Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090034413 | Redundancy for point-to-multipoint and multipoint-to-multipoint ethernet virtual connections - A method and system for redundancy in Ethernet Virtual Connections (EVCs) are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes transmitting continuity check messages from a node in an Ethernet Virtual Connection connecting at least one root node and a plurality of leaf nodes in a point-to-multipoint or multipoint-to-multipoint connection, identifying a failure in a primary path between the root node and the leaf nodes, switching to a backup path, and advertising the switching to the backup path to at least one node. | 02-05-2009 |
20090116497 | Ethernet Performance Monitoring - One embodiment is a source router that monitors the performance of an Ethernet network. The source router generates an Ethernet connectivity check request frame that includes a transmission timestamp, and transmits the Ethernet connectivity check request frame to a destination router. The source router receives a reply from the destination router that is transmitted in response to receiving the Ethernet connectivity check request frame and determines a round trip time between the source router and the destination router based on a time of receipt of the reply and the transmission timestamp. | 05-07-2009 |
20100085878 | Automating Identification And Isolation Of Loop-Free Protocol Network Problems - An apparatus is configured to generate a reference model of a bridged network representing a plurality of nodes in the bridged network, wherein each of the plurality of nodes implements a loop-free topology algorithm; determine an expected data path based on the reference model of the bridged network; receive information pertaining to an actual data path in the bridged network; and compare the expected data path based on the reference model and the actual data path in the bridged network to identify a divergence point. | 04-08-2010 |
20100157793 | PROVIDER EDGE-CONTROLLED REDUNDANCY USING PSEUDO LINK AGGREGATION CONTROL PROTOCOL - In one embodiment, a system comprises a plurality of provider edge (PE) devices, the PE devices having a plurality of ports; and a pseudo-link aggregation control protocol (LACP) module instantiated for each of the ports. The pseudo-LACP module allows the PE devices to support dual-homing of an access side, the access side including either an access node or an access network, without running any control protocol for redundancy on the access side. | 06-24-2010 |
20100293233 | CUSTOMER EDGE DEVICE AUTO-CONFIGURATION - A customer edge device is automatically configured. A request for customer edge device configuration data may be transmitted to a provider edge device via an Ethernet-layer operations, administration, maintenance, and provisioning (OAM&P) protocol. The request for configuration data may be relayed from the Ethernet-layer OAM&P protocol to a configuration protocol. The request for configuration data may be transmitted from the provider edge device to a configuration repository server via the configuration protocol. The configuration repository server may transmit the requested configuration data to the provider edge device via the configuration protocol. The provider edge device may relay the configuration data from the configuration protocol to the Ethernet-layer OAM&P protocol and transmit the configuration data to a customer edge device via the Ethernet-layer OAM&P protocol. The customer edge device may automatically configure itself using the configuration data. | 11-18-2010 |
20100315946 | Failure protection for access ring topology - In one embodiment, a method includes configuring a first node, located at an edge of a core network and connected to an access ring, with a maintenance end point for a virtual local area network on a port connecting the first node to the access ring. The first node operates in an active mode for the virtual local area network and is in communication with a second node located at the edge of the core network and connected to the access ring. The method further includes receiving and processing at a processor at the first node, continuity check messages from access nodes on the access ring, synchronizing the first node with the second node, and communicating from the first node to the second node to initiate switching of the second node from a backup mode to the active mode for the virtual local area network upon identification of a failure. | 12-16-2010 |
20110022698 | DYNAMIC MANAGEMENT OF MAINTENANCE ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP IN A COMPUTER NETWORK - In one embodiment, a new maintenance end-point (MEP) may join a particular network (and initiate its sending of continuity check messages, “CCMs”) by transmitting one or more join announcement messages (JAMs). When the JAMs are received by remote MEPs in the particular network, the new MEP may be added to a configured list of MEPs within the particular network at each remote MEP without an alarm. Also, a current MEP may leave the particular network (and cease its transmission of CCMs) by transmitting one or more leave announcement messages (LAMs), which request removal of the current MEP from the configured list at each of the remote MEPs without alarms. Otherwise, transmission of CCMs (that are not JAMs or LAMs) may result in alarms being generated by the MEPs in the particular network for unexpected MEPs or missing MEPs, accordingly. | 01-27-2011 |
