Frame relay over point to multipoint links

• US 7,065,077 B1
• Filed: 11/22/2000
• Issued: 06/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.), International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Radhakrishnan, Ramesh, Moataghed, Keyvan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Brian
• Application Number:
  US09/721,369
• Time in Patent Office: 2,036 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/352, 370/465, 370/236.2, 370/238, 370/338, 370/395.31, 370/397, 370/466, 370/469, 370/493, 379/93.2, 709/201, 709/238
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/56 Packet switching systems

Abstract

Frame Relay connectivity is provided via point to multipoint networks. Frame Relay access can thus be readily provided via point to multipoint networks such as data over cable networks and wireless networks. The end user obtains Frame Relay quality-of-service features via the point to multipoint network. The network service provider gains an additional method of access to the Frame Relay wide area network (WAN). Frame Relay quality of service information is translated into parameters appropriate for use with point to multipoint protocols so that point to multipoint network bandwidth may be properly measured.

Claims

1. A method of providing Frame Relay services via a point to multipoint network comprising at least one subscriber node and a central access node in communication therewith using a multipoint protocol, the method comprising:

generating a Frame Relay packet at said subscriber node of said point to multipoint network;

encapsulating said Frame Relay packet within a point to multipoint protocol packet at said subscriber node; and

forwarding said point to multipoint protocol packet including said encapsulated Frame Relay packet from said subscriber node to said central access node of said point to multipoint network, said central access node in communication with a Frame Relay network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said point to multipoint network comprises a data over cable network.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said point to multipoint network comprises a wireless network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said point to multipoint protocol packet comprises a DOCSIS packet.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein a header of said DOCSIS packet identifies contents of said DOCSIS packet as Frame Relay information.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein encapsulating said Frame Relay packet within a point to multipoint protocol packet comprises:

encapsulating said Frame Relay packet within an Ethernet packet; and

encapsulating said Ethernet packet within a point to multipoint packet.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the point to multipoint network comprises a plurality of said subscriber nodes in communication with the central access node.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the central access node is in communication with a frame relay network having a frame relay endpoint.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising creating a virtual circuit between said subscriber node and a frame relay endpoint.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the Frame Relay packet comprises a DLCI in a header of said Frame Relay packet.

11. A method of providing Frame Relay services via a point to multipoint network comprising at least one subscriber node and a central access node in communication therewith using a multipoint protocol, the method comprising:

receiving a point to multipoint protocol packet at said central access node of said point to multipoint network, said point to multipoint protocol packet having a Frame Relay packet encapsulated therein;

extracting the Frame Relay packet from said point to multipoint protocol packet at said central access node; and

forwarding said Frame Relay packet from said central access node via a Frame Relay network.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said point to multipoint network comprises a data over cable network.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said point to multipoint network comprises a wireless network.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein said point to multipoint protocol packet comprises a DOCSIS packet.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein a header of said DOCSIS packet identifies contents of said DOCSIS packet as Frame Relay information.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising computing DOCSIS traffic parameters.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising checking that the computed parameters can be accommodated within available DOCSIS bandwidth.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein computing DOCSIS traffic parameters comprises computing traffic parameters for multiple DOCSIS subscriber identifiers.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein computing DOCSIS traffic parameters comprises computing traffic parameters for upstream and downstream traffic.

20. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving a request to add or modify a Frame Relay virtual circuit.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising calculating a committed information rate and a burst size for upstream traffic.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising calculating a downstream peak rate.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising accepting said request if sufficient bandwidth is available and rejecting the request if insufficient bandwidth is available.

24. A computer program product for providing Frame Relay services via a point to multipoint network comprising at least one subscriber node and a central access node in communication therewith using a multipoint protocol, the computer program product comprising:

code that generates a Frame Relay packet at said subscriber node of said point to multipoint network;

code that encapsulates said Frame Relay packet within a point to multipoint protocol packet at said subscriber node;

code that forwards said point to multipoint protocol packet including said encapsulated Frame Relay packet from said subscriber node to said central access node of said point to multipoint network, said central access node in communication with a Frame Relay network; and

a computer-readable storage medium for storing the codes executable by a processor.

