System and method for a communications access network

• US 20050220143A1
• Filed: 06/01/2004
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Bencheck, Michael U., DelRegno, Nick, McDysan, David E., Kotrla, Scott R., Turlington, Matthew W., Drake, William, Hardin, Ross S., Bengston, Lee D., Schell, Richard C., Chiu, Howard
• Granted Patent: US 8,249,082 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/471
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A system and method are provided for providing access communications between customer locations and a core network service edge. Access flows are handled as carrier-tagged flows through a packet switched network comprising network elements that interpret and manipulate carrier tag values associated with traffic-bearing data frames.

Claims

1. In a communication system, a method for providing access communications between a customer premise and a service edge, comprising:

receiving a communication from a customer premise equipment;

along a communications path to the service edge, sending the communication as a carrier-tagged communication, wherein the carrier-tagged communication comprises a data frame having variable frame length capability and wherein the communication from the customer premise equipment comprises a hardware address that is passed transparently by the communications path to the service edge.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the hardware address pertains to the service edge.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the hardware address is a media access control (MAC) address.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication from the customer premise equipment comprises a payload portion and a customer address portion and wherein the carrier-tagged communication comprises the payload portion and the customer address portion and a carrier tag.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein customer address portion comprises the hardware address.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the carrier-tagged communication comprises an ethernet data frame.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

applying a carrier tag to the communication from the customer premise equipment to form the carrier-tagged communication.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the sending the communication to the service edge further comprises:

applying a second carrier tag value to the data frame at a point along the communications path at which the data frame comprises a first carrier tag value, wherein the data frame as sent along at least a portion of the communications path comprises the first carrier tag value and the second carrier tag value.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the sending the communication to the service edge further comprises:

applying a second carrier tag to the data frame at a point along the communications path at which the data frame comprises a first carrier tag, wherein the data frame as sent along at least a portion of the communications path comprises the first carrier tag and the second carrier tag.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the data frame is configured to carry at least one of multiple carrier tags and multiple carrier tag values.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the communications path comprises at least one of:

a service emulation instance, a pseudowire, a logical networking tagged path, and a tunnel.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

configuring the communications path to emulate a communications protocol used in the communications received from the CPE.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the data frame comprises a carrier tag value having significance for affecting the handling of the carrier-tagged communication as it is sent along the communications path.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the carrier tag value relates to specifying the communications path.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the carrier tag value applied to the carrier-tagged communications comprises at least one of a:

service emulation instance mapping identifier, a tunnel label, a VLAN tag, and a pseudowire label.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the carrier tag value identifies the communication from the customer premise equipment as distinct from other communications from the customer premise equipment.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the carrier tag value identifies the communication from the customer premise equipment as distinct from other communications from other customer premise equipments.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the carrier tag value is associated with a manner in which the data frame is to be processed by a network element along the communications path.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the carrier tag value comprises a service emulation instance mapping identifier, the value of which is associated with a communications protocol used in the communication received from the customer premise equipment.

20. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

selecting the carrier tag value to correspond to a communications path which is configured to emulate a communications service conforming to a communications protocol used in the communications received from the CPE.

21. The method of claim 13 wherein the communications path is a service emulation instance.

22. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

applying the carrier tag value to the communication from the customer premise equipment.

23. The method of claim 13 wherein a network element along the communications path selectively routes the traffic responsive to the carrier tag value.

24. In a communication system, a method for providing access communications between a customer premise and a service edge, comprising:

receiving a communication from a customer premise equipment;

along a communications path to the service edge, sending the communication as a carrier-tagged communication, wherein the carrier-tagged communication comprises a data frame having variable frame length capability and wherein the data frame accepts multiple carrier tag values.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the carrier-tagged communication comprises an ethernet data frame.

26. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

applying a carrier tag to the communication from the customer premise equipment to form the carrier-tagged communication.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the sending the communication to the service edge further comprises:

applying a second carrier tag value to the data frame at a point along the communications path at which the data frame comprises a first carrier tag value, wherein the data frame as sent along at least a portion of the communications path comprises the first carrier tag value and the second carrier tag value.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein the sending the communication to the service edge further comprises:

applying a second carrier tag to the data frame at a point along the communications path at which the data frame comprises a first carrier tag, wherein the data frame as sent along at least a portion of the communications path comprises the first carrier tag and the second carrier tag.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein the data frame carries multiple carrier tags.

30. The method of claim 24 wherein the data frame supports stackable carrier tags.

31. The method of claim 24 wherein the communications path comprises at least one of:

a service emulation instance, a pseudowire, a logical networking tagged path, and a tunnel.

32. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

configuring the communications path to emulate a communications protocol used in the communications received from the CPE.

33. The method of claim 24 wherein the communication from the customer premise equipment comprises a hardware address that is passed transparently by the communications path to the service edge.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the hardware address pertains to the service edge.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein the hardware address is a media access control (MAC) address.

36. The method of claim 33 wherein the communication from the customer premise equipment comprises a payload portion and a customer address portion and wherein the carrier-tagged communication comprises the payload portion and the customer address portion and a carrier tag.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein customer address portion comprises the hardware address.

38. The method of claim 24 wherein the data frame comprises a carrier tag value having significance for affecting the handling of the carrier-tagged communication as it is sent along the communications path.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the carrier tag value relates to specifying the communications path.