20110164505 | CFM FOR CONFLICTING MAC ADDRESS NOTIFICATION - In one embodiment, an aggregation device operating in a computer network may have a down maintenance end point (MEP) configured on certain of its user-to-network interface (UNI) ports. These down MEPs may then receive continuity check messages (CCMs) from down MEPs configured on customer edge (CE) devices, where each CCM has a media access control (MAC) address of a corresponding CE device UNI port from which the CCM is transmitted. In response to detecting conflicting MAC addresses between CE device UNI ports based on the CCMs, the aggregation device may notify the CE devices corresponding to the conflicting MAC addresses of the conflict. | 07-07-2011 |
20110194403 | Fault isolation in trill networks - In one embodiment, a method includes generating at an ingress routing bridge in a TRansparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) network, a trace message for a specified flow along a path from the ingress routing bridge to a destination reachable through the TRILL network, transmitting a single trace message from the ingress routing bridge to a next-hop routing bridge in the TRILL network, receiving a plurality of reply messages in response to the transmitted trace message, and identifying the routing bridges in the path and a location of any fault in the path. An apparatus for fault isolation in a TRILL network is also disclosed. | 08-11-2011 |
20110228679 | ETHERNET PERFORMANCE MONITORING - One embodiment is a source router that monitors the performance of an Ethernet network. The source router generates an Ethernet connectivity check request frame that includes a transmission timestamp, and transmits the Ethernet connectivity check request frame to a destination router. The source router receives a reply from the destination router that is transmitted in response to receiving the Ethernet connectivity check request frame and determines a round trip time between the source router and the destination router based on a time of receipt of the reply and the transmission timestamp. | 09-22-2011 |
20120014261 | Monitoring A Flow Set To Detect Faults - In certain embodiments, monitoring a flow set to detect faults includes identifying, by a first maintenance end point, a flow set comprising flows that utilize a paths from the first maintenance end point through one or more intermediate nodes to a second maintenance end point. Continuity check messages are generated. Each continuity check message is formatted as a data packet that an intermediate node forwards. Each continuity check message comprises a header comprising a maintenance indicator. The continuity check messages are transmitted on the flows to allow the second maintenance end point to monitor the paths. | 01-19-2012 |
20120177054 | Managing Active Edge Devices in VPLS Using BGP Signaling - In one embodiment, a method includes establishing in a Virtual Private Local Area Network (LAN) Service (VPLS) over Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network a floating pseudowire between a first provider edge router and a redundancy group having a plurality of provider edge routers each configured to forward data toward a external device. Each provider edge router in the redundancy group is configured to maintain an active link to the external device. A provider edge router that is not a member of the redundancy group sends data directed to the external device through the floating pseudowire. Only one provider edge router in the redundancy group receives and forwards the particular data to the external device. | 07-12-2012 |
20120201124 | DESIGNATED FORWARDER ELECTION FOR VPLS WITH BGP-BASED MAC LEARNING - In one embodiment, a network device may participate in an election process to elect one of two or more Provider Edge devices of a Redundancy Group to be a Designated Forwarder for the Redundancy Group, where the Redundancy Group is in a Service Provider network, and where the Redundancy Group serves a Customer Edge device of a customer network. The network device may forward multi-destination traffic to the Customer Edge device according to whether the network device is elected to be the Designated Forwarder for the Redundancy Group. Multi-destination traffic may include multicast traffic, broadcast traffic, or destination unknown unicast traffic. | 08-09-2012 |
20120233492 | Transmitting network information using link or port aggregation protocols - In one embodiment, a method includes receiving at a network device, a packet from a component in a virtual network device, the packet transmitted across a link aggregation bundle connecting the virtual network device to the network device and indicating if the component is a master component in the virtual network device, and determining if an error exists in operation of the component as the master component or a slave component. An apparatus for assigning services to physical links in an aggregated link bundle is also disclosed. | 09-13-2012 |
20130148657 | MECHANISM FOR E-VPN INTEROPERABILITY WITH VPLS - In one embodiment, a network device in a set of network devices obtains a pseudowire label for a Provider Edge (PE) device, where the pseudowire label corresponds to a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) on the PE device. In addition, the network device obtains a set of one or more MAC addresses reachable via the PE device, wherein the set of network devices support Ethernet Virtual Private Network (E-VPN) and are in the same redundancy group such that the set of network devices are coupled to the same customer edge device. The network device stores the pseudowire label in association with the set of one or more MAC addresses. The network device uses the pseudowire label to encapsulate traffic associated with the VLAN that is received from the customer edge device and destined to the set of MAC addresses reachable via the PE device. | 06-13-2013 |
