Hybrid FRR/p-cycle design for link and node protection in MPLS networks

Survivable MPLS technologies are crucial in ensuring reliable communication services. The fast reroute (FRR) mechanism has been standardized to achieve fast local repair of label switched paths (LSPs) in the event of link or node failures. We present a suite of hybrid protection schemes for MPLS networks that combine the well-known p-cycle method with FRR technology. Whereas with pure FRR backup paths are planned by each node individually, the hybrid schemes employ a set of p-cycles that may be selected using techniques that take a holistic view of the network so as to share protection bandwidth effectively. The hybrid FRR/p-cycle methods are fully RFC 4090-compliant, yet allow network operators to leverage a large existing body of p-cycle design techniques. Numerical results on realistic network topologies indicate that the hybrid approach is successful in combining the advantages of p-cycle design and FRR.