40. The method of claim 38 wherein the carrier tag value applied to the carrier-tagged communications comprises at least one of a:

service emulation instance mapping identifier, a tunnel label, a VLAN tag, and a pseudowire label.

41. The method of claim 38 wherein the carrier tag value identifies the communication from the customer premise equipment as distinct from other communications from the customer premise equipment.

42. The method of claim 38 wherein the carrier tag value identifies the communication from the customer premise equipment as distinct from other communications from other customer premise equipments.

43. The method of claim 38 wherein the carrier tag value is associated with a manner in which the data frame is to be processed by a network element along the communications path.

44. The method of claim 38 wherein the carrier tag value comprises a service emulation instance mapping identifier, the value of which is associated with a communications protocol used in the communication received from the customer premise equipment.

45. The method of claim 38 further comprising:

selecting the carrier tag value to correspond to a communications path which is configured to emulate a communications service conforming to a communications protocol used in the communications received from the CPE.

46. The method of claim 38 wherein the communications path is a service emulation instance.

47. The method of claim 38 further comprising:

applying the carrier tag value to the communication from the customer premise equipment.

48. The method of claim 38 wherein a network element along the communications path selectively routes the traffic responsive to the carrier tag value.

49. In a communication system, a method for providing access communications between a customer premise and a service edge, comprising:

receiving a communication from a customer premise equipment;

along a communications path to the service edge, sending the communication as a carrier-tagged communication (remain silent on when and where the tagging occurs),

wherein the carrier-tagged communication comprises a data frame that accepts multiple carrier tag values and wherein the communication from the customer premise equipment comprises a hardware address that is passed transparently by the communications path to the service edge.

50. The method of claim 49 wherein the hardware address pertains to the service edge.

51. The method of claim 49 wherein the hardware address is a media access control (MAC) address.

52. The method of claim 49 wherein the communication from the customer premise equipment comprises a payload portion and a customer address portion and wherein the carrier-tagged communication comprises the payload portion and the customer address portion and a carrier tag.

53. The method of claim 52 wherein customer address portion comprises the hardware address.

54. The method of claim 49 wherein the data frame has a variable frame length capability.

55. The method of claim 49 wherein the carrier-tagged communication comprises an ethernet data frame.

56. The method of claim 49 further comprising:

applying a carrier tag to the communication from the customer premise equipment to form the carrier-tagged communication.

57. The method of claim 49 wherein the sending the communication to the service edge further comprises:

applying a second carrier tag value to the data frame at a point along the communications path at which the data frame comprises a first carrier tag value, wherein the data frame as sent along at least a portion of the communications path comprises the first carrier tag value and the second carrier tag value.

58. The method of claim 49 wherein the sending the communication to the service edge further comprises:

applying a second carrier tag to the data frame at a point along the communications path at which the data frame comprises a first carrier tag, wherein the data frame as sent along at least a portion of the communications path comprises the first carrier tag and the second carrier tag.

59. The method of claim 49 wherein the data frame is configured to carry at least one of multiple carrier tags and multiple carrier tag values.

60. The method of claim 49 wherein the communications path comprises at least one of:

a service emulation instance, a pseudowire, a logical networking tagged path, and a tunnel.

61. The method of claim 49 further comprising:

configuring the communications path to emulate a communications protocol used in the communications received from the CPE.

62. The method of claim 49 wherein the data frame comprises a carrier tag value having significance for affecting the handling of the carrier-tagged communication as it is sent along the communications path.

63. The method of claim 62 wherein the carrier tag value relates to specifying the communications path.

64. The method of claim 62 wherein the carrier tag value applied to the carrier-tagged communications comprises at least one of a:

service emulation instance mapping identifier, a tunnel label, a VLAN tag, and a pseudowire label.

65. The method of claim 62 wherein the carrier tag value identifies the communication from the customer premise equipment as distinct from other communications from the customer premise equipment.

66. The method of claim 62 wherein the carrier tag value identifies the communication from the customer premise equipment as distinct from other communications from other customer premise equipments.

67. The method of claim 62 wherein the carrier tag value is associated with a manner in which the data frame is to be processed by a network element along the communications path.

68. The method of claim 62 wherein the carrier tag value comprises a service emulation instance mapping identifier, the value of which is associated with a communications protocol used in the communication received from the customer premise equipment.

69. The method of claim 62 further comprising:

selecting the carrier tag value to correspond to a communications path which is configured to emulate a communications service conforming to a communications protocol used in the communications received from the CPE.

70. The method of claim 62 wherein the communications path is a service emulation instance.

71. The method of claim 62 further comprising:

applying the carrier tag value to the communication from the customer premise equipment.

72. The method of claim 62 wherein a network element along the communications path selectively routes the traffic responsive to the carrier tag value.

73. In a communication system, a method for providing access communications between a customer premise and a service edge, comprising:

receiving a first carrier-tagged frame comprising having a first carrier tag value, wherein the first carrier tagged frame comprises a payload portion sent from a customer premise equipment;

forming a second carrier-tagged frame comprising the first carrier tag value, the payload portion and a second carrier tag value; and

sending the second carrier-tagged frame along a communication path to the service edge.

74. The method of claim 73 wherein the second carrier-tagged frame is a different length than the first carrier-tagged frame.

75. The method of claim 73 wherein the forming the second carrier-tagged frame further comprises adding a carrier tag to the first carrier-tagged frame.

76. The method of claim 73 wherein a network element along the communication path processes the second carrier-tagged frame responsive to the second carrier tag value.