Automated path re-optimization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9577925-B1
Application number	US-201313940128-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jul 11, 2013
Priority date	Jul 11, 2013
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

In general, techniques are described for providing current bandwidth usage information for one or more label switched paths (LSPs) to a path computation element (PCE) to trigger the PCE to dynamically modify a path computation domain of the PCE to manage network traffic within the domain. In some examples, a network router signals an LSP in a packet-switched network according to an allocated bandwidth for the LSP. The network router receives and maps the network packets to the LSP for transport along the LSP in accordance with forwarding information. The network router determines bandwidth usage information for the LSP that indicates a volume of the network packets mapped to the LSP and sends, in a notification message, the bandwidth usage information for the LSP to a path computation element that computes label switched paths for a path computation domain to trigger reoptimization of the path computation domain.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
signaling, by a network router, a label switched path (LSP) in a packet-switched network according to an allocated bandwidth for the LSP, wherein the network router is a head-end label edge router for the LSP;
determining, by the network router, bandwidth usage information for the LSP that indicates a volume of network packets mapped to the LSP by the network router for transport along the LSP;
sending, by the network router in a notification message, the bandwidth usage information for the LSP to a path computation element that computes label switched paths for a path computation domain that includes the network router to trigger reoptimization of the path computation domain by the path computation element;
receiving, by the network router from the path computation element and in response to sending the notification message, a configuration message that includes one of a route according to a layer 3 routing protocol and a filter that defines criteria for mapping subsequent network packets to the LSP; and
by the network router in response to receiving the configuration message, one of (1) installing the route to a routing information base associated with the layer 3 routing protocol and advertising, to one or more other network devices, the route in a routing protocol message according to the layer 3 routing protocol to cause the one or more other network devices to divert subsequent network packets that match the route from the network router to reduce an amount of subsequent network packets received by the network router and mapped to the LSP and (2) installing the filter to forwarding information to modify the criteria for mapping the subsequent network packets to the LSP.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the network router, whether a bandwidth usage of the LSP by the network packets exceeds a bandwidth threshold associated with the LSP,
only upon determining the bandwidth usage of the LSP by the network packets exceeds the bandwidth threshold, sending the bandwidth usage information to the path computation element.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the bandwidth usage information comprises an indication that the bandwidth usage of the LSP by the network packets has exceeded the bandwidth threshold.

4. The method of claim 2 ,
wherein the bandwidth threshold comprises a percentage of the allocated bandwidth for the LSP, and
wherein determining whether the bandwidth usage by the network packets exceeds the bandwidth threshold comprises determining whether the bandwidth usage of the LSP by the network packets exceeds the percentage of the allocated bandwidth for the LSP above or below the allocated bandwidth.

5. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the configuration information further includes a new allocated bandwidth for the LSP, and
wherein reconfiguring the network router further comprises resignaling the LSP according to the new allocated bandwidth for the LSP.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
establishing, by the network router, an extended Path Computation Element Protocol (PCEP) session with the path computation element,
wherein sending, by the network router in the notification message, the bandwidth usage information for the LSP to the path computation element comprises sending the notification message by the PCEP session.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the notification message comprises one of a PCEP path computation request (PCReq) or a path computation report (PCRpt) extended to include a flag that indicates a bandwidth usage of the LSP by the network packets has exceeded a bandwidth threshold associated with the LSP in the network router.

8. A method comprising:
receiving, from a network router by a path computation element that computes label switched paths for a path computation domain that includes the network router, a notification message that includes bandwidth usage information for a label switched path (LSP) in a packet-switched network and operating according to an allocated bandwidth for the LSP, wherein the bandwidth usage information indicates a volume of traffic mapped to the LSP by the network router; and
in response to receiving the notification message and by the path computation element, sending a configuration message to the network router,
the configuration message including one of a route according to a layer 3 routing protocol and a filter that defines criteria for mapping subsequent network packets to the LSP,
the configuration message directing the network router to one of (1) installing the route to a routing information base associated with the routing protocol and advertising, to one or more other network devices, the route in a routing protocol message according to the layer 3 routing protocol to cause the one or more other network devices to divert subsequent network packets that match the route from the network router to reduce an amount of subsequent network packets received by the network router and mapped to the LSP and (2) installing the filter to forwarding information to modify the criteria for mapping the subsequent network packets to the LSP, wherein the route, when advertised by the network router according to the layer 3 routing protocol.

9. The method of claim 8 ,
wherein sending a configuration message to the path computation domain comprising sending a configuration message to the network router, and
wherein the configuration message further includes a new allocated bandwidth for the LSP.

10. A network router comprising:
a control unit comprising a processor;
a routing protocol module executed by the control unit and configured to signal a label switched path (LSP) in a packet-switched network according to an allocated bandwidth for the LSP, wherein the network router is a head-end label edge router for the LSP;
one or more network interfaces configured to receive network packets;
one or more forwarding components configured to determine bandwidth usage information for the LSP that indicates a volume of the network packets mapped to the LSP by the network router for transport along the LSP; and
a path computation element interface configured to send, in a notification message, the bandwidth usage information for the LSP to a path computation element that computes label switched paths for a path computation domain that includes the network router to trigger reoptimization of the path computation domain by the path computation element,
wherein the path computation element interface is further configured to receive, from the path computation element and in response to sending the notification message, a configuration message that includes one of a route according to a layer 3 routing protocol and a filter that defines criteria for mapping subsequent network packets to the LSP, and
wherein the routing protocol module is further configured to reconfigure, in response to receiving the configuration message, the network router by one of (1) installing the route to a routing information base associated with the layer 3 routing protocol and advertising, to one or more other network devices, the route in a routing protocol message according to the layer 3 routing protocol to cause the one or more other network devices to divert subsequent network packets that match the route from the network router to reduce an amount of subsequent network packets received by the network router and manned to the LSP and (2) installing the filter to forwarding information to modify the criteria for mapping the subsequent network packets to the LSP.

11. The network router of claim 10 ,
wherein the forwarding components are configured to determine whether a

Assignees

• Juniper Networks Inc

Inventors

• Bahadur Nitin
• Cheruathur Sudhir

Classifications

• H04L45/50 Primary

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

• H04L45/125

  based on throughput or bandwidth · CPC title

• H04L45/42

  Centralised routing · CPC title