Local area network services in a cable modem network
First Claim
1. A system having an aggregation device and a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS), the system comprising:
- CMTS circuitry located on the CMTS, the CMTS circuitry configured to;
analyze a communication received over an upstream communication path that extends from the CMTS to an originating cable modem to identify a service identifier (SID) associated with the received upstream communication;
compare the identified SID to a table mapping SIDs to Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tags;
attach one of the VLAN tags from the table to the communication according to the comparison;
forward the communication having the attached VLAN tag over a network to the aggregation device; and
aggregation device circuitry located on the aggregation device, the aggregation device circuitry configured to;
receive the forwarded communication and identify the VLAN tag attached thereto;
select a particular tunnel from a plurality of tunnels extending from the aggregation device to a plurality of CMTSs according to the identified VLAN tag; and
send the communication over the selected one of the tunnels.
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Abstract
A network device has a network interface to allow the device to send and receive traffic across a network. The device also has a cable connection to allow the device to exchange data with at least one other device across a cable network. The device has a processor to receive traffic having a network identifier through the network interface and determine if the network identifier is associated with a virtual private network. If the network identifier is associated with a virtual private network, the device then routes the traffic to an appropriate receiving entity through the cable connection if the network identifier is associated with a local are network.
144 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A system having an aggregation device and a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS), the system comprising:
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CMTS circuitry located on the CMTS, the CMTS circuitry configured to; analyze a communication received over an upstream communication path that extends from the CMTS to an originating cable modem to identify a service identifier (SID) associated with the received upstream communication; compare the identified SID to a table mapping SIDs to Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tags; attach one of the VLAN tags from the table to the communication according to the comparison; forward the communication having the attached VLAN tag over a network to the aggregation device; and aggregation device circuitry located on the aggregation device, the aggregation device circuitry configured to; receive the forwarded communication and identify the VLAN tag attached thereto; select a particular tunnel from a plurality of tunnels extending from the aggregation device to a plurality of CMTSs according to the identified VLAN tag; and send the communication over the selected one of the tunnels. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An apparatus, comprising:
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a table to associate service identifiers (SIDs) with tunnel identifiers; and circuitry configured to; analyze a received upstream communication to identify an SID associated with that received upstream communication; compare the identified SID to the table, and, according to the comparison, map a tunnel identifier from the table to the identified SID; and attach the mapped tunnel identifier to the communication, and forward the communication having the mapped tunnel identifier attached thereto to a remote aggregation device, wherein the tunnel identifier attached to the communication identifies one of a plurality of tunnels extending from the aggregation device to a plurality of Cable Modem Termination Systems (CMTSs) and the tunnel identifier controls which of the tunnels is used by the aggregation device for forwarding the communication. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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8. A system, comprising:
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means for mapping a plurality of tunnel identifiers to a plurality of Service IDentifiers (SIDs); means for comparing a particular SID of a received communication to the mapping means and selecting a particular tunnel identifier according to the comparison; and means for attaching the selected tunnel identifier to the communication before forwarding the communication to an aggregation device, wherein the tunnel identifier attached to the communication identifies one of a plurality of tunnels extending from the aggregation device to a plurality of Cable Modem Termination Systems (CMTSs) and the tunnel identifier controls which of the tunnels is used by the aggregation device for forwarding the communication. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. A system, comprising:
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means for analyzing a communication from a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) to observe a value of a tunnel identifier attached to the communication; and means for selecting a particular tunnel from a plurality of tunnels extending from an aggregation device to a plurality of CMTSs according to the observed value, wherein the communication is forwarded from the aggregation device to a particular one of the CMTSs over the particular tunnel. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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Specification