Enhancing Scalability in SRv6 Networks: A Novel Approach

The widespread use of cloud-native environments poses network challenges, requiring complex routing and control. Segment Routing over IPv6 (SRv6) provides a solution that simplifies network management and enables explicit routing with a programmable mechanism to steer traffic under dynamic conditions. However, SRv6 can lead to large packet sizes due to its node representation using IPv6 addresses. A novel technique, called SRv6 Policy Translation (SRv6-PT), is proposed in this paper to address this issue. SRv6-PT optimizes packet size by including only a fraction of the forwarding route in the Segment List, ensuring efficient routing. This solution is implemented as a Linux kernel module and tested against existing solutions, revealing its advantages and limitations.