Interworking Point to Point Protocol for Digital Subscriber Line Access w/Ethernet Connections in the Aggregation Network

• US 20090073998A1
• Filed: 05/06/2007
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Bragg, Nigel, Allan, David
• Application Number:
  US12/299,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20090073998A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/25 of the same type

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for enabling the establishment of a Point to Point Protocol (PPP) session to a broadband network gateway through an access node of a packet-switched wireline aggregation network and methods and apparatus for enabling Ethernet frame data to be transported through an access node of packet-switched wireline aggregation network between a remote gateway a broadband network gateway are provided. In one aspect conventional PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE) BNG discovery using broadcast PADI messages is replaced by configured unicast PADI messages to specified BNGs over Ethernet Connections. In other aspects Ethernet data is transported through the access node by swapping the upstream source MAC address with the MAC address of the access node to shield the provider network from customer MAC addresses, and swapping the downstream destination MAC address to the MAC address of the remote gateway by looking up the MAC address of the remote gateway in a mapping of PPPoE Session ID to MAC address of the remote gateway.

Claims

1. A method of assisting the establishment of a PPPoE session between an access node and a broadband network gateway of a packet-switched wireline aggregation network, the method comprising the steps of:

configuring the access node with data defining an Ethernet connection between the access node and the broadband network gateway, and

sending a unicast PADI message from the access node to the broadband network gateway using the Ethernet connection thereby to assist the establishment of the PPPoE session between an access node and a broadband network gateway.

2. An access node of a packet-switched wireline aggregation network for assisting the establishment of a PPPoE session between the access node and a broadband network gateway, the access node comprising a data store operable to store data defining an Ethernet connection to between a the access node and a broadband network gateway, wherein the access node is arranged to send a unicast PADI message to the broadband network gateway using the Ethernet connection thereby to assist the establishment of a PPPoE session between an access node and a broadband network gateway.

3. A method of enabling an Ethernet frame originating from a remote gateway and addressed to a broadband network gateway to be transported through an access node of packet-switched wireline aggregation network, the method comprising the following steps:

receiving the Ethernet frame at the access node;

modifying the received Ethernet frame by replacing a source MAC address of the Ethernet frame with a MAC address of the access node;

sending the modified Ethernet frame to the broadband network gateway.

4. An access node of packet-switched wireline aggregation network capable of enabling an Ethernet frame originating from a remote gateway and addressed to a broadband network gateway to be transported, the access node comprising:

an input for receiving the Ethernet frame;

a frame modifier operable to modify the received Ethernet frame by replacing a source MAC address of the Ethernet frame with a MAC address of the access node;

an output for sending the modified Ethernet frame to the broadband network gateway.

5. A method of enabling an Ethernet frame originating from a broadband network gateway and addressed to an access node of packet-switched wireline aggregation network to be transported to a remote gateway, the method comprising the following steps:

storing data mapping a PPPoE Session ID to a MAC address of the remote gateway;

receiving the Ethernet frame at the access node;

using a PPPoE Session ID of the received Ethernet frame to look up the MAC address of the remote gateway in the stored mapping;

modifying the received Ethernet frame by replacing a destination MAC address of the Ethernet frame with the MAC address of the remote gateway;

sending the modified Ethernet frame to the remote gateway.

6. An access node of packet-switched wireline aggregation network capable of enabling an Ethernet frame originating from a broadband network gateway and addressed to an access node of packet-switched wireline aggregation network to be transported to a remote gateway, the access node comprising:

a data store operable to store data mapping a PPPoE Session ID to a MAC address of the remote gateway;

an input for receiving the Ethernet frame at the access node;

a processor operable to look up the MAC address of the remote gateway in the stored mapping using a PPPoE Session ID of the received Ethernet frame;

a frame modifier operable to modify the received Ethernet frame by replacing a destination MAC address of the Ethernet frame with the MAC address of the remote gateway;

an output for sending the modified Ethernet frame to the remote gateway.