Single link switching mechanism for fast recovery in tree-based recovery schemes

In this paper, we propose a self-protected spanning tree (SST) construction algorithm and the corresponding single link switching mechanism (SLSM) for tree-based recovery schemes. Using SLSM, an SST can recover from any single link failure without the help of the other trees. When some link fails, SLSM transforms an SST into another spanning tree by only replacing the failed link in the tree with another normal link out of the tree. SLSM-based recovery mechanism is evaluated using the prevalent Ethernet technology, whose resilience issue is attracting much attention. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of SLSM in achieving fast recovery. Another feature of SLSM is that it provides a novel load balance mechanism by fast changing the topology of SST, which can not be implemented in the previously advocated tree-based schemes.