Method for generating segment list, method for forwarding packet, device, and system in SRv6 network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11902156-B2
Application number	US-202117520737-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2021
Priority date	May 9, 2019
Publication date	Feb 13, 2024
Grant date	Feb 13, 2024

Abstract

This application discloses a method that includes obtaining by a network device an original segment list corresponding to a packet forwarding path, where the original segment list includes original segment identifiers that are sequentially arranged, and each of the original segment identifiers that are sequentially arranged corresponds to one node or link on the packet forwarding path. The method further includes comparing by the network device a plurality of successively adjacent original segment identifiers in the original segment list, to generate a plurality of successively adjacent compressed segment identifiers, where a length of each compressed segment identifier is less than a length of a corresponding original segment identifier, and generating by the network device a compressed segment list, where the compressed segment list includes a plurality of compressed segment identifiers, and the compressed segment list is used to forward a packet along the packet forwarding path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A network device, comprising:
at least one processor;
one or more memories coupled to the at least one processor and storing programming instructions, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the programming instructions to cause the network device to:
obtain an original segment list corresponding to a packet forwarding path, wherein the original segment list comprises original segment identifiers that are sequentially arranged, and each original segment identifier in the original segment identifiers that are sequentially arranged corresponds to one node or link on the packet forwarding path, and wherein the original segment list comprises S successively adjacent original segment identifiers; and
generate a compressed segment list, wherein the compressed segment list comprises C successively adjacent compressed segment identifiers, and the compressed segment list is used to forward a packet along the packet forwarding path, wherein the C compressed segment identifiers are in a one-to-one correspondence with C original segment identifiers in the S original segment identifiers, first N bytes in each of the S original segment identifiers are the same, a length of each of the C compressed segment identifiers is X bytes, each of the C compressed segment identifiers comprises X bytes following the first N bytes in the corresponding original segment identifier, a sequence of the C compressed segment identifiers is same as a sequence of the C original segment identifiers, and a length of each of the C compressed segment identifiers is less than a length of a corresponding original segment identifier, and wherein N is a positive integer, X is a positive integer, S is a positive integer, C is a positive integer, and C is less than or equal to S.

2. The network device according to claim 1 , wherein the network device is a controller in a network, and the at least one processor is further configured to execute the programming instructions to cause the network device to:
generate a first control packet, wherein the first control packet comprises the compressed segment list and a first flag, and the first flag is used to indicate a length of each compressed segment identifier in the compressed segment list; and
send the first control packet to a network ingress node.

3. The network device according to claim 1 , wherein the network device is a controller in a network, and the at least one processor is further configured to execute the programming instructions to cause the network device to:
generate a second control packet, wherein the second control packet comprises the compressed segment list and a second flag, and the second flag is used to indicate that the compressed segment list comprises the compressed segment identifier;
generate a fourth control packet corresponding to the compressed segment list, wherein the fourth control packet comprises a fourth flag, and the fourth flag is used to indicate a length of each compressed segment identifier in the compressed segment list;
send the second control packet to a network ingress node; and
send the fourth control packet to a node on the packet forwarding path.

4. The network device according to claim 1 , wherein the network device is a network ingress node, and the at least one processor is further configured to execute the programming instructions to cause the network device to:
receive the original segment list from a controller in a network;
receive a packet, wherein the packet is forwarded along the packet forwarding path; and
encapsulate a first flag and the compressed segment list into the packet, wherein the first flag is used to indicate a length of each compressed segment identifier in the compressed segment list.

5. The network device according to claim 1 , wherein the network device is a network ingress node, and the at least one processor is further configured to execute the programming instructions to cause the network device to:
receive the original segment list from a controller in a network;
encapsulate a second flag and the compressed segment list into the packet, wherein the second flag is used to indicate that the compressed segment list comprises the compressed segment identifier.

6. The network device according to claim 1 , wherein the network device is a controller in a network, the S original segment identifiers do not comprise the last original segment identifier in the original segment list, and the compressed segment identifier comprises the last original segment identifier, and
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the programming instructions to cause the network device to:
generate a third control packet corresponding to the compressed segment list, wherein the third control packet comprises a third flag, and the third flag is used to indicate that the compressed segment list comprises the last original segment identifier; and
send the third control packet to a network ingress node.

7. The network device according to claim 1 , wherein the network device is a network ingress node, the S segment identifiers do not comprise the last original segment identifier in the original segment list, and the compressed segment identifier comprises the last original segment identifier, and
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the programming instructions to cause the network device to:
generate a third flag corresponding to the compressed segment list, wherein the third flag is used to indicate that the compressed segment list comprises the last original segment identifier; and
encapsulate the third flag into the packet.

8. The network device according to claim 1 , wherein the length of the compressed segment identifier is 32 bits or 4 bytes.

9. The network device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the C compressed segment identifiers does not comprise the first N bytes in the corresponding original segment identifier.

10. The network device according to claim 1 , wherein each original segment identifier comprises a first part and a second part, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the programming instructions to cause the network device to:
compare the first parts of the S original segment identifiers to generate a first part of a compressed segment identifier corresponding to each of the S original segment identifiers, wherein a length of the first part of the compressed segment identifier is less than a length of the first part of the corresponding original segment identifier;
establish a correspondence between the second part of each original segment identifier and a compression flag, and use the compression flag as a second part of the compressed segment identifier corresponding to each original segment identifier, wherein a length of the second part of the compressed segment identifier is less than a length of the second part of the corresponding original segment identifier; and
obtain based on the first part of the compressed segment identifier corresponding to each original segment identifier and the second part of the compressed segment identifier corresponding to each original segment identifier, the compressed segment identifier corresponding to each original segment identifier.

11. The network device according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the programming instructions to cause the network device to:
determine that first N bytes in the first parts of the S original segment identifiers are the same by comparing the first parts of the S original segment identifiers, wherein N is a positive integer; and
use last LA−N byte

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Li Cheng
• Li Zhenbin
• Gong Jun
• Chen Guoyi
• Dong Jie

Classifications

• H04L45/74

  Address processing for routing · CPC title

• H04L45/34 Primary

  Source routing · CPC title

• H04L45/566 Primary

  Routing instructions carried by the data packet, e.g. active networks · CPC title

• H04L45/123

  Evaluation of link metrics (techniques for monitoring network metrics H04L43/08) · CPC title

• H04L45/42

  Centralised routing · CPC title