Method for generating segment list, method for forwarding packet, device, and system in SRV6 network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12323325-B2
Application number	US-202418421926-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2024
Priority date	May 9, 2019
Publication date	Jun 3, 2025
Grant date	Jun 3, 2025

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

The invention 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, and each of the original segment identifiers corresponds to one node or link on the packet forwarding path; and
generate a compressed segment list, wherein the compressed segment list comprises C 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 original segment list, first N bits in each of the C original segment identifiers are the same, a length of each of the C compressed segment identifiers is X bits, each of the C compressed segment identifiers comprises X bits following the first N bits in a 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, and C is a positive integer.

2. The network device according to claim 1 , wherein C is an integer greater than 1.

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 first control packet, wherein the first control packet comprises the compressed segment list; and
send the first control packet to a network ingress node.

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;
receive a packet, wherein the packet is forwarded along the packet forwarding path; and
encapsulate the compressed segment list into the packet.

5. The network device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the C original segment identifiers is a 128-bits segment routing Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) (SRv6) segment identifier.

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

7. The network device according to claim 1 , wherein the original segment list comprises S original segment identifiers, and C is less than S.

8. The network device according to claim 1 , wherein the length of each of the C compressed segment identifiers is 32 bits.

9. The network device according to claim 1 , wherein the length of each of the C compressed segment identifiers is 16 bits.

10. The network device according to claim 1 , wherein N is 32, or N is 48.

11. 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 a compressed segment list comprising C compressed segment identifiers, wherein each of the C compressed segment identifiers corresponds to one node or link on a packet forwarding path, the C compressed segment identifiers are in a one-to-one correspondence with C original segment identifiers, first N bits in each of the C original segment identifiers are the same, a length of each of the C compressed segment identifiers is X bits, each of the C compressed segment identifiers comprises X bits following the first N bits in a 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, and C is a positive integer;
receive a first packet, wherein the first packet is forwarded along the packet forwarding path;
encapsulate the compressed segment list into the first packet, to generate a second packet; and
send the second packet along the packet forwarding path.

12. The network device according to claim 10 , wherein C is an integer greater than 1.

13. The network device according to claim 10 , each of the C original segment identifiers is a 128 bits segment routing Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) (SRv6) segment identifier.

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

15. The network device according to claim 10 , wherein the length of each of the C compressed segment identifiers is 32 bits.

16. A method, comprising:
obtaining, by a network device, an original segment list corresponding to a packet forwarding path, wherein the original segment list comprises original segment identifiers, and each of the original segment identifiers corresponds to one node or link on the packet forwarding path; and
generating, by the network device, a compressed segment list, wherein the compressed segment list comprises C 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 original segment list, first N bits in each of the C original segment identifiers are the same, a length of each of the C compressed segment identifiers is X bits, each of the C compressed segment identifiers comprises X bits following the first N bits in a 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, and C is a positive integer.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein C is an integer greater than 1.

18. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the network device is a controller in a network, and the method further comprises:
generating, by the network device, a first control packet, wherein the first control packet comprises the compressed segment list; and
sending, by the network device, the first control packet to a network ingress node.

19. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the network device is a network ingress node, and the method further comprises:
receiving, by the network device, the original segment list from a controller;
receiving, by the network device, a packet, wherein the packet is forwarded along the packet forwarding path; and
encapsulating, by the network device, the compressed segment list into the packet.

20. The method according to claim 16 , each of the C original segment identifiers is a 128-bits segment routing Interne

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

• H04L45/42

  Centralised routing · CPC title

• H04L45/123

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

• H04L45/566 Primary

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