PACKET LOSS MEASUREMENT AT SERVICE ENDPOINTS OF A VIRTUAL PRIVATE LAN SERVICE
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- switching layer two (L2) packet data units (PDUs) with a local network device between a local L2 network, coupled by an attachment circuit for a Virtual Private Local Area Network (LAN) Service (VPLS) instance to the local network device, and one or more remote L2 networks to provide the VPLS instance to the local and remote L2 networks, wherein the local network device terminates one or more pseudowires that operate over a layer three (L3) packet-switched network (PSN) to carry the PDUs in pseudowire packets to connect, for the VPLS instance, the local network device to one or more corresponding remote network devices that each serves a corresponding one of the remote L2 networks; and
incrementing, with the local network device, a respective unicast receipt counter for each of one or more remote service endpoints of the VPLS instance only for the PDUs that are known unicast PDUs within the respective remote network device of the corresponding remote service endpoint from which the PDU was received, wherein each of the known unicast PDUs received by the local network device is a unicast PDU that includes an indicator that the remote network device from which the unicast PDU was received currently maps the destination L2 address of the unicast PDU to a corresponding outbound interface of the remote network device.
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Abstract
In general, techniques are described for measuring packet data unit (PDU) loss in a L2 virtual private network (L2VPN) service, such as a VPLS instance. In one example of the techniques, provider edge (PE) routers that participate in the L2VPN measure known unicast and multicast PDU traffic at the service endpoints for the instance to determine unicast PDU loss within the service provider network. As the routers learn the outbound service (i.e., core-facing) interfaces and outbound local (i.e., customer-facing) interfaces for L2 addresses of customer devices that issue packets to the VPLS instance, the routers establish respective unicast transmit and receipt counters for the service endpoints that serve the customer devices. In another example, PE routers that participate in the L2VPN measure multicast PDU traffic at the service endpoints for the instance and account for internal replication by intermediate service nodes to determine multicast PDU loss within the service.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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switching layer two (L2) packet data units (PDUs) with a local network device between a local L2 network, coupled by an attachment circuit for a Virtual Private Local Area Network (LAN) Service (VPLS) instance to the local network device, and one or more remote L2 networks to provide the VPLS instance to the local and remote L2 networks, wherein the local network device terminates one or more pseudowires that operate over a layer three (L3) packet-switched network (PSN) to carry the PDUs in pseudowire packets to connect, for the VPLS instance, the local network device to one or more corresponding remote network devices that each serves a corresponding one of the remote L2 networks; and incrementing, with the local network device, a respective unicast receipt counter for each of one or more remote service endpoints of the VPLS instance only for the PDUs that are known unicast PDUs within the respective remote network device of the corresponding remote service endpoint from which the PDU was received, wherein each of the known unicast PDUs received by the local network device is a unicast PDU that includes an indicator that the remote network device from which the unicast PDU was received currently maps the destination L2 address of the unicast PDU to a corresponding outbound interface of the remote network device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method comprising:
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switching layer two (L2) packet data units (PDUs) with a local network device between a local L2 network, coupled by an attachment circuit for a Virtual Private Local Area Network (LAN) Service (VPLS) instance to the local network device, and one or more remote L2 networks to provide the VPLS instance to the local and remote L2 networks, wherein the local network device terminates one or more pseudowires that operate over a layer three (L3) packet-switched network (PSN) to carry the PDUs in pseudowire packets to connect, for the VPLS instance, the local network device to one or more corresponding remote network devices that each serves a corresponding one of the remote L2 networks; incrementing, with the local network device, a multicast PDU transmit counter for each multicast PDU or broadcast PDU received from the attachment circuit and switched by the local network device to the one or more remote network devices; receiving, with the local network device, a respective multicast PDU receipt return value from each of the one or more remote network devices; determining, with the local network device, multicast PDU loss measurement data based at least on a multicast PDU transmit counter value and the multicast PDU receipt return values; and sending the multicast PDU loss measurement data from the local network device to a management entity. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A network device comprising:
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a control unit having one or more processors; one or more interface cards; a Virtual Private Local Area Network (LAN) Service (VPLS) layer of the control unit that switches layer two (L2) packet data units (PDUs) between a local L2 network, coupled by an attachment circuit for a VPLS instance to one of the interface cards, and one or more remote L2 networks to provide the VPLS instance to the local and remote L2 networks, wherein the network device terminates one or more pseudowires that operate over a layer three (L3) packet-switched network (PSN) to carry the PDUs in pseudowire packets to connect, for the VPLS instance, the network device to one or more corresponding remote network devices that each serves a corresponding one of the remote L2 networks; and an accounting module of the control unit that increments a respective unicast transmit counter for each of one or more remote service endpoints of the VPLS instance only for the PDUs that are known unicast PDUs within the VPLS layer that the network device sends to the corresponding remote service endpoints from which the PDU was received, wherein each of the known unicast PDUs received by the local network device is a unicast PDU that includes an indicator that the remote network device from which the unicast PDU was received currently maps the destination L2 address of the unicast PDU to a corresponding outbound interface of the remote network device. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A network device comprising:
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a control unit having one or more processors; one or more interface cards; a Virtual Private Local Area Network (LAN) Service (VPLS) layer of the control unit to switch layer two (L2) packet data units (PDUs) between a local L2 network, coupled by an attachment circuit for a VPLS instance to one of the interface cards, and one or more remote L2 networks to provide the VPLS instance to the local and remote L2 networks, wherein the network device terminates one or more pseudowires that operate over a layer three (L3) packet-switched network (PSN) to carry the PDUs in pseudowire packets to connect, for the VPLS instance, the network device to one or more corresponding remote network devices that each serves a corresponding one of the remote L2 networks; an accounting module of the control unit that increments a multicast PDU transmit counter for each multicast PDU or broadcast PDU received from the attachment circuit and switched by the VPLS layer to the one or more remote network devices; a loss measurement message handler that receives a multicast PDU receipt return value from each of the one or more remote network devices, wherein the accounting module determines multicast PDU loss measurement data based at least on a multicast PDU transmit counter value and the respective multicast PDU receipt return values; and a management interface that sends the multicast PDU loss measurement data to a management entity. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A system comprising:
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a network management system; a local network device and one or more remote network devices that participate in a Virtual Private Local Area Network (LAN) Service (VPLS) instance to switch layer two (L2) packet data units (PDUs) between a local L2 network, coupled by an attachment circuit for a VPLS instance to the local network device, and one or more remote L2 networks to provide the VPLS instance to the local and remote L2 networks, wherein the local network device terminates one or more pseudowires that operate over a layer three (L3) packet-switched network (PSN) to carry the PDUs in pseudowire packets to connect, for the VPLS instance, the local network device to the one or more corresponding remote network devices that each serves a corresponding one of the remote L2 networks, wherein the local network device increments a multicast PDU transmit counter for each multicast PDU or broadcast PDU received from the attachment circuit and switched by the local network device to the one or more remote network devices, wherein each of the one or more remote network devices increment a respective multicast PDU receipt counter for the local network device for each multicast PDU or broadcast PDU received from the local network device, wherein the local network device issues a multicast loss measurement message from the local network device to the one or more remote network devices, wherein each of the one or more remote network devices returns a respective return value based at least on a respective multicast PDU receive counter value for the local network device, wherein the local network device receives the return values from the one or more remote network devices and computes multicast PDU loss measurement data based at least on the return values and a multicast PDU transmit counter value, and wherein the local network device sends the multicast PDU loss measurement data to the network management system. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification