Method for control of communications from an edge device of an access network, and edge device and network management module for performing said method

• US 20050063384A1
• Filed: 09/21/2004
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Manisor, Razvan, Six, Erwin Alfons Constant, De Jaegher, Jeanne Emmanuelle Rita
• Granted Patent: US 7,701,879 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• 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 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/742 Route cache; Operation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]

Abstract

A method for control of communications from an edge device (ED1) of an access network (AN), via the provisioning or the non-provisioning of at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2) of at least one other edge device (ED2) of said access network (AN) to said edge device (ED1) by a network management module (NMM) of said access network (AN), is characterised by the fact that said at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2) is delivered to said edge device (ED1) on request of said edge device (ED1). In a preferred embodiment said edge device (ED1) checks, upon arrival of a packet including at least one layer 2 destination address, whether said at least one layer 2 destination address is stored within a communications restriction filter (CRF) of said edge device (ED1) and generates said request including said at least one layer 2 destination address in case said at least one layer 2 destination address is not stored within said communication restriction filter (CRF).

Claims

1. Method for control of communications from an edge device (ED1) of an access network (AN), via the provisioning or the non-provisioning of at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2) of at least one other edge device (ED2) of said access network (AN) to said edge device (ED1) by a network management module (NMM) of said access network (AN), characterised in that said at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2) is delivered to said edge device (ED1) on request of said edge device (ED1).

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein, upon arrival of a packet including at least one layer 2 destination address, said edge device (ED1) checks whether said at least one layer 2 destination address is stored within a communications restriction filter (CRF) of said edge device (ED1) and generates said request including said at least one layer 2 destination address in case said at least one layer 2 destination address is not stored within said communication restriction filter (CRF).

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein additional information is delivered and stored together with said at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2) in said edge device (ED1).

4. Method according to claim 3 wherein said additional information comprises layer 2 forwarding information (VLANtag).

5. Method according to claim 3 wherein said additional information comprises higher OSI layer information.

6. Method according to claim 2 wherein said at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2) of said at least one other edge device (ED2) is removed from said communication restriction filter (CRF) of said edge device (ED1) after a predetermined period of time.

7. Method according to claim 2, wherein said request further comprises user information with respect to the sender of said packet.

10. Method according to claim 1 wherein, if said at least one layer 2 destination address is not stored within said edge device (ED1), or is not received by said edge device from said network management module (NMM), said edge device (ED1) blocks said incoming packet from further passing through said access network (AN)

8. Method according to claim 8 wherein said network management module (NMM) provides said user information to a charging module (CM).

9. Method according to claim 8 wherein said charging module (CM) provides further charging information with respect to the sender of said packet to said network management module (NMM), which thereupon may proceed with delivering said at least one layer 2 destination address to said edge node (ED1).

11. Edge device (ED1) of an access network (AN), said edge device (ED1) including a communication restriction filter (CRF) for storing at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2) of at least one other edge device (ED2) of said access network (AN) characterised in that said edge device (ED1) further includes a communications control device (CCD) for requesting and receiving said at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2) to a network management module (NMM) outside said access network, and for further provisioning said at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2) to said communication restriction filter (CRF).

12. Edge device (ED1) according to claim 11, wherein said communications control device (CCD) further generates said request upon the arrival of a packet including said at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2), and upon checking that said at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2) is not stored within said communication restriction filter (CRF), wherein said at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2) is inserted in said request.

13. Edge device (ED1) according to claim 11, wherein said communications restriction filter (CRF) is able to store additional information associated to said at least one layer 2 destination address.

14. Edge device (ED1) according to claim 13 wherein said additional information comprises layer 2 destination information, routing information or further physical layer information.

15. Edge device (ED1) according to claim 11 wherein said communication restriction filter (CRF) is adapted to remove said at least one layer 2 destination address after a predetermined period of time.

16. Edge device (ED1) according to claim 12, wherein said communication control device (CCD) is further adapted to insert user information with respect to the sender of said packet, in said request.

17. Edge device (ED1) according to claim 12, wherein said communication control device (CCD) is further adapted to block said incoming packet from further passing within said access network, if said at least one layer 2 destination address is not stored in said communications restriction filter (CRF) or not received from said network management module (NMM).

18. Communications restriction module (CRM) of a network management module (NMM) for an access network (AN), for obtaining from a memory device (M1) of said network management module (NMM) at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2), for delivery to an edge device (ED1) of said access network (AN), characterised in that said communications restriction module (CRM) is adapted to only deliver said at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2) to said edge device (ED1), upon receipt of a request from said edge device (ED1).

19. Communications restriction module (CRM) according to claim 18, wherein said communications restriction module (CRM) only delivers said at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2) to said edge device (ED1) upon retrieving said at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2) within said request from said edge device (ED1).

20. Communications restriction module (CRM) according to claim 18, being further adapted to retrieve and to provide additional information associated to said at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2) in addition to said at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2) to said edge device (ED1).

21. Communications restriction module (CRM) according to claim 20, being further adapted to obtain additional layer 2 destination information from another memory means (VLANM) of said network management module (NMM) and to provide said additional layer 2 destination information to said edge device (ED1).

22. Communications restriction module (CRM) according to claim 20 being further adapted to obtain higher OSI layer information pertaining to said at least one layer 2 destination address (MAC2) from an aggregation resource platform module (ARP) and to provide said higher OSI layer information to said edge device (ED1).

23. Communications restriction module (CRM) according to claim 18, being further adapted to extract from said request from said edge device (ED1) additional user information, for further provisioning to a charging module (CM).

24. Communications restriction module (CRM) according to claim 24, being further adapted to receive from said charging module (CM) user billing information, on the basis of which said communications restriction module (CRM) is adapted to provide said at least one layer 2 destination address even when said at least one layer 2 destination address could not be retrieved from said memory device (M1).