US 11,770,331 B1
Encoding forwarding policy data in multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) labels
Kireeti Kompella, Los Altos, CA (US); Vishnu Pavan Beeram, Hyderabad (IN); Swamy Sadashivaiah Kananda, Cupertino, CA (US); Jonathan C. Barth, Collegeville, PA (US); Tarek Saad, Ottawa (CA); Chandrasekar Ramachandran, Bangalore (IN); and Srihari Ramachandra Sangli, Bengaluru (IN)
Assigned to Juniper Networks, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed by Juniper Networks, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 16, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/527,806.
Int. Cl. H04L 45/50 (2022.01); H04L 47/20 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 45/50 (2013.01) [H04L 47/20 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a network device, a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) packet destined for a destination via a label-switched path;
determining, by the network device, whether to apply a first special purpose label (SPL) option or a second SPL option for a label stack of the MPLS packet;
applying, by the network device and when the first SPL option is determined to be applied, one of:
a first type of the first SPL option for the label stack, via a policy data indicator and policy data,
wherein the label stack continues after the policy data ends in the first type of the first SPL option, or
a second type of the first SPL option for the label stack, via the policy data indicator and the policy data,
wherein the label stack and the policy data end together in the second type of the first SPL option; and
forwarding, by the network device, the MPLS packet to a hop of the label-switched path based on the first type of the first SPL option or the second type of the first SPL option applied to the MPLS packet.