US 11,811,651 B2
Apparatus, system, and method for steering traffic over network slices
Tarek Saad, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Raveendra Torvi, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Vishnu Pavan Beeram, Sunnyvale, CA (US); and Jonathan C. Barth, Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Assigned to Juniper Networks, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed by Juniper Networks, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed on Jan. 15, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/150,082.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/077,270, filed on Sep. 11, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0086082 A1, Mar. 17, 2022
Int. Cl. H04L 45/302 (2022.01); H04L 45/44 (2022.01); H04L 45/50 (2022.01); H04L 45/58 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 45/302 (2013.01) [H04L 45/44 (2013.01); H04L 45/50 (2013.01); H04L 45/583 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a network node within a network, a packet from another network node within the network;
searching a label stack of the packet for an indicator that indicates a presence of a slice label that indicates a network slice that has been logically partitioned on the network in a next position within the label stack;
during the search for the indicator:
identifying, on top of the label stack of the packet, a transport label that indicates the network node within the label stack; and
identifying the indicator beneath the transport label within the label stack;
popping the transport label and the indicator from the top of the label stack of the packet;
searching the label stack for the slice label;
during the search for the slice label, identifying the slice label;
determining a quality of service policy that corresponds to the network slice by analyzing the slice label;
reimposing the indicator above the slice label within the label stack;
imposing, on the top of the label stack of the packet, an additional transport label that indicates the additional network node such that the slice label resides beneath the additional transport label within the label stack;
applying the quality of service policy to the packet; and
upon applying the quality of service policy to the packet, forwarding the packet to the additional network node within the network.