34355 Routing in data networks

Hierarchical routing & PNNI

Motivation
Hierarchical routing is well-known from the telephony world > easy
There is a scalability issue with routing protocols in data networks ->
problem!
Could we introduce hierarchical routing in data networks a solution?

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Take-home points
After this lecture you should:
Understand hierarchical routing and be able to explain about
its pros and cons
Know about PNNI
Know about other alternatives
Key terms:
Hierarchical routing
PNNI

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Overview
General issues
Hop-by-hop versus source routing
Flat versus hierarchical topologies and routing
Constraint-based routing
ATM basics
PNNI routing
Overall concepts - hierarchies
Topology (link and node) aggregation
PNNI a reality check
Other options
Summary and references

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Hop-by-hop vs. Source routing
Hop-by-hop routing
Each node autonomously determines the next hop
Source routing
First node decides which path to use
Both can be used for as well connection-oriented as connection-less
networks

Student question:
What are the pros and cons?
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Pros and cons
Hop-by-hop
Possible creation of routing loops (inconsistent view of the network &
inconsistent path computation)
Sub-optimal use of network resources
Same path-selection algorithm must be used
Replicates path selection
Source routing
No routing loops!
Path selection can be different from node to node

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Flat- versus hierarchical topologies
Flat topologies

Hierarchical topologies
Can be physical or logical

Student question:
What are the pros and cons?
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Pros and cons
Flat topologies
Simple
Detailed topology information must be flooded to all nodes
Not scalable
Hierarchical topologies
Harder to configure
Detailed information only needed locally
Fewer updates
Topology not disclosed to competitors
Information can be aggregated
Scales to very large networks

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Problems with normal routing
Based on one, additive metric
Number of hops
Weight
Needed:
More than one metric
Non additive metrics

Student question:
Give examples of non-additive metrics
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Constraint-based routing
Being able to setup a path that meets certain requirements
Example constraints
Bandwidth
Delay
Jitter
# of hops

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 Requirements
Additional metrics assigned to links
Ways to handle non-additive metrics
Ways to gather this information network wide
Incorporation of some constraint-based path selection method
In other words:
New routing protocols
Example solutions:
OSPF-TE
IS-IS TE
and now also PNNI

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Routing in hierarchical topologies
Tasks
Collect information about the topology (and keep it up
to date)
Collect information about the state of the network
(reachability information) and keep it up to date
Compute (constrained) paths based on the information
available

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Logical versus physical hierarchies
Physical hierarchies
Embedded into the device structure
Might use different devices in the different levels of hierarchy
Hard to change
Logical hierarchies
Created dynamically
Independent of the physical topology
Can be reconfigured

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Routing in hierarchical topologies
Tasks (for logical hierarchies)
Form a simplified, logical topology
Collect information about that topology (and keep it up
to date)
Collect information about the state of the network
(reachability information) and keep it up to date
Compute (constrained) paths based on the information
available

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ATM basics

5 bytes
H eader
Asynchronous Transfer Mode
Connection-oriented packet switching
Packets: fixed sized cells
(Virtual) Circuits: VCs and VPs

48 bytes
P a y lo a d
QoS Support
Call Admission Control (CAC)
Constraint based routing
Terminology
Nodes: ATM switches
8 b it s

G FC V irtu a l p a th

V ir tu a l p a th

5 bytes
V ir t u a l c h a n n e l id e n t if ie r ( V C I )
P a y lo a d
CLP
ty p e
H EC
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Switching in ATM
Connection setup negotiates QoS (CAC)
Integrated path selection and resource reservation
After connections are setup
Switching by table lookup
Performed in hardware -> fast

A T M S w itch

1 2
Ingress Egress
2 3
Port VP VC Port VP VC
3 1
1 5 44 4 3 3
3 35 1 2 4 5
5 3 4 4 5 3

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Connections in ATM
VPs and VCs
Hierarchical
QoS guaranteed on each connection
VPI/VCI have only local significance

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Service categories and QoS
Service categories
Constant Bit Rate (CBR)
Variable Bit Rate (VBR)
Unspecified Bit Rate (UBR)
Available Bit Rate (ABR)
QoS (Quality of Service)
Cell delay variation (CDV)
Cell loss probability
Traffic contract
Relates user and network commitments

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ATM signaling (1)
Connect
A T M n e tw o rk

U ser User

- C a ll re fe r e n c e v a lu e
- A d d re s s e s
- C a ll r e fe re n c e v a lu e
- T r a ffic c h a ra c te r is tic s
- A d d re s s e s
- Q oS
- T ra ffic c h a ra c te ris tic s
- Q oS
- VC I/ VPI

- C a ll re fe r e n c e v a lu e
- VCI / VPI - C a ll re fe r e n c e v a lu e

- C a ll r e fe re n c e v a lu e

- C a ll re fe r e n c e v a lu e
- C a ll re fe r e n c e v a lu e

- C a ll re fe r e n c e v a lu e

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ATM signaling (2)
Release

A T M n e tw o rk

U ser User

- C a ll re fe re n c e v a lu e
- C a u s e ID
- C a ll re fe re n c e v a lu e
- C a u s e ID
- C a ll re fe re n c e v a lu e

