Selecting a remote path using forwarding path preferences

摘要

Selecting remote path using forwarding path preferences is disclosed. In an embodiment, a message of a first network node identifying one or more forwarding path preferences in association with one or more destination addresses is received at a packet router. A particular path corresponding to a particular forwarding path preference from among the one or more forwarding path preferences received in the message is determined and in response a particular label is determined. A forwarding entry associating the particular label with the particular forwarding path preference and the particular path is stored. The particular label is forwarded to a second network node. A packet including the particular label is received at the packet router and the particular path associated with the particular label included with the packet is selected based on the forwarding entry associated with the label. The packet is forwarded to a network node via the selected path.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
using a packet router in a communications network that comprises at least an ingress network node, a midpoint network node and an egress network node, and a plurality of communications paths between the ingress network node and the network egress node: maintaining, at the midpoint network node, one or more mappings of forwarding path preferences and paths, wherein each forwarding path preference is a unique identifier corresponding to one or more traffic engineered paths of the plurality of communication paths; receiving, from the egress network node at the midpoint network node, a message identifying two or more forwarding path preferences in association with one or more destinations; at the midpoint network node, for each forwarding path preference of the two or more forwarding path preferences received:
determining, from the one or more mappings, whether one or more paths from the midpoint network node to the egress network node correspond to the forwarding path preference;in response to determining one or more paths from the midpoint network node to the egress network node correspond to the forwarding path preference, generating a forwarding path preference label;storing a forwarding entry that associates the forwarding path preference label with the forwarding path preference and the one or more paths from the midpoint network node to the egress network node;forwarding, to the ingress network node, the forwarding path preference label; receiving, at the ingress network node, a packet; selecting, at the ingress network node, a particular forwarding path preference corresponding to two or more forwarding path preference labels received from the midpoint network node, and associating with the packet a particular forwarding path preference label corresponding to the particular forwarding path preference; receiving, at the midpoint network node from the ingress network node, the packet associated, by the ingress network node, with the particular forwarding path preference label; selecting, based on the particular forwarding path preference label and the particular forwarding path preference corresponding to the stored forwarding entry, a particular path from the one or more paths from the midpoint network node to the egress network node; and forwarding the packet towards the egress network node via the particular path.