METHODS, APPARATUS, AND ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE TO PROVIDE A MULTICAST VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK (MVPN)

• US 20130107725A1
• Filed: 10/31/2011
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jeng, Huajin, Johri, Pravin Kumar, Nguyen, Han, Saad, Samir
• Granted Patent: US 9,225,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/248
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to provide a multicast virtual private network (MVPN) are disclosed. An example method includes sending a multicast receiver route received from one of a multicast service processor or a provider edge router to another of the multicast service processor or the provider edge router, wherein the multicast service processor is communicatively coupled to the provider edge router via a multicast control plane topology that is non-congruent to a unicast control plane topology, and replicating multicast data received from the other of the multicast service processor or the provider edge router to the one of the provider edge router or the multicast service processor based on the multicast receiver route.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

sending a multicast receiver route received from one of a multicast service processor or a provider edge router to another of the multicast service processor or the provider edge router, wherein the multicast service processor is communicatively coupled to the provider edge router via a multicast control plane topology that is non-congruent to a unicast control plane topology; and

replicating multicast data received from the other of the multicast service processor or the provider edge router to the one of the provider edge router or the multicast service processor based on the multicast receiver route.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the multicast receiver route comprises a hierarchical ingress replication leaf auto-discovery route.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising applying a first label to the multicast data, the first label identifying the multicast service processor when the multicast receiver route is received from the multicast service processor.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein first label is a Label Distribution Protocol label or a resource reservation protocol label.

5. A method as defined in claim 3, further comprising:

storing the multicast receiver route into a multicast routing table; and

determining the outer label from the multicast routing table.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein storing the multicast receiver route is based on a second label in the multicast receiver route.

8. A method as defined in claim 6, further comprising applying at least a third label to the multicast receiver route prior to sending the multicast receiver route.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising sending a second multicast receiver route received from a third multicast service processor to the provider edge router.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, further comprising replicating the multicast data to the third multicast service processor based on the second multicast receiver route.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising sending a second multicast receiver route received from a third provider edge router to the first multicast service processor.

7. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

13. A multicast service processor, comprising:

a control plane controller to receive a first multicast receiver route, to store the first multicast receiver route, and to send a second multicast receiver route to at least one of a second multicast service processor or a first provider edge router, the second multicast receiver route based on the first multicast receiver route, wherein the first multicast service processor is communicatively coupled to the first provider edge router via a multicast control plane topology that is non-congruent to a unicast control plane topology; and

a data plane controller to replicate first multicast data received from the second multicast service processor or the first provider edge router based on the first multicast receiver route.

14. A multicast service processor as defined in claim 13, further comprising a multicast status monitor to determine whether to convert from a congruent multicast control plane topology to a non-congruent multicast control plane topology.

15. A multicast service processor as defined in claim 13, wherein the control plane controller is to store the first multicast receiver route in association with a multicast data transmission having a source node communicatively coupled to at least one of the provider edge router or a second provider edge router associated with the second multicast service processor.

16. A multicast service processor as defined in claim 13, wherein the control plane controller is to generate the second multicast receiver route by at least removing a first label representative of the second multicast service processor or the first provider edge router and adding a second label representative of the multicast service processor.

17. A multicast service processor as defined in claim 16, wherein the data plane controller is to replicate the first multicast data based on the first label.

18. A multicast service processor as defined in claim 13, wherein the multicast service processor corresponds to an area border router in an Open Switched Path First network, the control plane controller to maintain a multicast control plane separate from a unicast control plane maintained by the area border router.

19. (canceled)

20. A tangible article of manufacture comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a processor to at least:

send a multicast receiver route received from a multicast service processor to a provider edge router; and

replicate multicast data received from the provider edge router to the multicast service processor based on the multicast receiver route.

21. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 20, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to apply a first label to the multicast data, the first label to identify the multicast service processor when the multicast receiver route is received from the multicast service processor.

23. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 20, wherein replicating the multicast data comprises transmitting the multicast data via a unicast route.

24. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 20, wherein the multicast service processor is communicatively coupled to the provider edge router via a multicast control plane topology that is non-congruent to a unicast control plane topology.

22. (canceled)

25-29. -29. (canceled)