Redundant pseudowires between ethernet access domains

• US 8,625,412 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2012
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Voit, Eric, Townsley, William Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Chuong T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Javaid, Jamal
• Application Number:
  US13/452,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20120201127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 370/225, 370/351, 370/221, 370/228, 370/256, 370/401, 370/395.53, 370/469, 370/400, 709/237, 709/225, 709/228, 709/239, 709/227, 709/218, 709/200
• US Class Current: 370/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/462 LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone

Abstract

A computer network includes first and second Ethernet access domain networks, each of Ethernet access domain networks including a user-facing provider edge (u-PE) device, and a stack group of network-facing provider edge (n-PE) devices coupled with the u-PE device, the n-PE devices running a bidding protocol to select one of the n-PE devices as a primary n-PE device for a single pseudowire connection path between the first and second Ethernet access domain networks. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).

Claims

1. A processor-implemented method of operation for a network-facing provider edge (n-PE) device of a first Ethernet access domain network, comprising:

running a stack group bidding protocol (SGBP) to select a primary n-PE device from among a plurality of n-PE devices in the first Ethernet access domain network, the primary n-PE device having a highest priority connection with a second Ethernet access domain network;

sending, by the primary n-PE device, a connection request to the second Ethernet access domain network across a core network;

receiving a response from the second Ethernet access domain network; and

establishing a single pseudowire connection path to the second Ethernet access domain network across the core network, wherein at no time following the running of the SGBP is there more than one pseudowire connection path, whether active or inactive, established across the core network between the first and second Ethernet access domain networks per Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) service instance.

2. The processor-implemented method of operation of claim 1 further comprising:

running the SGBP to dynamically establish a new pseudowire connection path to the second Ethernet access domain network across the core network in response to failure of the single pseudowire connection path.

3. The processor-implemented method of operation of claim 1 further comprising:

running the SGBP to dynamically establish a new pseudowire connection path to the second Ethernet access domain network across the core network to load-balance the plurality of n-PE devices.

4. The processor-implemented method of operation of claim 1 wherein the n-PE devices comprise routers.

5. A method, comprising:

sending, by a first network-facing provider edge (n-PE) device, a connection request to a second Ethernet access domain network across a core network, the first n-PE device being selected from a plurality of n-PE devices in a first Ethernet access domain network using a first bidding protocol;

receiving, by the first n-PE device, a response from the second Ethernet access domain network; and

establishing, by the first n-PE device, a single pseudowire connection path to the second Ethernet access domain network across the core network, wherein at no time following the running of the first bidding protocol is there more than one pseudowire connection path, whether active or inactive, established across the core network between the first and second Ethernet access domain networks per Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) service instance.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the response is sent by a second n-PE device selected from a plurality of n-PE devices in the second Ethernet access domain network using a second bidding protocol.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first n-PE device has a highest priority connection with the second Ethernet access domain network.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising dynamically establishing a new pseudowire connection path to the second Ethernet access domain network across the core network in response to failure of the single pseudowire connection path.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising dynamically establishing a new pseudowire connection path to the second Ethernet access domain network across the core network to load-balance the plurality of n-PE devices.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the n-PE devices comprise routers.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the first bidding protocol is run by one or more of the plurality of n-PE devices.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the first bidding protocol runs on a processor associated with each n-PE device.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the core network comprises a Multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) network.