Simple peering in a transport network employing novel edge devices

• US 20020024964A1
• Filed: 04/12/2001
• Published: 02/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Communications Inc.
• Inventors: Voit, Eric A., Baum, Robert T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,315,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2212/00 Encapsulation of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/245 Link aggregation, e.g. trunking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Simple peering is provided in a novel network in which transport technology is independent of network access technology. An out-of-band network may be used to carry advertisements to an update facility. The update facility may use layer 3 destination address information and at least a part of context information (to identify customers uniquely) to determine a layer 3 address of an edge device of the transport network associated with an addressed customer device. Virtual private networks are supported, as context information is used to distinguish different customers with overlapping layer 3 addresses.

Claims

1. For use in an edge device of a transport network, a method for processing data, received from a first customer device via access facilities, addressed to a second customer device, the method comprising:

a) terminating, with a physical interface, a link of the access facilities;

b) associating at least one logical interface with the physical interface;

c) associating customer context information with the logical interface; and

d) upon receiving the data,

i) removing at least a part of layer 2 address information from the data to generate resulting data, and

ii) adding the customer context information to the resulting data to generate modified data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the customer context information added to the resulting data is added in the place of the at least a part of the layer 2 address information removed.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

e) aggregating the modified data at the logical interface with other modified data at other logical interfaces, for trunking on a shared, network-facing, communications link.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

f) saving, in association with the logical interface, layer 2 source address information of the data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the customer context information identifies a unique virtual private network customer.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein at least a portion of the customer context information identifies a unique host of the unique virtual private network.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein at least a portion of the customer context information uniquely identifies the logical interface within a given virtual private network customer.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the customer context information uniquely identifies the logical interface.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the customer context information identifies a class of service level .

10. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the customer context information identifies a quality of service level.

11. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

f) receiving the modified data from the shared, network-facing, communications link; and

g) encapsulating the modified data with carrier information, used to forward the modified data across the transport network to a second edge device with which the second customer device has access.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the carrier information includes an address of the second edge device.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the data includes a layer 3 destination address corresponding to a layer 3 address of the second customer device, and wherein the address of the second edge device is derived from a layer 3 destination address of the data and at least a part of the customer context information.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the carrier information includes service level information.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the data includes a layer 3 destination address corresponding to a layer 3 address of the second customer device, the method further comprising:

h) at the second edge device, removing the carrier information to obtain the modified data; and

i) advancing the data to a logical interface associated with the second customer device, wherein the logical interface associated with the second customer device is determined based on the layer 3 address of the second customer device and at least a part of the customer context information.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the data is advanced to the logical interface associated with the second customer device by generating an effective address of the logical interface associated with the second customer device, based on at the layer 3 address of the second customer device and at least a part of the customer context information.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

j) replacing as a destination address, the effective address with a layer 2 address of the second customer device.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the layer 2 address of the second customer device was previously associated with its corresponding logical interface and stored.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the layer 2 address information of the data is part of an Ethernet header, and

wherein the customer context information replaces a value in a layer 2 source address field of the Ethernet header.

20. The method of claim 3 wherein the layer 2 address information of the data is an Ethernet header,

wherein the customer context information replaces a value in a layer 2 destination address field of the Ethernet header, and

wherein a node terminating the shared, network-facing, communications link operates in the promiscuous mode.

21. For use in a system including a transport network, the transport network including at least two edge devices, each of the at least two edge devices being accessible to customer devices via access facilities and having logical interfaces, each logical interface uniquely associated with a customer device, a machine readable medium having stored thereon:

a) data received from a first customer device and addressed to a second customer device; and

b) customer context information associated with the logical interface uniquely associated with the first customer device.

22. The machine readable medium of claim 21 wherein at least a part of the customer context information uniquely identifies the logical interface.

23. The machine readable medium of claim 21 wherein at least a part of the customer context information uniquely identifies a customer.

24. The machine readable medium of claim 21 wherein at least a part of the customer context information identifies a service level.

25. The machine readable medium of claim 21 further having stored thereon:

c) carrier information used to forward the data, across the transport network, to an edge device associated with the second customer device.

26. The machine readable medium of claim 25 wherein the carrier information includes an address of the edge device associated with the second customer device, and

wherein the address of the edge device is based on the address of the second customer device and at least a part of the customer context information.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the carrier information table associates carrier information with a layer 3 destination address and at least a part of customer context information.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the modified data is forwarded to the edge information update facility via a network other than the transport network.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein if the data received from the customer device is an address advertisement, first encapsulating the modified data in carrier information before forwarding the modified data to an edge information update facility.

