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 Re-Route (FRR) mechanism has been standardized to achieve fast local repair of Label Switched Paths (LSPs) in the event of link or node failures. The authors 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.