Local area network services in a cable modem network

• US 20050265309A1
• Filed: 05/10/2005
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Parandekar, Harshavardhan
• Granted Patent: US 7,817,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4645 Details on frame tagging routing of packets H04L45/00; support for virtual LAN H04L49/354
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks

Abstract

A network device has a network interface to allow the device to send and receive traffic across a network. The device also has a cable connection to allow the device to exchange data with at least one other device across a cable network. The device has a processor to receive traffic having a network identifier through the network interface and determine if the network identifier is associated with a virtual private network. If the network identifier is associated with a virtual private network, the device then routes the traffic to an appropriate receiving entity through the cable connection if the network identifier is associated with a local are network.

Claims

1. A network device, comprising:

a network interface to allow the device to send and receive traffic across a network;

a cable connection to allow the device to exchange data with at least one other device across a cable network; and

a processor to;

receive traffic having a layer 2 network identifier through the network interface;

determine if the network identifier is associated with a virtual private network; and

route the traffic to an appropriate receiving entity through the cable connection if the network identifier is associated with a virtual private network.

2. The network device of claim 1, the network device further comprising a cable modem termination server.

3. The network device of claim 1, the processor further to:

remove the network identifier; and

provide a cable service identifier.

4. The network device of claim 1, the receiving entity further comprising a cable modem.

5. The network device of claim 1, the processor further to encrypt the data using baseline privacy interface with separate keys for separate virtual private networks.

6. The network device of claim 1, the processor further to provide default processing of the traffic, if the service identifier is not associated with a virtual private network.

7. The network device of claim 1, the processor further to download an association between cable modem and the network identifier from a server on the network.

8. The network device of claim 1, the network device further comprising a memory to store network identifiers and cable service identifier associated with the cable modem.

9. A method to process received local area network traffic, the method comprising:

receiving traffic having a layer 2 network identifier through a network interface;

determining if the layer 2 network identifier is associated with a virtual private network;

attaching an outbound identifier to the traffic; and

routing the traffic to an appropriate receiving entity if the network identifier is associated with a virtual private network.

10. The method of claim 9, providing default processing of the traffic if the network identifier is not associated with a virtual private network.

11. The method of claim 9, routing the traffic further comprising encrypting the traffic using baseline privacy interface using separate keys for separate virtual private networks.

12. The method of claim 9, receiving traffic further comprising receiving traffic from a cable modem termination server at an aggregator.

13. The method of claim 12, attaching an outbound identifier further comprising attaching an outbound layer 2 network identifier.

14. The method of claim 12, routing the traffic further comprising routing the traffic to another cable modem termination service.

15. The method of claim 9, receiving traffic further comprising receiving traffic from an aggregator at a cable modem termination server.

16. The method of claim 15, determining if the network identifier is associated with a virtual private network further comprising determining if the network identifier is associated with a cable service identifier.

17. The method of claim 15, attaching an outbound identifier further comprising removing the network identifier and providing a cable identifier, and routing the traffic further comprising sending the traffic to an appropriate cable modem, based upon the service identifier.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving the traffic at a cable modem;

determining if the cable modem has a correct key to decrypt the traffic; and

if the cable modem has the correct key, forwarding the traffic to a user.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising discarding the traffic, if the cable modem does not have the correct key.

20. The method of claim 16, providing default processing of the traffic if the network identifier is not associated with a cable service identifier.

21. A method of providing local area network services for transmitted data, the method comprising:

receiving traffic from a cable modem;

discovering a service identifier;

determining if the service identifier is associated with a virtual private network;

encapsulating the traffic;

providing a network identifier; and

forwarding the traffic.

22. The method of claim 21, discovering a service identifier further comprising discovering a service identifier and a media access control address from a cable modem.

23. The method of claim 21, providing a network identifier further comprising providing one of either a virtual area network tag or a pseudo-wire tag.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising providing default processing if the service identifier is not associated with a virtual private network.

25. The method of claim 21, receiving traffic from a cable modem further comprising only receiving traffic from a cable modem that has been encrypted using baseline privacy interface.

26. A network device, comprising:

means for allowing the device to send and receive traffic across a network;

means for allowing the device to exchange data with at least one other device across a cable network; and

means for receiving traffic having a network identifier through the network interface;

means for determining if the network identifier is associated with a virtual private network; and

means for routing the traffic to an appropriate receiving entity through the cable connection if the network identifier is associated with a virtual private network.

27. The network device of claim 26, the network device further comprising means for storing network identifiers and associated virtual private networks.

28. An article of computer-readable media containing instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to:

receive traffic having a layer 2 network identifier through a network interface;

determine if the layer 2 network identifier is associated with a virtual private network;

attach an outbound identifier; and

route the traffic to an appropriate receiving entity, if the network identifier is associated with a local are network.

29. The article of claim 28, the instructions, when executed, further causing the computer to provide default processing of the traffic if the network identifier is not associated with a virtual private network.

30. A cable network, comprising

a transmitting device to assign a network identifier to traffic and to transmit the traffic;

a receiving device to receive the data and to;

determine if the network identifier is associated with a virtual private network; and

route the data if the network identifier is associated with a virtual private network.

31. The cable network of claim 30, the transmitting device to assign a network identifier further comprising the transmitting device to receive a mapping of virtual private networks to network identifiers.

32. The cable network of claim 30, the transmitting device to receive the mapping from configuration files of cable modems connected to the transmitting device.

33. The cable network of claim 30, the transmitting device to receive the mapping through a query to a server in the network.