27. For use at an edge device of a transport network, the edge device serving customer devices coupled via access facilities, a method for maintaining carrier information tables, the method comprising:

a) terminating, with a physical interface, a link of the access facilities;

b) associating at least one logical interface with the physical interface;

c) associating customer context information with the logical interface;

d) upon receiving data from a customer device, adding the customer context information to generate modified data;

e) if the data received from the customer device is an address advertisement, then forwarding the modified data to an edge information update facility; and

f) if a table update is received from the edge information update facility, then updating a carrier information table.

31. For use in a system including a transport network, the transport network including at least two edge devices, each of the at least two edge devices being accessible to customer devices via access facilities and having logical interfaces, each logical interface uniquely associated with a customer device and having associated customer context information, a machine readable medium having stored thereon a customer context-based forwarding table, the customer context-based forwarding table comprising a plurality of entries, each of the entries including:

a) carrier information; and

b) at least a part of a layer 3 destination address and at least a part of customer-based context information.

32. The machine readable medium of claim 31 wherein devices of different customers can have the same layer 3 address, such devices being uniquely addressable based on at least a part of their layer 3 address and at least a part of customer-based context information.

33. The machine readable medium of claim 31 wherein the at least a part of customer-based context information includes information for uniquely identifying a customer.

34. The machine readable medium of claim 33 wherein the information for uniquely identifying a customer is a VPN-OUI.

35. The machine readable medium of claim 33 wherein the at least a part of customer-based context information further includes information for uniquely identifying a host of a given customer.

36. The machine readable medium of claim 35 wherein the information for uniquely identifying a host of a given customer is a VPN-Index.

37. The machine readable medium of claim 31 further comprising:

c) a layer 3 address of an egress edge device.

38. For use in a system including a transport network, the transport network including at least two edge devices, each of the at least two edge devices being accessible to customer devices via access facilities and having logical interfaces, each logical interface uniquely associated with a customer device and having associated customer context information, in an edge information update facility, a method for determining and signaling carrier information updates, the method comprising:

a) accepting an address advertisement, including customer context information and encapsulated in carrier information;

b) removing the carrier information;

c) if the address advertisement constitutes new and changed information, updating edge information for the transport network; and

d) disseminating carrier information to each of the at least two edge devices.

39. For use in an edge device of a transport network, an aggregation unit for processing data, received from a first customer device via access facilities, addressed to a second customer device, the aggregation unit comprising:

a) a physical interface for terminating a link of the access facilities;

b) at least one logical interface associated with the physical interface;

c) a storage device for storing customer context information associated with the logical interface; and

d) means for, upon receiving the data,

i) removing at least a part of layer 2 address information from the data to generate resulting data, and

ii) adding the customer context information to the resulting data to generate modified data.

40. For use in a system including

a transport network, and

an aggregation unit for processing data, received from a first customer device via access facilities, addressed to a second customer device, the aggregation unit including (a) a physical interface for terminating a link of the access facilities, (b) at least one logical interface associated with the physical interface, (c) a storage device for storing customer context information associated with the logical interface, (d) means for, upon receiving the data, adding the customer context information to the data to generate modified data, and (e) means for aggregating the modified data at the logical interface with other modified data at other logical interfaces, for trunking on a shared network-facing, communications link,

an access router, the access router comprising:

a) a port for receiving the modified data from the shared, network-facing, communications link; and

b) means for encapsulating the modified data with carrier information, used to forward the modified data, across the transport network, to a second edge device associated with the second customer device.

41. The access router of claim 40 wherein the carrier information includes an address of the second edge device.

42. The access router of claim 40 wherein the data includes a layer 3 destination address corresponding to a layer 3 address of the second customer device, and

wherein the address of the second edge device is derived from the layer 3 destination address included in the data and at least a part of the customer context information.

43. For use in a system including a transport network, the transport network including at least two edge devices, each of the at least two edge devices being accessible to customer devices via access facilities and having logical interfaces, each logical interface uniquely associated with a customer device and having associated customer context information, in a route update facility, an edge information update facility comprising:

a) an input facility for accepting an address advertisement, including customer context information and encapsulated in carrier information;

b) means for removing the carrier information;

c) means, if the address advertisement constitutes new and changed information, for updating edge information for the transport network; and

d) a signaling facility for disseminating carrier information to each of the at least two edge devices.