CONTROLLING DATA LINK LAYER ELEMENTS WITH NETWORK LAYER ELEMENTS

• US 20100265947A1
• Filed: 06/28/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Rodler, Hermann, Gemmer, Thomas, Moisand, Jerome, Kokot, Mathias, Melden, Kurt
• Granted Patent: US 8,559,444 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801

Abstract

A network layer device controls provision of data link layer functionality by a data link layer device to provide a requested multimedia service to a subscriber. For example, the network layer device may control the performance of multicast elaboration by the data link layer device, or the queuing and forwarding of packets by the data link layer device to facilitate transmission of packets according to a Quality of Service class. The network layer device may send control messages to the data link layer device to dynamically configure a control object stored by the data link layer device, such as multicast filter information or a Quality of Service profile. The network layer device may be a service edge router, and the data link layer device may be a customer premises equipment device, e.g., a modem or wireless access point, or a switch, e.g., a digital subscriber line access multiplier.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a network layer device that receives a plurality of multicasting protocol messages identifying a multicast stream from a respective plurality of subscriber devices; and

a data link layer device that stores a control object,

wherein the network layer device sends one or more control messages to the data link layer device via at least one of an Ethernet or tunneling protocol control channel in response to the multicasting protocol messages to configure the control object stored by the data link layer device, and sends the multicast stream to the data link layer device, and

wherein the data link layer device receives the multicast stream from the network layer device, and replicates and forwards the multicast stream to the subscriber devices in accordance with the configuration of the control object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data link layer device stores multicast filter information, the network layer device sends the one or more control messages to the data link layer device to cause the data link layer device to dynamically configure the multicast filter information in accordance with the multicasting protocol message, and the data link layer device replicates and forwards the multicast stream based on the configuration of the multicast filter information.

3. The system of claim 2,

wherein the network layer device associates the multicast stream with one of a virtual circuit, a virtual local area network, or an address, and encapsulates and forwards packets for the multicast stream to the data link layer device in accordance with the association,

wherein the data link layer device dynamically configures the multicast filter information to associate the one of the virtual circuit, the virtual local area network, or the address that is associated with the multicast stream with one or more virtual circuits or addresses that are associated with the subscriber devices.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the network layer device maintains information that classifies multicast streams as one of premium and non-premium, determines whether the multicast stream identified by the multicast protocol message is a premium multicast stream, and controls the data link layer device to replicate and forward the multicast stream based on the determination.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the network layer device controls the data link layer device to replicate and forward the multicast stream on a per subscriber basis when the requested multicast stream is a premium multicast stream, and the network layer device replicates the multicast stream on a per subscriber basis when the requested multicast stream is a non-premium multicast stream.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data link layer device comprises one of a switch, access multiplexer, or a customer premises equipment device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the data link layer device comprises a digital subscriber line access multiplexer.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the network layer device comprises a service edge router.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the service edge router comprises a broadband remote access server.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the network layer device sends the one or more control messages to the data link layer device via the Ethernet control channel.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the network layer device sends the one or more control message to the data link layer device via a virtual local area network that is reserved for transmission of the control messages.

12. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of multicasting protocol messages identifying a multicast stream from a respective plurality of subscriber devices by a network layer device;

sending the multicast stream from the network layer device to a data link layer device; and

sending one or more control messages from the network layer device to the data link layer device via at least one of an Ethernet or tunneling protocol control channel in response to the multicasting protocol messages to configure a control object stored by a data link layer device to control the data link layer device to replicate and forward the multicast stream to the subscriber devices in accordance with the multicasting protocol messages.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein sending one or more control messages comprises dynamically configuring multicast filter information stored by the data link layer device to control the data link layer device to perform multicast elaboration in accordance with the multicasting protocol messages.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

associating the multicast stream with one of a virtual circuit, a virtual local area network, or an address; and

encapsulating and forwarding packets for the multicast stream to the data link layer device in accordance with the association,

wherein dynamically configuring multicast filter information comprises dynamically configuring the multicast filter information to associate the one of a the virtual circuit, the virtual local area network, or the address that is associated with the multicast stream with one of a virtual circuit or an address that is associated with the subscriber device.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

maintaining classification information for multicast streams within the network layer device; and

dynamically configuring the multicast filter information stored by the data link layer device based on the classification information.

16. The method of claim 15,

wherein maintaining classification information comprises maintaining information classifying multicast streams as one of premium and non-premium,

the method further comprising determining whether the multicast stream is a premium multicast stream, and

wherein dynamically configuring the multicast filter information comprises dynamically configuring the multicast filter information based on the determination.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

replicating the requested multicast stream at the network layer device on a per data link layer device basis when the requested multicast stream is a premium multicast stream; and

replicating the requested multicast stream at the network layer device on a per subscriber basis when the requested multicast stream is a non-premium multicast stream.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein sending one or more control messages comprises sending the control messages via the Ethernet control channel.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein sending one or more control messages comprises sending the control messages via a virtual local area network that is reserved for transmission of the control message.

20. A network layer device comprising:

an interface that receives a plurality of multicasting protocol messages identifying a multicast stream from a respective plurality of subscriber devices; and

a control unit that sends the multicast stream to a data link layer device via the interface, and sends one or more control messages to the data link layer device via at least one of an Ethernet or tunneling protocol control channel in response to the multicasting protocol messages to configure a control object stored by a data link layer device to control the data link layer device to replicate and forward the multicast stream to the subscriber devices in accordance with the multicasting protocol messages.

21. The network layer device of claim 20, wherein the one or more control messages dynamically configure multicast filter information stored by the data link layer device to control the data link layer device to perform multicast elaboration in accordance with the multicasting protocol messages.

22. The network layer device of claim 21, wherein the control unit maintains classification information for multicast streams and dynamically configures the multicast filter information stored by the data link layer device based on the classification information.

23. The network layer device of claim 22,

wherein the classification information classifies multicast streams as one of premium and non-premium, and

wherein the control unit determines whether the multicast stream is a premium multicast stream, and dynamically configures the multicast filter information stored by the data link layer device based on the determination.

24. The network layer device of claim 23, wherein the control unit replicates the requested multicast stream on a per data link layer device basis when the requested multicast stream is a premium multicast stream, and replicates the requested multicast stream at the network layer device on a per subscriber basis when the requested multicast stream is a non-premium multicast stream.

25. The network layer device of claim 20, wherein the control unit sends the one or more control messages via the Ethernet control channel.

26. The network layer device of claim 25, wherein the control unit sends the control messages via a virtual local area network that is reserved for transmission of the control message.