A Loop-Free Interface-Based Fast Reroute Technique

Nowadays, providing reliable network services is getting more and more important. However, traditional failure recovery methods in IP networks are typically reactive, therefore restoration often takes a long time. One of the most interesting solutions is interface-based fast rerouting, where not only the destination address but the incoming interface too is taken into consideration during forwarding packets in normal state and upon rerouting after a failure. Unfortunately, current methods are prone to form routing loops during the recovery process, which might make parts of the network unaffected by the failure unavailable. In this paper, we propose a new interface-based routing method, which always avoids loops at the price of a bit longer paths. We also present extensive simulation results to compare the traditional and our proposed algorithms.