Generalized service protection systems and methods

• US 10,425,153 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2016
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Inventors: Holness, Marc, Shew, Stephen Daniel, Gilson, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Xavier Szewai
• Application Number:
  US14/990,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20160134361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/032 using working and protection systems H04J14/0287 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/167 interaction with SDH/SONET, e.g. carrying SDH/SONET frames, interfacing with SDH/SONET H04J3/1664 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/42 Loop networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/437 Ring fault isolation or reconfiguration for SDH/SONET ring networks H04J3/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6437 Ring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/00 Packet switching elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0066 Provisions for optical burst or packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0081 Fault tolerance; Redundancy; Recovery; Reconfigurability

Abstract

Systems and methods for ring protection switching in a network based on selectively blocking and unblocking a port include forwarding traffic via the port over a data channel that utilizes a first service identifier, wherein the data channel is routed in the network along a closed loop; and selectively blocking and unblocking traffic on the port to provide the ring protection switching over the closed loop, wherein the selectively blocking and unblocking is performed based on a management channel that utilizes a second service identifier that is a different type from the first service identifier.

Claims

1. A method for ring protection switching in a network based on selectively blocking and unblocking a port, the method comprising:

forwarding traffic via the port over a data channel that utilizes a first service identifier, wherein the data channel is routed in the network along a closed loop;

operating a management channel that utilizes a second service identifier that is a different type from the first service identifier; and

selectively blocking and unblocking traffic including both the data channel and the management channel on the port to provide the ring protection switching over the closed loop based on the management channel such that G.8032 protection is performed on the data channel that is one of, for the closed loop, Optical Transport Network (OTN) traffic, Synchronous Optical Network (SONET)/Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) traffic, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) traffic, and Internet Protocol (IP) traffic.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the forwarding traffic and the selectively blocking and unblocking traffic are independent actions, with associated entities configured to perform the forwarding traffic and the selectively blocking and unblocking traffic being decoupled from one another.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first service identifier is not either of a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) Identifier (VID) and a Destination Media Access Control (MAC DA).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second service identifier is an Ethernet service identifier and the first service identifier is not an Ethernet service identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first service identifier is a Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) bearer traffic identifier, and wherein the selectively blocking and unblocking traffic is performed in a switch fabric.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data channel is a wavelength, and wherein the selectively blocking and unblocking traffic is performed by an optical routing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively blocking and unblocking traffic is performed responsive to detecting a fault in the management channel.

8. An apparatus configured to perform ring protection switching in a network based on selectively blocking and unblocking a port, the node comprising:

circuitry adapted to forward traffic via the port over a data channel that utilizes a first service identifier, wherein the data channel is routed in the network along a closed loop;

circuitry adapted to operate a management channel that utilizes a second service identifier that is a different type from the first service identifier; and

circuitry adapted to selectively block and unblock traffic including both the data channel and the management channel on the port to provide the ring protection switching over the closed loop based on the management channel such that G.8032 protection is performed on the data channel that is one of, for the closed loop, Optical Transport Network (OTN) traffic, Synchronous Optical Network (SONET)/Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) traffic, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) traffic, and Internet Protocol (IP) traffic.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the forward of the traffic and the block and unblock of the traffic are independent actions, with the circuitry adapted to forward traffic and the circuitry adapted to selectively block and unblock traffic being decoupled from one another.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first service identifier is not either of a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) Identifier (VID) and a Destination Media Access Control (MAC DA).

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second service identifier is an Ethernet service identifier and the first service identifier is not an Ethernet service identifier.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first service identifier is a Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) bearer traffic identifier, and wherein the traffic is selectively blocked and unblocked in a switch fabric.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the data channel is a wavelength, and wherein the traffic is selectively blocked and unblocked by an optical routing device.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the traffic is selectively blocked and unblocked responsive to detecting a fault in the management channel.

15. A node configured to perform ring protection switching in a network based on selectively blocking and unblocking a port, the node comprising:

at least one port adapted to forward traffic over a data channel that utilizes a first service identifier and adapted to operate a management channel that utilizes a second service identifier that is a different type from the first service identifier, wherein the data channel is routed in the network along a closed loop; and

a device adapted to selectively block and unblock traffic including both the data channel and the management channel on the port to provide the ring protection switching over the closed loop based on the management channel such that G.8032 protection is performed on the data channel that is one of, for the closed loop, Optical Transport Network (OTN) traffic, Synchronous Optical Network (SONET)/Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) traffic, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) traffic, and Internet Protocol (IP) traffic.

16. The node of claim 15, wherein the forward of the traffic and the block and unblock of the traffic are independent actions, with associated entities configured to perform the independent actions being decoupled from one another.

17. The node of claim 15, wherein the first service identifier is not either of a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) Identifier (VID) and a Destination Media Access Control (MAC DA).

18. The node of claim 15, wherein the second service identifier is an Ethernet service identifier and the first service identifier is not an Ethernet service identifier.

19. The node of claim 15, wherein the first service identifier is a Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) bearer traffic identifier, and wherein the traffic is selectively blocked and unblocked in a switch fabric.

20. The node of claim 15, wherein the data channel is a wavelength, and wherein the traffic is selectively blocked and unblocked by an optical routing device.