- C a ll re fe re n c e v a lu e

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ATM adaptation layers (AALs)
Function
Handle transmission errors
Perform segmentation and reassembly
Flow and timing control
Types of AALs
Type 1 (Circuit emulation)
Type 2 (sub-multiplexing of low speed data e.g. telephony)
Type 3/4
Type 5
intended for data transfer
minimum overhead
used when integrating with IP

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Routing in ATM
Hierarchical routing based on a logical topology
QoS support (constraint based routing)
PNNI
Very complex

Remember ATM uses Connection-oriented packet switching

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PNNI overview
Private network node interface
Private network-network interface
Link-state protocol
Topology information
Reachability information
Qos support (constraint based routing)
Multi-level hierarchical routing
Topology simplification (aggregation)

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PNNI tasks
Construction of the logical routing hierarchy
Neighbor and link discovery
Topology database synchronization
Summarization of topology information
Election of PGLs
Flooding of PTSEs

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Constructing the hierarchy
Group physical nodes
Peer groups
Must have complete topology knowledge
Represent each peer group as a logical node
Aggregation
Logical levels on top of the physical one
Group logical nodes and represent as a new logical node
Continue until the network is fully connected
Parent / child peer groups

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Forming the hierarchy - example
A B

Level 3
B.1

Level 2
A.1
A.2 B.2
B.3

B.1.2

B.1.1
B.1.3 B.2.2
B.1.4

(physical layer)
B.2.3
B.1.5

Level 1
B.2.1

A.2.2
A.1.2

A.1.1
B.3.4
B.3.1

A.2.3
A.1.3
A.2.1 B.3.3 B.3.2

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 Information exchange
The Hello protocol
Runs on physical and logical links
Exchanges information about
Identity & peer group membership
Link state and node state
Reachability
Bundled into PNNI Topology State Elements (PTSEs)
Flooded thoughout the peer group
Incoming PTSEs are kept in a topology database
Updates
Aging
The topology database is used to do path computations

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More Hellos and flooding
Information exchange within a peer group
Full information
Database synchronization
Information exchange between peer groups
Not connected at this level
Border nodes
No flooding, just hellos
Hierarchy information (higher level peer groups)
Uplinks

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Uplinks - example
A B

Level 3
B.1

Level 2
A.1
A.2 B.2
B.3

B.1.2

B.1.1
B.1.3 B.2.2
B.1.4

(physical layer)
B.2.3
B.1.5

Level 1
B.2.1

A.2.2
A.1.2

A.1.1
B.3.4
B.3.1

A.2.3
A.1.3
A.2.1 B.3.3 B.3.2

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Logical nodes and links
Logical nodes
Simplified representation of a peer
Full mesh representation
group
Works just as physical nodes
Hello protocol
Flooding
Logical links
Connect logical nodes Star representation
Aggregated links

Nucleus

Spoke Bypass

Complex representation

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The peer group leader (PGL)
Topology aggregation
Responsible for calculations and dissemination of the results
Feeds information upwards
Connection establishment etc.
Act as any other node
Who is the leader?
PGL election
Runs continuously

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Creating the higher levels
Recursive
Runs until a fully connected network is created
Horizontal links
Based on uplinks
Used for flooding within a peer group
Information is flooded horizontally and downwards
Nodes at all levels behave identically
Except for the uppermost level which doesnt need a leader

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View from a single node

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Constraint-based routing with PNNI
Link properties
Metrics - cumulative
Attributes considered individually
Flooding reachability information
Horizontally and downwards
Source routing
The source selects the path to the destination

Student question:
What are the problems with source routing in logical,
hierarchical topologies?
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Path selection
Source node has no complete view of the network
Selects the hierarchically complete path
One node responsible for selecting a path within a peer group
so more than one node make routing decisions!
Paths are described as designated transit lists

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Routing
example

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Crankback
Connection establishment
Path selection
Setup procedure (CAC)
Setup message follows path
Alternative routes
Reroute around failures
Crankback
Return to the node that made the last decision
Attempts to reroute, otherwise aborts

Student question:
In what cases can a route setup fail?
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Example parameters
Delay
Available bandwidth
Metrics can change over time
Hard to keep information up to date -> thus during call setup CAC may
fail

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Crankback
example

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A reality check
ATM usage is limitedor is it?
Used as a backbone by most operators
Most setups hide ATM features
Semi-static configurations
PNNI is not used a lot
Hard to configure
Only relevant for very large ATM networks
PAR has been defined for integrating with IP
ASON

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Other alternatives
OSPF include support for two levels
Need to be configured
The normal internet way
Combine OSPF and BGP
BGP allows for policy routing but only locally

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Summary
Hierarchical routing scales to large networks
Topology can be summarized
PNNI
Hierarchical routing in ATM networks
Mix of hop-by-hop and source routing
Enables constraint based routing globally!

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Reading material
http://www.atmforum.org/
Has all the ATM standards available (for free!)
PNNI standard: af-pnni-0055.000
PAR standard: af-ra-0104.000

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