SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING NETWORK SERVICES OVER SHARED VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK (VPN)

• US 20090154463A1
• Filed: 12/15/2008
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malas, Daryl, Hines, Marcus, Ratterree, Gary, Miles, Jaime
• Granted Patent: US 8,503,334 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• 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 49/354 for supporting virtual local area networks [VLAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1053 with pre-configuration of logical or physical connections with a determined number of other peers

Abstract

A method includes tagging core routes of a core network service node associated with the core network service with an assigned core service specific route target, and distributing the core routes tagged with the assigned core service specific route target to one or more customers subscribing to the core network service associated with the core service node, whereby the customers are enabled to reach the core network service node via a core network service VPN. A network architecture includes an edge network having provider edge nodes configured to form a core network service VPN logically between subscribing customer network sites and a core service network, the core service network providing a core network service, the core service network including a core network service node, and a plurality of customer network sites having customer edge nodes attached to associated provider edge nodes of the edge network, wherein each customer edge node is configured to import routes tagged with a core service specific route target, and wherein the core network service node is configured to import routes tagged with a core service specific customer route target.

Claims

1. A method for providing a core network service to one or more customers, each customer having a plurality of network sites, the method comprising:

tagging first customer routes with a core network service specific customer route target to form a first core network service virtual private network (VPN) logically between a core service network configured to provide the core network service and each of the network sites among the plurality of network sites of a first customer; and

tagging the first customer routes with a first customer specific route target to form a first enterprise VPN logically between network sites of the plurality of network sites of the first customer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising tagging second customer routes of a second customer with the core network service specific customer route target to form a second core network service VPN logically between the core service network and one or more network sites of a second customer.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising tagging the second customer routes with a second customer specific route target to form a second enterprise VPN logically between a plurality of second customer network sites.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising delivering the core network service to the first customer and the second customer using first customer routes and second customer routes tagged with the core network service specific customer route target.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a provider edge node importing first customer routes tagged with the core network service specific customer route target; and

advertising the first customer routes tagged with the core network service specific customer route target toward the core service network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a plurality of provider edge nodes are configured to advertise the first customer routes tagged with the core network service specific customer route target toward the core service network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first customer subscribes to another core network service, the method further comprising forming another core network service virtual private network (VPN) logically between another core service network configured to provide the another core network service and each of the plurality of network sites of the first customer, wherein forming the another core network service VPN comprises tagging the first customer routes with another core network service specific customer route target associated with the another core network service.

8. A method for providing a network service to a customer, the method comprising:

configuring a provider edge node to import core node routes from a core network service node coupled to a service network operable to provide the service;

configuring the provider edge node to advertise the core node routes to at least one customer edge node of a customer subscribing to the core network service;

configuring the provider edge node to import customer routes from the customer edge node; and

configuring the provider edge node to advertise the customer routes to one or more other customer edge nodes and the core network service node, whereby an enterprise VPN is formed logically between customer edge nodes and a core network service VPN is formed logically between customer edge nodes and the core network service node.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein configuring the provider edge node comprises configuring a virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) table in the provider edge node.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the customer routes are tagged with a customer specific route target and a core network service specific customer route target.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the core node routes are tagged with a core network service specific route target.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein customer edge nodes are configured to import routes tagged with the core network service specific route target and the core network service node is configured to import routes tagged with the core service specific customer route target.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the core network service node is configured to export the core node routes tagged with the core service specific route target.

14. A method for providing a core network service to one or more customers, the method comprising:

tagging core routes of a core network service node associated with the core network service with an assigned core service specific route target; and

distributing the core routes tagged with the assigned core service specific route target to one or more customers subscribing to the core network service associated with the core service node, whereby the customers are enabled to reach the core network service node via a core network service Virtual Private Network (VPN).

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising importing, by the core network service node, customer routes tagged with core network service specific customer route targets, whereby the core network service node is enabled to reach one or more customer edge nodes via the core network service VPN.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising assigning one or more core service specific route targets to each of one or more core network services, wherein each of the one or more core network services is provided by an associated core network service node and core service network.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising assigning one or more customer specific route targets to each of the one or more subscribing customers.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more subscribing customers comprises a plurality of subscribing customers and the core network service VPN comprises a shared core network service VPN.

19. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the core network service is selected from a group comprising an Internet Protocol (IP) service, extended voice service, a video service, or Content Distribution Network (CDN) service.

20. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the core network node is selected from a group comprising a session border controller (SBC), an H.323 gatekeeper, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) proxy, a media gateway, a video gateway, or an H.264 gateway.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

configuring one or more provider edge nodes to import core routes tagged with the assigned core service specific route targets; and

configuring the one or more provider edge nodes to distribute the core routes to customer edge devices attached to the one or more provider edge nodes.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising configuring each of the one or more customer edge nodes to tag associated customer routes with a customer specific route target and a core service specific customer route target, wherein the customer specific route target is used to form an enterprise VPN logically between customer edge nodes of the same customer, and wherein the core service specific customer route target is used to form the core network service VPN.

23. A network architecture for providing one or more core network services to a plurality of customers, the architecture comprising:

at least one edge network having provider edge nodes configured to form one or more core network service VPN logically between subscribing customer network sites and respective core service networks;

one or more core service networks providing respective core network services, each core service network including a core network service node; and

a plurality of customer network sites having customer edge nodes attached to associated provider edge nodes of the at least one edge network, wherein each customer edge node is configured to import routes tagged with a core service specific route target associated with a core network service subscribed to, and wherein each of the one or more core network service nodes is configured to import routes tagged with a core service specific customer route target.