20130201858 | ETHERNET PERFORMANCE MONITORING - One embodiment is a source router that monitors the performance of an Ethernet network. The source router generates an Ethernet connectivity check request frame that includes a transmission timestamp, and transmits the Ethernet connectivity check request frame to a destination router. The source router receives a reply from the destination router that is transmitted in response to receiving the Ethernet connectivity check request frame and determines a round trip time between the source router and the destination router based on a time of receipt of the reply and the transmission timestamp. | 08-08-2013 |
20130201986 | STITCHING MULTICAST TREES - Techniques for stitching multicast trees in a multiple data center environment. According to one embodiment, a technique for stitching multicast trees is provided, which includes determining, at an edge device of a data center, one or more Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) assigned to the edge device as a result of a designated forwarder election. An assigned forwarder message is sent by the edge device to one or more devices on the data center, the assigned forwarder message advertising the edge device as a designated forwarder for the VLANs assigned to the edge device. For each of the VLANs assigned to the edge device, the assigned forwarder message causes the edge device to be included in a multicast tree for the VLAN when the assigned forwarder message is received by specific ones of the devices in the data center that are associated with the VLAN. | 08-08-2013 |
20130229924 | CFM FOR CONFLICTING MAC ADDRESS NOTIFICATION - In one embodiment, an aggregation device is configured to aggregate traffic of a plurality of customer edge (CE) devices into a single bridge-domain. The aggregation device receives connectivity fault management (CFM) packets of a CFM protocol from the plurality of CE devices. Each received CFM packet includes a media access control (MAC) address of an access port of the CE device from which the CFM packet was transmitted. The aggregation device detects conflicting MAC addresses between access ports of CE devices by comparing MAC addresses of the received CFM packets. The aggregation device notifies one or more of the plurality of CE devices of the conflict. | 09-05-2013 |
20130235876 | MANAGING HIERARCHICAL ETHERNET SEGMENTS - In one embodiment, a method includes determining when a predetermined period of time has elapsed, and determining whether at least a first message has been obtained on a first port of a node during the predetermined period of time when it is determined that the predetermined period of time has elapsed. The method also includes identifying the first port as being connected to a single-homed site when it is determined that the at least first message has not been obtained on the first port during the predetermined period of time. The first port is identified as being connected to a multi-homed network, a multi-homed device, or a hierarchical Ethernet segment when it is determined that the at least first message has been obtained on the first port during the predetermined period of time. | 09-12-2013 |
20130254359 | ADDRESS RESOLUTION SUPPRESSION FOR DATA CENTER INTERCONNECT - An example method is provided that includes determining whether an address resolution protocol reply from a local machine has been received at an edge node; updating a local cache based on the reply from the local machine; and sending the reply to a plurality of edge nodes through a data plane of a data center interconnect. In more specific implementations, the method can include determining whether an address resolution protocol request has been received from the local machine. The method could also include updating a local machine cache based on the request. In certain implementations, the method can include determining whether the request is targeting the local machine; and dropping the request if the request is targeting the local machine. The method could also include sending the request through the data center interconnect if the request is not targeting the local machine. | 09-26-2013 |
20130254392 | DYNAMIC MANAGEMENT OF MAINTENANCE ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP IN A COMPUTER NETWORK - In one embodiment, a particular maintenance end-point (MEP) transmits, during a joining phase, one or more join announcement messages (JAMs) to other MEPs in a network. The one or more JAMs request addition of the particular MEP without generation of a first alarm. The particular MEP transmits, during an operational phase, continuity check messages (CCMs) to the other MEPs in the network. Alarm generation is active during the operational phase. The particular MEP transmits, during a leaving phase, one or more leave announcement messages (LAMs) to the other MEPs in the network. The one or more LAMs request removal of the particular MEP without generation of a second alarm. | 09-26-2013 |
20130308646 | ENABLING MEDIA ACCESS CONTROL ADDRESS MOBILITY IN AN ETHERNET VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK - In one embodiment, a method includes obtaining an indication that a device is attached to a provider edge. The device has a media access control (MAC) address, wherein the device was previously attached to a first provider edge (PE) of a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network. The method also includes issuing a first advertisement that identifies the MAC address. The first advertisement includes a first MAC address mobility attribute arranged to indicate a number of times the MAC address has moved with respect to the MPLS network. | 11-21-2013 |
20140211641 | USING ETHERNET RING PROTECTION SWITCHING WITH COMPUTER NETWORKS - In one embodiment, a first routing device establishes a virtual channel with a remote routing device in a G.8032 protocol Ethernet network ring. The first routing device and the remote routing device each being linked to a multi-homed routing device having Layer 2 connectivity to a core network. The multi-homed routing device is not configured with the G.8032 protocol. The first routing device identifies a link state from the first routing device to the multi-homed routing device. Layer 2 connectivity of the first routing device to the core network is controlled based upon the identified link state of the first routing device. | 07-31-2014 |
