Hierarchical virtual private LAN service protection scheme

a virtual private lan and protection scheme technology, applied in the field of communication networks, can solve the problems of long period of traffic outage, inability to initiate failure protection, inherently slow, etc., and achieve the effect of reducing packet flooding and recovering quickly from failur

US20070206492A1Inactive Publication Date: 2007-09-06CORRIGENT SYST LTD
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
US · United States
Patent Type
Applications(United States)
Current Assignee / Owner
Publication Date
2007-09-06
Estimated Expiration
Not applicable · inactive patent

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Abstract

A data communication network includes a plurality of primary virtual bridges, interconnected by primary virtual connections so as to transmit and receive data packets over the network to and from edge devices connected thereto. One or more backup virtual bridges, each associated with at least one of the primary virtual bridges, are connected by at least one secondary virtual connection to at least another one of the primary virtual bridges, so that upon a failure of one of the primary virtual bridges with which it is associated, the backup virtual bridge transmits and receives the data packets over the network via the at least one secondary virtual connection in place of the at least one of the primary virtual bridges.
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Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation Application of, and claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 from, U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 337,382, filed Jan. 7, 2003. The entire content of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates generally to communication networks, and specifically to methods and systems for providing virtual private LAN services (VPLS). BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Local Area Networks (LANs) connect computing systems together. LANs of all types can be connected together using Media Access Control (MAC) bridges, as set forth in the “IEEE” Standard for Information Technology, Telecommunications and Information Exchange between Systems, Local and Metropolitan Area Networks, Common Specifications, Part 3: Media Access Control (MAC) Bridges,” published as ANSI / IEEE Standard 802.1D (1998), which is incorporated herein by reference. The 80...

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Embodiment Construction

[0043]FIG. 1 is a block diagram that schematically illustrates a VPN 20 with a hierarchical VPLS topology, implementing a protection scheme in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. VPN 20 is built around a virtual private LAN service (VPLS), operating within a network 22, typically an IP or MPLS network. The VPLS is based on virtual bridges 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, and 40, or VPLS-capable PEs, which are connected by PWs 70, 72, 74 and 76 through network 22. Although for clarity of illustration, network 22 includes only a small number of PEs and represents only a single VPLS instance, the principles embodied in this network may be extended in a straightforward manner to larger networks and to multiple VPLS instances.

[0044] Three primary virtual bridges 30, 32 and 34, referred to as primary core nodes, are connected with each other in a full mesh with PW connections 70. Typically, the PW connections comprise MPLS tunnels, but they may alternatively comprise virt...