Multiple ring identification and configuration protocol

摘要

A protocol identifies and configures rings in a network topology automatically in order to simplify and quicken the actions that need to be performed in response to addition, deletion and shuffle of network nodes in that topology. Such rings do not need to be identified and configured manually. The protocol involves two separate sequentially performed phases. In the first phase, the protocol can automatically identify all rings that are present within a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) topology. In the second phase, the protocol can automatically configure each node of each such ring in conformity with the Ethernet Ring Protection (ERP) protocol. After this ERP configuration has been performed, the failure of a link within the network will not require every network node to re-learn paths through the network; instead, the nodes that are required to re-learn such paths can be limited to those within the particular ring that contained the failed link.

主权项

1. A network node comprising:
one or more processors; a plurality of ports including a first port and a second port, wherein both the first port and the second port are associated with a same numeric ring identifier, the numeric ring identifier identifying a ring network formed by a plurality of network nodes including the network node; and a memory coupled with and readable by the one or more processors; wherein at least one processor from the one or more processors is configured to:
determine a numeric node identifier included in a packet received through the first port or the second port, the numeric node identifier identifying a network node that originated the packet, wherein the packet is a control packet for selecting an owner for the ring network identified by the numeric ring identifier;determining whether a numeric node identifier for the network node has a same value as the numeric node identifier included in the packet; andupon determining that the numeric node identifier for the network node has the same value as the numeric node identifier included in the packet:
designate the network node as the owner for the ring network identified by the numeric ring identifier; andassign, to the first port, a status identifier that indicates that the first port is an Ethernet Ring Protocol (ERP) Resource Protection Link (RPL) port that is to be blocked during performance of ERP.