Redundant far-end pseudo-wire connectivity

• US 7,724,651 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2007
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Ranganathan, Boovaraghavan, Grigoriu, Tiberiu, Abdouni, Bassem M., Washam, Benjamin, Tan, Stephen, Sinha, Satyam, Muley, Praveen
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, CHI HO A
• Application Number:
  US11/712,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20080181233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• Field of Search: 370/217, 370/225
• US Class Current: 370/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2859 Point-to-point connection between the data network and the subscribers encapsulation H04L12/4633; virtual LANs H04L12/4641; routing of packets H04L45/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2869 Operational details of access network equipments admission control or resource allocation in access networks H04L12/5692
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

Providing a network service is disclosed. A data associated with the service is received. It is determined whether a local context associated with the service is in an active state with respect to the service. The data is redirected to another chassis, via an inter-chassis backup connection, if it is determined that the local context is not in an active state with respect to the service.

Claims

1. A method of providing a network service, comprising:

receiving at a local chassis a data associated with the service;

determining whether a local context associated with the service is in an active state with respect to the service; and

redirecting the data to another chassis, via an inter-chassis backup connection associated with the service, in the event it is determined that the local context is not in an active state with respect to the service;

wherein the inter-chassis backup connection and one or more other inter-chassis backup connections constitute a plurality of inter-chassis backup connections associated with the local chassis and connecting the local chassis and the another chassis;

wherein a separate inter-chassis backup connection is provided for a separate service context associated with the local chassis.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data is received via an interface associated with a DSLAM or other customer premises equipment.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data is received via a pseudowire or other connection to a far end destination across a provider network.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data is received via an interface associated with the local context.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the local context comprises one or more of the following:

a service context, a subscriber context, a service access point, and a virtual leased line.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication that direct connectivity with a destination with which the data is associated has been lost.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, further comprising redirecting the data to the other chassis, via the inter-chassis backup connection, based at least in part on the determination that connectivity to the destination has been lost.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication to change from being in an active state to being in a standby state with respect to the service.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising sending to an upstream node associated with the data a notification that the local context has entered the standby state.

10. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising continuing to accept and process data associated with the service, including by forwarding such data to the other chassis via the inter-chassis backup connection.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the inter-chassis backup connection comprises a pseudowire.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the local context comprises a context at a first provider network edge device and the other chassis comprises a second provider network edge device at a same end, with respect to the service, of a provider network with which the first and second provider network edge devices are associated.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein it is determined that the local context is not in an active state with respect to the service if connectivity to a destination associated with the data has been lost.

14. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising in the event the local context is determined to be in an active state:

receiving an indication that connectivity to a destination associated with the data has been lost; and

redirecting the data to the other chassis, via the inter-chassis backup connection, for further delivery to the destination.

15. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising notifying a device at a far end of a provider network that the service is in the active state or the standby state with respect to the service.

16. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein notifying comprises using targeted LDP status bits in the pseudowire control plane.

17. A network device, comprising:

a first communication interface configured to receive data associated with a service;

a second communication interface comprising an inter-chassis backup connection to another chassis; and

a processor coupled to the first and second communication interfaces and configured to determine, with respect to a data received via the first interface, whether a local context associated with the service is in an active state with respect to the service; and

redirect the received data to the other chassis, via the inter-chassis backup connection associated with the service, in the event it is determined that the local context is not in an active state with respect to the service;

wherein the inter-chassis backup connection and one or more other inter-chassis backup connections constitute a plurality of inter-chassis backup connections associated with the local chassis and connecting the local chassis and the another chassis;

wherein a separate inter-chassis backup connection is provided for a separate service context associated with the local chassis.

18. A system as recited in claim 17, wherein the first communication interface comprises a network interface.

19. A system as recited in claim 17, wherein the first communication interface comprises a pseudowire.

20. A system as recited in claim 17, wherein the inter-chassis backup connection comprises a pseudowire.

21. A system as recited in claim 17, wherein the system comprises an edge switch or router.

22. A computer program product for providing a network service, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving a data associated with the service;

determining whether a local context associated with the service is in an active state with respect to the service; and

redirecting the data to another chassis, via an inter-chassis backup connection associated with the service, in the event it is determined that the local context is not in an active state with respect to the service;

wherein the inter-chassis backup connection and one or more other inter-chassis backup connections constitute a plurality of inter-chassis backup connections associated with the local chassis and connecting the local chassis and the another chassis.