25. The product of claim 24 wherein said point to multipoint network comprises a data over cable network.

26. The product of claim 24 wherein said point to multipoint network comprises a wireless network.

27. The product of claim 24 wherein said point to multipoint protocol packet comprises a DOCSIS packet.

28. The product of claim 27 wherein a header of said DOCSIS packet identifies contents of said DOCSIS packet as Frame Relay information.

29. The product of claim 24 wherein said code that encapsulates said Frame Relay packet within a point to multipoint protocol packet comprises:

code that encapsulates said Frame Relay packet within an Ethernet packet; and

code that encapsulates said Ethernet packet within a point to multipoint packet.

30. A computer program product for providing Frame Relay services via a point to multipoint network comprising at least one subscriber node and a central access node in communication therewith using a multipoint protocol, said product comprising:

code that receives a point to multipoint protocol packet at said central access node of said point to multipoint network, said point to multipoint protocol packet having a Frame Relay packet encapsulated therein;

code that extracts the Frame Relay packet from said point to multipoint protocol packet at said central access node;

code that forwards said Frame Relay packet from said central access node via a Frame Relay network; and

a computer-readable storage medium for storing the codes executable by a processor.

31. The product of claim 30 wherein said point to multipoint network comprises a data over cable network.

32. The product of claim 30 wherein said point to multipoint network comprises a wireless network.

33. The product of claim 30 wherein said point to multipoint protocol packet comprises a DOCSIS packet.

34. The product of claim 33 wherein a header of said DOCSIS packet identifies contents of said DOCSIS packet as Frame Relay information.

35. Apparatus for providing Frame Relay services via a point to multipoint network comprising at least one subscriber node and a central access node in communication therewith using a multipoint protocol, said apparatus comprising:

a processor that executes software; and

a computer readable storage medium that stores said software, said software comprising;

code that generates a Frame Relay packet at said subscriber node of said point to multipoint network;

code that encapsulates said Frame Relay packet within a point to multipoint protocol packet at said subscriber node; and

code that forwards said point to multipoint protocol packet including said encapsulated Frame Relay packet from said subscriber node to said central access node of said point to multipoint network, said central access node in communication with a Frame Relay network.

36. Apparatus for providing Frame Relay services via a point to multipoint network comprising at least one subscriber node and a central access node in communication therewith using a multipoint protocol, said apparatus comprising:

means for generating a Frame Relay packet at said subscriber node of said point to multipoint network;

means for encapsulating said Frame Relay packet within a point to multipoint protocol packet at said subscriber node; and

means for forwarding said point to multipoint protocol packet from said subscriber node to said central access node of said point to multipoint network, said central access node in communication with a Frame Relay network.

37. Apparatus for providing Frame Relay services via a point to multipoint network comprising at least one subscriber node and a central access node in communication therewith using a multipoint protocol, said apparatus comprising:

a processor that executes software;

a computer-readable storage medium that stores said software, said software comprising;

code that receives a point to multipoint protocol packet at said central access node of said point to multipoint network, said point to multipoint protocol packet having a Frame Relay packet encapsulated therein;

code that extracts the Frame Relay packet from said point to multipoint protocol packet at said central access node; and

code that forwards said Frame Relay packet from said central access node via a Frame Relay network.

38. Apparatus for providing Frame Relay services via a point to multipoint network comprising at least one subscriber node and a central access node in communication therewith using a multipoint protocol, said apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a point to multipoint protocol packet at said central access node of said point to multipoint network, said point to multipoint protocol packet having a Frame Relay packet encapsulated therein;

means for extracting a Frame Relay packet from said point to multipoint protocol packet at said central access node; and

means for forwarding said Frame Relay packet from said central access node via a Frame Relay network.