Faults and status in virtual private networks

• US 20060002409A1
• Filed: 07/02/2004
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Strahan, Robert, Horner, Damian, Mandavilli, Swamy, Menon, Sunil, Kuriakose, Anil A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,876,694 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/409
• 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 41/065 involving logical or physical relationship, e.g. grouping and hierarchies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities

Abstract

In an embodiment, a network service provider (NSP) operates a provider network to provide VPN services to its customers. A VPN links various customer sites allowing customers to send data between these sites over the NSP network. Each site network includes a customer edge router (CE) while the provider network includes a plurality of provider edge routers (PEs) to communicate with the CEs. The PEs include virtual routing address (VRFs), and the PEs and CEs include interfaces (IFs). A database stores information related to the relationships between the network components (e.g., VPNs, PEs, CEs, VRFs, IFs, etc.), and a management software package (MSP) has access to the database. When a fault occurs, the MSP, based on collected information and information in the database, determines the impacted network components. Other features include classifying the seriousness of the network'"'"'s faults and representing different faults by a color scheme.

Claims

1. A database storing information indicating relationships between:

a first virtual private network and a first provider edge router (PE);

the first PE and a second PE;

the first PE and a first customer edge router (CE);

a first PE-PE interface of the first PE and a first PE-PE interface of the second PE;

a first PE-CE interface of the first PE and a first CE-PE interface of the first CE;

a first virtual routing address and the first PE-CE interface; and

the first virtual routing address and the first virtual private network;

wherein a first logic identifies the first virtual private network from the relationship between the first PE-CE interface and the first virtual routing address and the relationship between the first virtual routing address and the first virtual private network.

2. The database of claim 1 wherein, if the first CE is in-operational, then from information related to the first PE-CE and the first logic, the first virtual private network is identified as impacted by the first CE.

3. The database of claim 1 wherein, if the first CE is in-operational, then the first virtual private network is identified as impacted by the first CE from information stored in the database related to the first CE-PE interface.

4. The database of claim 1 wherein, if the first CE-PE interface is in-operational, then from information related to the first PE-CE interface and the first logic, the first virtual private network is identified as impacted by the first CE-PE interface.

5. The database of claim 1 wherein, if the first CE-PE interface is in-operational, then from this information and information in the database related to the first CE-PE interface, the first virtual private network is identified as impacted by the first CE-PE interface.

6. The database of claim 1 wherein, if the first PE is in-operational, then from information related to the first PE-CE interface and the first logic, the first virtual private network is identified as impacted by the first PE.

7. The database of claim 1 wherein, if the first PE is in-operational, then from information related to the first PE-PE interface and the first logic, the first virtual private network is identified as impacted by the first PE.

8. The database of claim 1 wherein if a PE is in-operational, then from information related to interfaces associated with this PE, information stored in the database related to the interfaces, and the first logic, virtual private networks impacted by this PE are identified.

9. The database of claim 1 wherein if a PE is in-operational, then from information related to interfaces used by CEs interfacing with this PE, information stored in the database related to these interfaces, virtual private networks impacted by this PE are identified.

10. The database of claim 1 wherein if the first PE-CE is in-operational, then from this information and the first logic, the first virtual private network is identified as being impacted by the first PE-CE.

11. The database of claim 1 wherein if the first PE-CE is in-operational, then from information related to the first CE-PE and information stored in the database related to the first CE-PE, the first virtual private network is identified as being impacted by the first PE-CE.

12. The database of claim 1 wherein, from results of a PE-PE VRF unaware test, a first list of virtual private networks associated with an initiator PE and a second list of virtual private networks associated with a destination PE are identified;

a virtual private network being in both the first list and the second list is identified as an impacted virtual private network.

13. The database of claim 1 wherein, from results of a PE-PE VRF aware test and the first logic, the first virtual private network is identified as being impacted.

14. The database of claim 1 wherein a reachability test from the first CE to a second CE includes reachability test between the first PE and the first CE, between the first PE and the second PE, and between the second PE and a second CE.

15. A computing network comprising:

a provider network that includes a plurality of provider edge routers;

a plurality of virtual private networks each of which links a plurality of site networks and is virtually private to those site networks;

a site network includes a customer edge router;

a first provider edge router uses a first PE-PE interface to interface with a first PE-PE interface of a second provider edge router, and uses a first PE-CE interface to interface with a first CE-PE interface of a first customer edge router;

with respect to a first virtual private network using the first provider edge router, a first virtual routing address logically groups at least the first PE-CE interface; and

a database configured to store information indicating relationships between the first virtual private network and the first provider edge router;

between the first provider edge router and the second provider edge router;

between the first provider edge router and the first customer edge router;

between the first PE-CE interface and the first CE-PE interface;

between the first virtual routing address and the first PE-CE interface.

16. The computing network of claim 15 wherein the provider edge routers communicate with one another via a sub-network.

17. The computing network of claim 15 wherein a private virtual network of the plurality of the virtual private networks uses the multiple-protocol-label-switching technology.

18. The computing network of claim 15 wherein the second provider edge router uses a second PE-CE interface to interface with a second CE-PE interface of a second customer edge router.

19. The computing network of claim 18 wherein the first customer edge router and the second edge router belong to the first virtual private network.

20. The computing network of claim 18 wherein the first customer edge router belongs to first virtual private network and the second customer edge router belongs to a second virtual private network distinguished from the first virtual private network.

21. The computing network of claim 15 further comprises a management software package that uses the information stored in the database and information provided to it when a fault occurs in the computing network to determine whether a virtual private network is impacted by the fault.

22. The computing network of claim 15 wherein from the information stored in the database, if information from either the first PE-PE interface or the first PE-CE interface is provided, then one or a combination of the following is identified:

the virtual routing address and the virtual private network associated with the virtual routing address.

23. The computing network of claim 15 wherein from the information stored in the database, if information from the first CE-PE interface is provided, then the first PE-CE is identified.

24. A method for determining whether a private virtual network is impacted by a fault, comprising:

storing, in a database, relationships between a virtual routing address and interfaces logically grouped by the virtual routing address;

storing, in the data base, relationship between the virtual routing address and the private virtual network;

when the fault occurs,

identifying an interface impacted by the fault;

from the stored relationship between the impacted interface and a virtual routing address, identifying the virtual routing address as being impacted;

from the stored relationship between the impacted virtual routing address and the virtual private network, identifying the virtual private network as being impacted.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein faults related to an interface and to the private virtual network are classified into a plurality of levels each being represented by a color.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the interfaces are used by a provider edge router in a provider network proving service to the private virtual network.

27. A computer-readable medium embodying program code to perform a method for determining whether a private virtual network is impacted by a fault, the method comprising:

storing, in a database, relationships between a virtual routing address and interfaces logically grouped by the virtual routing address;

storing, in the data base, relationship between the virtual routing address and the private virtual network;

when the fault occurs,

identifying an interface impacted by the fault;

from the stored relationship between the impacted interface and a virtual routing address, identifying the virtual routing address as being impacted;

from the stored relationship between the impacted virtual routing address and the virtual private network, identifying the virtual private network as being impacted.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 wherein faults related to an interface and to the private virtual network are classified into a plurality of levels each being represented by a color.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 wherein the interfaces are used by a provider edge router in a provider network proving service to the private virtual network.