Technique for bundling in link aggregation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9264298-B2
Application number	US-201213818883-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2012
Priority date	Mar 2, 2012
Publication date	Feb 16, 2016
Grant date	Feb 16, 2016

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for applying multiple Link Aggregation Group (LAG) entities on the same set of physical links, thus making bundling of individual services or conversations possible by the different LAG entities within Link Aggregation. Each LAG entity is configured such that a single physical link is Active and all the other links are Standby. Each LAG entity may be regarded as a “bundle.” Thus the services/conversations are bundled into a LAG entity and are handed-off on the Active link during normal operation. If service hand-off is not possible on the Active link (e.g., due to a failure), then the LAG entity switches over to a Standby link thus the service/conversation is handed-off on that formerly Standby link. Bundling may simplify operations of control and signaling.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for configuring a plurality of first Link Aggregation Group (LAG) nodes of a first LAG virtual node of a first network, the method implemented by a Network Management System (NMS) computing device and comprising:
creating service-to-bundle assignments that assign each of a plurality of network services that utilize the first LAG nodes to a respective LAG bundle, wherein each LAG bundle designates one or more first links between the first LAG virtual node and a second LAG virtual node of a remote second network as active links, and designates one or more other links between the first and second LAG virtual nodes as standby links to be used in case of active link failure; and
transmitting the service-to-bundle assignments to the first LAG nodes, wherein the first LAG nodes are included in a plurality of LAG bundles.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the creating service-to-bundle assignments comprises creating a bundle identifier for the respective LAG bundle.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a single physical link is used for multiple LAG bundles.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the single physical link is a standby link for one LAG bundle and is an active link for another LAG bundle.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein N LAG nodes of the first network and N LAG nodes of the second network are connected by N links and configure N LAG bundles, such that every one of the N links is the passive link in one bundle and an active link in all other bundles, wherein N is an integer greater than 2.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of services are uniquely assigned to one LAG bundle.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein sets of services assigned to different LAG bundles are disjoint sets.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein each LAG bundle comprises a subgroup of links.

9. A method for Link Aggregation Group (LAG) processing, the method implemented by processing circuitry of a first LAG node of a first network and comprising:
determining a bundle identifier of a LAG bundle for which a given frame is intended, the LAG bundle including the first LAG node, wherein the first LAG node is part of a first LAG virtual node of the first network, wherein the first LAG node is included in a plurality of LAG bundles, each LAG bundle designating one or more first links between the first LAG virtual node of the first network and a second LAG virtual node of a remote second network as active links, and designating one or more other links between the first and second LAG virtual nodes as standby links to be used in case of active link failure; and
performing signaling between the first LAG node and the second LAG virtual node based on the determining.

10. A method for Link Aggregation Group (LAG) frame processing in a first LAG node of a first network, the method implemented by processing circuitry of the first LAG node of the first network and comprising:
receiving a control frame from a second LAG node of the remote second network;
determining whether the frame includes a LAG bundle identifier for a LAG bundle that designates one or more active links and one or more standby links, the first LAG node being part of a first LAG virtual node in the first network and included in a plurality of LAG bundles, wherein each LAG bundle designates one or more first links between the first LAG virtual node and a second LAG virtual node of a remote second network as active links, the second LAG virtual node comprising one or more second LAG nodes, and designates one or more other links between the first and second LAG virtual nodes as standby links to be used in case of active link failure; and
if the control frame includes a recognized bundle identifier, using a LAG bundle corresponding to the bundle identifier to process the received control frame; and
if the control frame does not include a recognized bundle identifier, using a default LAG bundle to process the received control frame;
wherein the control frame is a Link Aggregation Control Protocol Data Unit (LACPDU).

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
handing over the LACPDU to a state machine of a default LAG bundle responsive to the frame not including a recognized LAG bundle identifier; and
handing over the LACPDU to a state machine of the LAG bundle corresponding to the bundle identifier responsive to the frame including a recognized bundle identifier.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein if LACPDUs without bundle identifiers are received, an unnumbered LAG bundle is formed and is used as the default LAG bundle.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein distinct LACPDUs are carried for each LAG bundle.

14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein information belonging to different LAG bundles is carried in a single LACPDU.

15. A computer program product stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising program instructions for configuring a plurality of first Link Aggregation Group (LAG) nodes of a first LAG virtual node of a first network, the computer program product comprising computer program code which, when run on a processor of a Network Management System (NMS) configures the NMS to:
create service-to-bundle assignments that assign each of a plurality of network services that utilize the first LAG nodes to a respective LAG bundle, wherein the first LAG nodes are included in a plurality of LAG bundles;
wherein each LAG bundle designates one or more first links between the first LAG virtual node and a second LAG virtual node of a remote second network as active links, and designates one or more other links between the first and second LAG virtual nodes as standby links to be used in case of active link failure.

16. A Network Management System (NMS) for configuring a plurality of first Link Aggregation Group (LAG) nodes of a first LAG virtual node of a first network, the NMS comprising:
a processor operably connected to a memory and an input/output device, the processor configured to:
create service-to-bundle assignments that assign each of a plurality of network services that utilize the first LAG nodes to a respective LAG bundle, wherein the first LAG nodes are included in a plurality of LAG bundles;
wherein each LAG bundle designates one or more first links between the first LAG virtual node and a second LAG virtual node of a remote second network as active links, and designates one or more other links between the first and second LAG virtual nodes as standby links to be used in case of active link failure.

17. A first Link Aggregation Group (LAG) node of a first network, the first LAG node comprising:
a processor operably connected to a memory and an input/output device, the processor configured to determine a bundle identifier of a LAG bundle for which a given frame is intended;
wherein the first LAG node is included in a plurality of LAG bundles, each LAG bundle designating one or more first links between a first LAG virtual node of the first network and a second LAG virtual node of a remote second network as active links, and designating one or more other links between the first and second LAG virtual nodes as standby links to be used in case of active link failure.

18. A first Link Aggregation Group (LAG) node of a first LAG virtual node in a first network, the first LAG node comprising:
a processor operably connected to a memory and an input/output device;
wherein the first LAG node is configured to:
receive a frame from a second LAG node of a remote second network;
determine whether the frame includes an LAG bundle identifier f

Assignees

• Gerö Balázs Peter
• Farkas János
• Khan Shahryar
• Saltsidis Panagiotis
• Varga Balázs
• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Gerö Balázs Peter
• Farkas János
• Khan Shahryar
• Saltsidis Panagiotis
• Varga Balázs

Classifications

• H04L45/245 Primary

  Link aggregation, e.g. trunking · CPC title

• H04L41/0663

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

• H04L41/0654 Primary

  using network fault recovery (ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437) · CPC title

• Y02B60/33

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02D30/50

  in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate · CPC title