E-Trees over MPLS and PBB-TE networks

• US 8,385,355 B1
• Filed: 10/29/2008
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: K.Mizra LLC
• Original Assignee: Brixham Solutions Limited (Transpacific IP Group Limited)
• Inventors: Figueira, Norival R., Gitlin, Richard D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Banks Harold, Marsha D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAMPBELL, MATTHEW T
• Application Number:
  US12/290,463
• Time in Patent Office: 1,581 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge

Abstract

An E-Tree is disclosed which includes a root node associated with a Metro Ethernet network. The E-Tree includes a first Virtual Bridge (VB), associated with the root node, which is configured to process Ethernet traffic, and a second node associated with the Metro Ethernet network. The E-Tree includes a second VB, associated with the second node, configured to process Ethernet traffic and having a first connection between the first VB and the second VB. The second VB is configured to be able to send Ethernet traffic to the first VB via the first connection, if appropriate. In the event there is a second connection between the second VB and a third VB and the second connection has been assigned a down direction from the point of view of the second VB, the second VB is not permitted to send traffic received from the second connection to another connection which from the point of view of the second VB has been assigned a down direction.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a root node associated with a Metro Ethernet network;

a first Virtual Bridge (VB), associated with the root node, configured to process Ethernet traffic using a first routing protocol;

a second node associated with the Metro Ethernet network;

a second VB, associated with the second node, configured to process Ethernet traffic and to allow interworking between at least the first routing protocol and a second routing protocol, the second routing protocol being substantially incompatible with the first routing protocol;

two or more third nodes associated with the Metro Ethernet network;

two or more third VBs associated with the third nodes, configured to process Ethernet traffic, wherein at least one of the third VBs is further configured to use the second routing protocol;

wherein all of the VBs are configured to facilitate communicative coupling between all of the nodes, such that the root node is communicatively coupled to the second node, and the second node is communicatively coupled to the two or more third nodes;

wherein the first VB is configured to permit transmission of Ethernet traffic from the root node to the two or more third nodes;

wherein the second VB is configured to;

permit transmission of Ethernet traffic from the root node to the two or more third nodes,

prevent transmission of Ethernet traffic from one of the third nodes to another of the third nodes, and

process Ethernet traffic addressed to the root node from one of the third nodes to determine whether to propagate transmission to the root node.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each one of the third nodes is a leaf node.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first routing protocol uses the Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network standard and the second routing protocol uses the Provider Backbone Bridge Traffic Engineering (PBB_TE) network standard.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first routing protocol uses the Provider Backbone Bridge Traffic Engineering (PBB-TE) network standard and the second routing protocol uses the Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network standard.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the first connection and/or the two or more second connections include a Label Switched Path (LSP) tunnel.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first connection and/or the two or more second connections are used to exchange Ethernet traffic associated with a plurality of E-Trees.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein a first group of Ethernet traffic corresponding to a first one of the plurality of E-Trees is assigned a first I-SID and a second group of Ethernet traffic corresponding to a second one of the plurality of E-Trees is assigned a second I-SID.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first connection and/or the two or more second connections are used to exchange Ethernet traffic associated with a single E-Tree; and

a first group of Ethernet traffic is assigned a first I-SID and a second group of Ethernet traffic is assigned a second I-SID.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first VB is further configured to receive IF traffic from a traffic source.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the second VB is further configured to receive IF traffic from a second traffic source.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the first VB is further configured to:

extract an IF address from the IF traffic received from the traffic source;

determine a MAC address based at least in part on the IF address;

and generate MAC traffic that includes the MAC address.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the MAC address is unique.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein there exists a second connection between the second VB and one of the two or more third VBs and the second VB is further configured to:

receive Ethernet traffic from the one of the two or more third VBs via the second connection;

extract an address included in the received Ethernet traffic;

and store the address and an identifier associated with the second connection and/or the one of the two or more third VBs in a collection of stored information.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein storing includes updating an existing entry.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein storing includes creating a new entry.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the second VB is further configured to:

receive Ethernet traffic from the first VB via the first connection;

extract a destination address from the Ethernet traffic received from the first VB;

and in the event the destination address is stored in the collection of stored information, sending the Ethernet traffic received from the first VB to a corresponding connection and/or VB based at least in part on an identifier that corresponds to the destination address.

17. The system of claim 1 further comprising a router, wherein:

there is a fourth connection between the router and the first VB;

and the fourth connection has been assigned an up direction from the point of view of the first VB.

18. The system of claim 1 further comprising a switch, wherein:

there is a fourth connection between the switch and the first VB;

and the fourth connection has been assigned an up direction from the point of view of the first VB.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein traffic received from an up connection is permitted to be forwarded to and up and/or down connection by a VB.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein a connection towards the root node, from the point of view of a VB associated with a leaf node or a transit node, is assigned an up direction.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein there is a plurality of routers connected to at least one node of the system via an up connection.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein there is a plurality of switches connected to at least one node of the system via an up connection.

23. A method, comprising:

determining a set of nodes associated with a Metro Ethernet network, including a root node, a second node, and two or more third nodes;

provisioning a first Virtual Bridge (VB), associated with the root node, configured to process Ethernet traffic using a first routing protocol;

provisioning a second VB, associated with the second node, configured to process Ethernet traffic and to allow interworking between at least the first routing protocol and a second routing protocol, the second routing protocol being substantially incompatible with the first routing protocol;

and provisioning two or more third VBs, associated with the two or more third nodes, configured to process Ethernet traffic, wherein at least one of the third VBs is further configured to use the second routing protocol;

wherein all the VBs are configured to facilitate communicative coupling between all of the nodes, such that the root node is communicatively coupled to the second node, and the second node is communicatively coupled to the two or more third nodes;

wherein the first VB is configured to permit transmission of Ethernet traffic from the root node to the two or more third nodes;

wherein the second VB is configured to;

permit transmission of Ethernet traffic from the root node to the two or more third nodes;

prevent transmission of Ethernet traffic from one of the third nodes to another of the third nodes, and

process Ethernet traffic addressed to the root node from one of the third nodes to determine whether to propagate transmission to the root node.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein determining includes receiving an indication of the root node and one or more leaf nodes.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein determining further includes automatically selecting a second node.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein provisioning the first VB occurs before provisioning of the second VB.