Abstract
In multiprotocol label switching, link colors can be assigned to network interfaces to exclude (or to include) certain classes of traffic from specific paths. Under certain network failure scenarios, a color-exclusionary link can disrupt traffic. This disclosure describes path-computation techniques that penalize, rather than completely exclude, links with specific link colors. Links with such colors are deprioritized, e.g., less preferred, than other links. However, the links remain feasible for packet transfer should there be no other available paths. Under various failure scenarios, the described techniques find paths equal to or better than purely exclusionary techniques. Furthermore, the techniques can be used to find at least one pathway from source to destination where completely exclusionary techniques find none. Applying the described techniques can make a network more resilient to failures. In particular, an unstable or erroring node or link can be made less preferred for high-priority traffic but always usable by low-priority traffic.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
n/a, "Link Coloring in Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Networks to Enable Selective Link Deprioritization", Technical Disclosure Commons, (September 15, 2023)
https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/6252