Optimizing application performance in hierarchical SD-WAN

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12476902-B2
Application number	US-202418652156-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2024
Priority date	Dec 3, 2020
Publication date	Nov 18, 2025
Grant date	Nov 18, 2025

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for receiving bandwidth metrics from a plurality of routers on respective link routes in a network, compiling a link database including the bandwidth metrics of each respective link route in the network, selecting a first designated link path from the link database between a first router and a second router based on an application routing policy, the application routing policy being based on a routing metric, providing a first multiprotocol label switching label based on the first designated link path to the first router of the plurality of routers in the network, and restricting network traffic of the first router to the first designated link path provided in the first multiprotocol label switching label.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for routing packets across a hierarchical software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN), the method comprising:
identifying a first edge node associated with a first software-defined network in a first data center and a second edge node associated with a second software-defined network in a second data center, wherein the first edge node is connected via a first border node to a common core network, and the second edge node is connected via a second border node to the common core network; defining an overlay network between the first edge node and the second edge node including the first border node and the second border node; using performance metrics for a plurality of link routes to define a routing path in the overlay network between the first border node and the second border node; and routing packets between the first edge node and the second edge node using the routing path defined between the border nodes in the overlay network.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the performance metrics include at least one of latency, loss, jitter, and maximum transmission unit.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each respective link route is between a set of routers of the overlay network, the set of routers including the first border node and the second border node.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising using performance metrics for a plurality of link routes between the first edge node and the first border node to define a routing path between the first edge node and the first border node, and using performance metrics for a plurality of link routes between the second border node and the second edge node to define a routing path between the second border node and the second edge node.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the routing path is based at least in part on an application-aware routing policy.

6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the routing path is based at least in part on an end-to-end application-aware routing policy.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the performance metric includes latency of the respective link routes in the overlay network.

8 . A system comprising:
one or more processors at one or more nodes; and at least one computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:
identify a first edge node associated with a first software-defined network in a first data center and a second edge node associated with a second software-defined network in a second data center, wherein the first edge node is connected via a first border node to a common core network, and the second edge node is connected via a second border node to the common core network;
define an overlay network between the first edge node and the second edge node including the first border node and the second border node;
use performance metrics for a plurality of link routes to define a routing path in the overlay network between the first border node and the second border node; and
route packets between the first edge node and second edge node using the routing path defined between the border nodes in the overlay network.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the performance metrics include at least one of latency, loss, jitter, and maximum transmission unit.

10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein each respective link route is between a set of routers of the overlay network, the set of routers including the first border node and the second border node.

11 . The system of claim 8 , further comprising instructions which use performance metrics for a plurality of link routes between the first edge node and the first border node to define a routing path between the first edge node and the first border node, and use performance metrics for a plurality of link routes between the second border node and the second edge node to define a routing path between the second border node and the second edge node.

12 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the routing path is based at least in part on an application-aware routing policy.

13 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the routing path is based at least in part on an end-to-end application-aware routing policy.

14 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the performance metric includes latency of the respective link routes in the overlay network.

15 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by one or more processors on one or more hosts, cause a system to:
identify a first edge node associated with a first software-defined network in a first data center and a second edge node associated with a second software-defined network in a second data center, wherein the first edge node is connected via a first border node to a common core network, and the second edge node is connected via a second border node to the common core network; define an overlay network between the first edge node and the second edge node including the first border node and the second border node; use performance metrics for a plurality of link routes to define a routing path in the overlay network between the first border node and the second border node; and route packets between the first edge node and second edge node using the routing path defined between the border nodes in the overlay network.

16 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the performance metrics include at least one of latency, loss, jitter, and maximum transmission unit.

17 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein each respective link route is between a set of routers of the overlay network, the set of routers including the first border node and the second border node.

18 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , further comprising instructions which use performance metrics for a plurality of link routes between the first edge node and the first border node to define a routing path between the first edge node and the first border node, and use performance metrics for a plurality of link routes between the second border node and the second edge node to define a routing path between the second border node and the second edge node.

19 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the routing path is based at least in part on an application-aware routing policy.

20 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the routing path is based at least in part on an end-to-end application-aware routing policy.

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Thoria Samir
• Singh Ram Dular
• Kariyanahalli Praveen Raju
• Ponnuru Laxmikantha Reddy
• Lakshmikanthan Ramanathan

Classifications

• H04L12/4641

  Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] (LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272) · CPC title

• H04L45/50

  using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS] · CPC title

• H04L45/04

  Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing · CPC title

• H04L12/4633

  Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling · CPC title

• H04L45/22 Primary

  Alternate routing · CPC title