20140233369 | ETHERNET VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING FAST PROTECTION FOR ACCESS RINGS - In one embodiment, a method includes obtaining a first indication from a first source included in an Ethernet ring and obtaining a second indication from a second source associated with a provider edge (PE) node The method also includes determining when the first indication and the second indication are indicative of a direct failure of the PE node and determining when the first indication and the second indication are indicative of a ring partition failure associated with the Ethernet ring. The direct failure of the PE node is identified when it is determined that the first indication and the second indication are indicative of the direct failure of the PE node, and the ring partition failure associated with the Ethernet ring is identified when it is determined that the first indication and the second indication are indicative of the ring partition failure associated with the Ethernet ring. | 08-21-2014 |
20140286173 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LAYER 3 RING PROTECTION WITH ADAPTIVE BANDWIDTH MICROWAVE LINKS IN A NETWORK ENVIRONMENT - A method is provided in one example and includes receiving a current bandwidth characteristic for a link, where the current bandwidth characteristic is determined under fading conditions associated with signal propagation on the link. The method can also include calculating a new cost for the link that is different from a nominal cost associated with a nominal bandwidth of the link without the fading conditions. The method could also include routing at least a portion of a plurality of flows that are to traverse the link away from the link based, at least in part, on the new cost. Another example method includes receiving the current bandwidth characteristic for the link, comparing the current bandwidth characteristic with a preconfigured low watermark corresponding to a class-specific MTR topology associated with a class of traffic traversing the link, and removing the link from the MTR topology based on the current bandwidth characteristic. | 09-25-2014 |
20140313940 | EXPLORATORY LINKTRACE OPERATIONS IN A COMPUTER NETWORK - In one embodiment, an exploratory linktrace is initiated from an initiating network device with an exploratory linktrace message (ELM) having a target address. Each network device receiving the ELM may then propagate the ELM on a plurality of its ports to a plurality of downstream network devices based on the target address. In addition, each receiving network device returns an exploratory linktrace reply (ELR) for each of the plurality of ports, where each ELR is returned according to one or more mechanisms to mitigate stormed replies to the initiating network device. | 10-23-2014 |
20140355447 | PROTECTION AGAINST FADING IN A NETWORK RING - A method provided in one example embodiment includes detecting a first current bandwidth of a first link in a network ring, where the first current bandwidth indicates a signal degradation on the first link. The method also includes determining whether the first current bandwidth has degraded more than a second current bandwidth of a second link in the network ring, where the second current bandwidth indicates a signal degradation on the second link. The method further includes routing one or more network flows away from the first link if the first current bandwidth has degraded more than the second current bandwidth. | 12-04-2014 |
20150029948 | Protecting Packet Traffic in a Network Including an Adaptive Bandwidth Link - In one embodiment, a packet switching device receives a notification that a link has a diminished packet transport capacity. In response, the packet switching devices changes forwarding information for a portion of the packet traffic being sent over the diminished packet transport capacity link to traverse one or more reroute paths not including the diminished link, while some packet traffic continues to use the diminished packet transport capacity link. This notification can be received directly from a communications device, or via a routing protocol such as for a remote link that sent packet traffic may traverse. These rerouted paths may be precomputed and installed in forwarding data structures for fast rerouting, or computed and installed in response to receiving the notification. In one embodiment, quality of service (QoS) is adjusted in response to receiving the notification. | 01-29-2015 |
20150071080 | REDUNDANCY FOR INTER-AS L2VPN SERVICE WITH OPTIMAL FORWARDING - In one embodiment, a particular autonomous system border router (ASBR), in a control-plane media access control (MAC) learning (CPML) network, discovers other ASBRs in the CPML network, the particular ASBR and other ASBRs interconnected with respective ASBRs of a data-plane MAC learning (DPML) network. The particular ASBR calculates one or more internal shortest path first (SPF) trees rooted respectively at each of the other ASBRs in the CPML network, and upon receiving a MAC advertisement route for a given MAC address with a given next-hop IP address, it may determine a distance from the particular and each other ASBR in the CPML network to the given IP address based on the internal SPF trees. In response to the distance from the particular ASBR being shorter than the distance from each other ASBR, the particular ASBR is designated as a designated forwarder (DF) for traffic sourced from the given MAC address. | 03-12-2015 |