Extended layer two tunneling protocol applications and architectures

• US 20080285592A1
• Filed: 04/11/2008
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ARRIS International plc (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cloonan, Tom, Arnold, Erich, Emmendorfer, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,338,024 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/474
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2861 Point-to-multipoint connection from the data network to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling

Abstract

A device, deployed at the edge of a provider network, includes logic to receive traffic from one or more customer edge devices, and to encapsulate the customer traffic into a Layer 2 tunnel of an IP frame. The IP frame in further included within an Ethernet frame, and quality of service priority bits are promoted from the customer traffic into both the IP frame and the Ethernet frame.

Claims

1. An edge device of a provider network, the device comprising:

logic to receive traffic from a customer edge device;

logic to encapsulate the customer traffic into a Layer 2 tunnel of an IP frame;

logic to include the IP frame in an Ethernet frame; and

logic to promote quality of service priority bits from the customer traffic into both the IP frame and the Ethernet frame.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

logic to map the quality of service priority bits promoted from the customer traffic into DOCSIS service flows.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

VSI logic.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

IPSec logic to secure the encapsulated Layer 2 tunnel.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

logic to support Internet connections by the customer edge device separate from the Layer 2 tunnel.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

MTA logic.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

logic to support a hierarchical Layer 2 tunnel protocol architecture.

8. A method performed in a provider edge device, comprising:

encapsulating customer traffic in a Layer 2 tunnel within an IP packet;

including the IP packet in an Ethernet packet; and

promoting priority bits of customer traffic into headers of the IP and Ethernet packets.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

passing the Ethernet packet to a DOCSIS classifier.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

routing the Ethernet packet via VSI logic.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

processing hosted voice services separate from the Layer 2 tunnel traffic.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

processing hosted voice services within the Layer 2 tunnel traffic.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

securing the Layer 2 tunnel using IPSec.

14. A cable provider network, comprising a plurality of edge devices, each edge device comprising:

logic to receive traffic from a customer edge device and to encapsulate the customer traffic into a Layer 2 tunnel of an IP frame;

logic to include the IP frame in an Ethernet frame, and to promote quality of service priority bits from the customer traffic into both the IP frame and the Ethernet frame.

15. The cable network of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of edge devices further comprises logic to map the quality of service bits promoted from the customer traffic into DOCSIS service flows.

16. The cable network of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of edge devices further comprises VSI logic providing Ethernet Layer 2 bridge functionality.

17. The cable network of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of edge devices further comprises IPSec logic to secure the encapsulated Layer 2 tunnel.

18. The cable network of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of edge devices further comprises logic to support Internet connections by the customer edge device separate from the Layer 2 tunnel.

19. An edge device of a provider network, the device comprising:

VSI logic mapping customer traffic into multiple outbound Layer 2 tunnels.

20. The edge device of claim 19, the device a cable modem and the VSI mapping customer traffic into multiple outbound L2TPv3 or higher tunnels encapsulated within DOCSIS frames.