second packet each carry PW status code, and wherein the PW status code indicates that a PW status is the balance state.

4. The packet forwarding method of claim 1 , wherein before sending the first packet to the second PE device, the packet forwarding method further comprises determining, by the first PE device, that a bandwidth occupation rate at which the first PE device sends traffic to the second PE device exceeds a predetermined threshold.

5. The packet forwarding method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the first PE device, that a fault detection packet from the second PE device is not received within a predetermined period;
switching, by the first PE device, the preferential forwarding status of the first PE device relative to the primary PW from the balance state to the standby state;
sending, by the first PE device, a third packet to the second PE device, wherein the third packet requests to switch the primary PW from the balance state to the standby state;
switching, by the first PE device, the preferential forwarding status of the first PE device relative to the secondary PW from the balance state to the active state; and
sending, by the first PE device, a fourth packet to the third PE device, wherein the fourth packet requests to switch the secondary PW from the balance state to the active state.

6. The packet forwarding method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the first PE device, that a fault detection packet from the third PE device is not received within a predetermined period;
switching, by the first PE device, the preferential forwarding status of the first PE device relative to the primary PW from the balance state to the active state;
sending, by the first PE device, a third packet to the second PE device, wherein the third packet requests to switch the primary PW from the balance state to the active state;
switching, by the first PE device, the preferential forwarding status of the first PE device relative to the secondary PW from the balance state to the standby state; and
sending, by the first PE device, a fourth packet to the third PE device, wherein the fourth packet requests to switch the secondary PW from the balance state to the standby state.

7. The packet forwarding method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the first PE device, termination packets from the second PE device and the third PE device, wherein the termination packets instruct to terminate the balance state of the bypass PW;
switching, by the first PE device, the preferential forwarding status of the first PE device relative to the primary PW from the balance state to the active state;
sending, by the first PE device, a third packet to the second PE device, wherein the third packet requests to switch the primary PW from the balance state to the active state;
switching, by the first PE device, the preferential forwarding status of the first PE device relative to the secondary PW from the balance state to the standby state; and
sending, by the first PE device, a fourth packet to the third PE device, wherein the fourth packet requests to switch the secondary PW from the balance state to the standby state.

8. A first provider edge (PE) device, wherein the first PE device is applied to a virtual private wire service (VPWS) pseudo wire (PW) redundancy network, and wherein the first PE device 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 first PE device to be configured to:
send a first packet to a second PE device using a primary PW, wherein the VPWS PW redundancy network comprises the second PE device and a third PE device, wherein the primary PW is set up between the first PE device and the second PE device, wherein a secondary PW is set up between the first PE device and the third PE device, wherein a bypass PW is set up between the second PE device and the third PE device, wherein the first packet requests to switch the primary PW from an active state of forwarding traffic to a balance state of forwarding traffic, and wherein the balance state instructs to forward traffic in a traffic balancing manner;
send a second packet to the third PE device using the secondary PW, wherein the second packet requests to switch the secondary PW from a standby state of not forwarding traffic to the balance state of forwarding traffic;
receive a response packet from the second PE device using the primary PW, wherein the second PE device is enabled to determine and obtain the response packet based on the first packet and the second packet, wherein the third PE device is enabled to send the second packet to the second PE device using the bypass PW, and wherein the response packet indicates that switching requests in the first packet and the second packet are accepted; and
switch, based on the response packet, a preferential forwarding status of the first PE device relative to the primary PW from the active state of forwarding traffic to the balance state of forwarding traffic and a preferential forwarding status of the first PE device relative to the secondary PW from the standby state of not forwarding traffic to the balance s

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhang Yaokun
• Sun Chunxia
• Li Juan

Classifications

• H04L12/287

  Remote access server, e.g. BRAS · CPC title

• H04L12/2878

  Access multiplexer, e.g. DSLAM (generic distributed time multiplexers, e.g. TDM/TDMA H04J3/1694) · CPC title

• H04L41/0663 Primary

  Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements · CPC title

• H04L41/0668

  by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure · CPC title

• H04L47/125

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