Local reroute protection for multicast multiprotocol label switching

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9253250-B2
Application number	US-201313839764-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Feb 2, 2016
Grant date	Feb 2, 2016

Abstract

In one embodiment, a merge process can determine a primary tree among nodes in a communication network, determine a backup tree for a protected segment of the primary tree, the backup tree having at least a portion of overlap with the primary tree, and stitch the backup tree to the primary tree for each node of the portion of overlap such that when a message is transmitted for a group according to the backup tree, each node of the portion of overlap receives a single instance of the message of the group.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
determining a primary tree among nodes in a communication network;
determining a backup tree for a protected segment of the primary tree, the backup tree having at least a portion of overlap with the primary tree; and
stitching the backup tree to the primary tree for each node of the portion of overlap such that when a message is transmitted for a group according to the backup tree, each node of the portion of overlap receives a single instance of the message of the group, wherein stitching includes:
creating a new label forwarding information base (LFIB) definition for at least one node that bypasses the protected segment of the primary tree; and
mapping an incoming label portion of the new LFIB definition to at least one or more previously known outgoing label portions of the one node.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the backup tree for the protected segment of the primary tree comprises determining the backup tree has at least a portion of overlap with the primary tree for one or more nodes sharing an upstream path relative to a merge point (MP) node toward a point of local repair (PLR) node, the method further comprising:
triggering, via the PLR node, a notification down the backup tree that indicates the primary tree and the backup tree have at least the portion of overlap to cause each node of the portion of overlap to perform the step of stitching the backup tree to the primary tree.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
triggering, via a merge point (MP) node, a notification transmission on the backup tree toward a point of local repair (PLR) node that indicates the primary tree and the backup tree have at least a portion of overlap to cause each node of the portion of overlap to perform the step of stitching the backup tree to the primary tree.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the protected segment of the primary tree comprises at least one of a protected link and a protected node.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the primary tree among nodes in the communication network comprises determining a forwarding equivalent class (FEC) of the primary tree, and wherein determining the backup tree for the protected segment further comprises determining a FEC of the backup tree, wherein stitching the backup tree to the primary tree for each node of the portion of overlap comprises associating the FEC of the primary tree with the FEC of the backup tree.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the protected segment of the primary tree failed, and transmitting the message for the group according to the backup tree using a multicast label distribution protocol (mLDP).

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the primary tree and the backup tree are MultiProtocol Label Switching Label Switched Paths (MPLS LSPs).

8. An apparatus, comprising:
one or more network interfaces to communicate one or more nodes in a communication network;
a processor coupled to the network interfaces and adapted to execute one or more processes; and
a memory configured to store a process executable by the processor, the process when executed operable to:
determine a primary tree among nodes in a communication network;
determine a backup tree for a protected segment of the primary tree, the backup tree having at least a portion of overlap with the primary tree; and
stitch the backup tree to the primary tree for each node of the portion of overlap such that when a message is transmitted for a group according to the backup tree, each node of the portion of overlap receives a single instance of the message of the group, wherein the stitching process includes:
creating a new label forwarding information base (LFIB) definition for at least one node that bypasses the protected segment of the primary tree; and
mapping an incoming label portion of the new LFIB definition to at least one or more previously known outgoing label portions of the one node.

9. The apparatus as in claim 8 , wherein the apparatus is a merge point node, the process when executed is further operable to:
trigger a notification transmission on the backup tree toward a point of local repair (PLR) node that indicates the primary tree and the backup tree have at least a portion of overlap to cause each node of the portion of overlap to perform the step of stitching the backup tree to the primary tree.

10. The apparatus as in claim 8 , wherein the protected segment of the primary tree comprises at least one of a protected link and a protected node.

11. The apparatus as in claim 8 , wherein the apparatus is a merge point node, the process when executed is further operable to:
determine the protected segment of the primary tree failed, and
transmit the message for the group according to the backup tree using a multicast label distribution protocol (mLDP).

12. The apparatus as in claim 8 , wherein the primary tree and the backup tree are MultiProtocol Label Switching Label Switched Paths (MPLS LSPs).

13. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having software encoded thereon, the software when executed by a processor operable to:
determine a primary tree among nodes in a communication network;
determine a backup tree for a protected segment of the primary tree, the backup tree having at least a portion of overlap with the primary tree; and
stitch the backup tree to the primary tree for each node of the portion of overlap such that when a message is transmitted for a group according to the backup tree, each node of the portion of overlap receives a single instance of the message of the group, wherein the stitching process includes:
creating a new label forwarding information base (LFIB) definition for at least one node that bypasses the protected segment of the primary tree; and
mapping an incoming label portion of the new LFIB definition to at least one or more previously known outgoing label portions of the one node.

14. The computer-readable media as in claim 13 , wherein the software when executed is further operable to:
trigger a notification transmission on the backup tree toward a point of local repair (PLR) node that indicates the primary tree and the backup tree have at least a portion of overlap to cause each node of the portion of overlap to perform the step of stitching the backup tree to the primary tree.

15. The computer-readable media as in claim 13 , wherein the protected segment of the primary tree comprises at least one of a protected link and a protected node.

16. The computer-readable media as in claim 13 , wherein the software when executed is further operable to:
determine the protected segment of the primary tree failed; and
transmit, in response to the failure, the message for the group according to the backup tree using a multicast label distribution protocol (mLDP).

17. The computer-readable media as in claim 13 , wherein the a primary tree and the backup tree are MultiProtocol Label Switching Label Switched Paths (MPLS LSPs).

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Asati Rajiv
• Wijnands Ijsbrand

Classifications

• H04L45/22

  Alternate routing · CPC title

• H04L45/484

  using multiple routing trees · CPC title

• H04L67/10 Primary

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• H04L45/28 Primary

  using route fault recovery · CPC title

• H04L45/16

  Multipoint routing · CPC title