GLOBAL AUTO-CONFIGURATION OF NETWORK DEVICES CONNECTED TO MULTIPOINT VIRTUAL CONNECTIONS

• US 20090122718A1
• Filed: 11/09/2007
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Klessig, Robert W., Druce, Cedric H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,953,486 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/462 LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone

Abstract

A method involves receiving information identifying one or more virtual connections (VCs) available within a network and one or more IP subnets. The information is received by the first of several nodes coupled by the network and identifies either (or both) a first VC that is not locally available at the first node and a first IP subnet that is not configured on the first node. Information identifying a global topology of the network is generated, based upon the received information. The global topology includes each of several active VCs within the network and each of several IP subnets configured on the nodes coupled by the network. One of the IP subnets is then assigned to the one of the VCs, based upon the global topology of the network, until all of the IP subnets are assigned, each to a unique VC.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving information identifying one or more virtual connections (VCs) available within a network and one or more IP subnets, wherein the information is received by a first node of a plurality of nodes coupled by the network, and wherein the information identifies at least one of;

a first VC that is not locally available at the first node and a first IP subnet that is not configured on the first node;

generating information identifying a global topology of the network, based upon the received information, wherein the global topology comprises each of a plurality of active VCs within the network and each of a plurality of IP subnets configured on the plurality of nodes; and

assigning one of the IP subnets to the one of the VCs, based upon the global topology of the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the information identifying the global topology comprises generating a table identifying which of the plurality nodes are configured with each of the plurality of IP subnets as well as which of the plurality of nodes can communicate via each of the plurality of active VCs.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying which of the plurality of IP subnets is a most constrained IP subnet, based upon the information identifying the global topology; and

assigning the most constrained of the IP subnets to one of the plurality of active VCs that satisfies connectivity requirements of the most constrained one of the IP subnets.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising repeating said identifying which of the plurality of IP subnets is the most constrained IP subnet and said assigning the most constrained one of the IP subnets for additional ones of the plurality of IP subnets, until all of the plurality of IP subnets are assigned.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a tree, based upon the information identifying the global topology, wherein the tree includes one or more tree nodes, and wherein each tree node identifies one of the plurality of IP subnets and one of the plurality of active VCs that satisfies connectivity requirements of the identified one of the plurality of IP subnets.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

verifying that the tree includes a path of tree nodes identifying each of the plurality of IP subnets; and

for each node in the path, assigning the identified one of the plurality of the IP subnets to the identified one of the plurality of active VCs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is a metro Ethernet network, and wherein the VCs are Ethernet virtual connections.

8. A node comprising:

an interface configured to receive information identifying one or more virtual connections (VCs) available within a network and one or more IP subnets, wherein the node is one of a plurality of nodes coupled by the network, and wherein the information identifies at least one of;

a first VC that is not locally available at the first node and a first IP subnet that is not configured on the first node; and

a subnet assignment module coupled to the interface and configured to;

generate information identifying a global topology of the network, based upon the received information, wherein the global topology comprises each of a plurality of active VCs within the network and each of a plurality of IP subnets configured on the plurality of nodes; and

assign one of the IP subnets to the one of the VCs, based upon the global topology of the network.

9. The node of claim 8, wherein the subnet assignment module is configured to generate a table identifying which of the plurality nodes are configured with each of the plurality of IP subnets as well as which of the plurality of nodes can communicate via each of the plurality of active VCs.

10. The node of claim 8, wherein the subnet assignment module is further configured to:

identify which of the plurality of IP subnets is a most constrained IP subnet, based upon the information identifying the global topology; and

assign the most constrained IP subnets to one of the plurality of active VCs that satisfies connectivity requirements of the most constrained IP subnet.

11. The node of claim 10, wherein subsequent to assigning the most constrained IP subnet, the subnet assignment module is configured to identify a second-most constrained IP subnet of the plurality of IP subnets and to assign the second-most constrained IP subnet to one of the plurality of active VCs that satisfies connectivity requirements of the second-most constrained IP subnet.

12. The node of claim 8, wherein the subnet assignment module is configured to generate a tree, based upon the information identifying the global topology, wherein the tree includes one or more tree nodes, and wherein each tree node in the tree identifies one of the plurality of IP subnets and one of the plurality of active VCs that satisfies connectivity requirements of the identified one of the plurality of IP subnets.

13. The node of claim 12, wherein the subnet assignment module is further configured to verify that the tree includes a path of tree nodes identifying each of the plurality of IP subnets and, for each tree node in the path, to assign the identified one of the plurality of the IP subnets to the identified one of the plurality of active VCs.

14. The node of claim 8, wherein the network is a metro Ethernet network, and wherein the VCs are Ethernet virtual connections.

15. A system comprising:

means for receiving information identifying one or more virtual connections (VCs) available within a network and one or more IP subnets, wherein the information is received by a first node of a plurality of nodes coupled by the network, and wherein the information identifies at least one of;

a first VC that is not locally available at the first node and a first IP subnet that is not configured on the first node;

means for generating information identifying a global topology of the network, based upon the received information, wherein the global topology comprises each of a plurality of active VCs within the network and each of a plurality of IP subnets configured on the plurality of nodes; and

means for assigning one of the IP subnets to the one of the VCs, based upon the global topology of the network.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the network is a metro Ethernet network, and wherein the VCs are Ethernet virtual connections.