Nested Protection Groups for Tunnel Segment Failure

The patent applies nesting by configuring a second protection group on intermediate nodes within the scope of a first protection group. The second protection group is nested inside the first protection group, allowing multi-level protection where intermediate segments can be protected independently. This nested structure enables granular protection of specific network segments without requiring complete reconfiguration of the entire protection system, thus improving reliability while managing configuration complexity.

The patent divides the protection system into multiple segments by creating separate protection groups (first protection group and second protection group) with different scopes. Each protection group can independently manage its own working and protection segments. This segmentation allows selective activation of protection mechanisms only where needed, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high reliability through localized protection capabilities.

The patent implements local quality by enabling protection at the segment level rather than requiring end-to-end TESI protection. When a failure occurs in a specific intermediate segment, only the affected second protection group activates its protection mechanism locally. This allows selective protection of only the failed segment while other segments continue using their working paths, significantly reducing protection switch time and avoiding unnecessary switching of unrelated TESIs.

By segmenting the protection domain into multiple independent protection groups with different scopes, the patent enables granular failure detection and selective protection activation. Each protection group can independently detect failures within its scope and activate protection only when needed, avoiding the blanket switching of all TESIs that occurs with end-to-end protection approaches.

The patent uses nesting to create hierarchical protection groups where a second protection group is configured within the scope of a first protection group. This nested structure provides granular protection for intermediate segments while maintaining a manageable configuration hierarchy. The nested approach allows operators to configure protection at appropriate levels without having to manage every individual segment separately, thus achieving high adaptability while controlling configuration complexity.

The patent implements multi-functionality by designing protection groups that can operate at different levels and scopes. The same protection group structure can protect entire tunnels or specific intermediate segments depending on configuration. This universal approach allows a single configuration framework to handle multiple protection scenarios, reducing the need for separate configuration mechanisms and lowering overall device complexity while maintaining high protection granularity.