Scalable connectivity fault management in a bridged/virtual private LAN service environment

• US 8,842,550 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ericsson AB (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson AB (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Kini, Sriganesh, Mehta, Rishi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mian, Omer S
• Application Number:
  US13/619,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20130010607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 370/242, 370/241, 370/241.1, 370/248, 370/231
• US Class Current: 370/241.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0627 by acting on the notification or alarm source
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2528 Translation at a proxy

Abstract

A first network element that is to be coupled with a second network element over a first network in the same domain is described. The first network element includes a connectivity check detection module and a connectivity check fault state change module. The connectivity check detection module detects, according to a first protocol, a connectivity status of a local maintenance endpoint on a second network changing between not active and active. The connectivity check fault state change module creates and sends a first fault state change message, according to a second protocol, in response to the connectivity status of the local maintenance endpoint changing from not active to active instead of forwarding connectivity check messages periodically received by the first network element to a remote maintenance endpoint coupled to the second network element over a third network.

Claims

1. A first network element to be coupled with a second network element over a first network in the same domain, the first network element comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium to store code; and

a set of one or more processors coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, operative to execute the code, the code including;

a connectivity check state change module to;

receive a single first fault state change message, according to a second protocol, from the second network element over the first network in response to a connectivity status of a remote maintenance endpoint changing from not active to active, wherein the second network element sends the single first fault state change message to the first network element instead of creating and sending a fault state change message for each of the connectivity check messages periodically received by the second network element in response to the connectivity status change of the remote maintenance endpoint, and

receive a single second fault state change message, according to the second protocol, from the second network element over the first network in response to the connectivity status of the remote maintenance endpoint changing from active to not active, wherein the second network element sends the single second fault state change message when a lack of connectivity check messages is detected; and

a connectivity check proxy module to proxy connectivity check messages to a local maintenance endpoints in response to the first single fault state change message, wherein the proxying comprises, generating and periodically sending proxied connectivity check messages to the local maintenance endpoint over a second network, different than the first network, such that the proxied connectivity check messages are formatted to appear as if they are the connectivity check messages periodically received by the second network element that originated from the remote maintenance endpoint.

2. The first network element of claim 1, wherein the code further includes:

a connectivity check detection module to detect, according to a first protocol, a connectivity status of a local maintenance endpoint on a second network changing between not active and active, and

a connectivity check fault state change module to create and send a single third fault state change message, according to the second protocol, in response to the connectivity status of the local maintenance endpoint changing from not active to active, instead of creating and sending a fault state change message for each of connectivity check messages periodically received by the first network element in response the connectivity status change of the local maintenance endpoint to the remote maintenance endpoint coupled to the second network element over a third network.

3. The first network element of claim 1, further comprising a connectivity check database to store the connectivity status of the remote maintenance endpoint.

4. The first network element of claim 1, wherein the connectivity status of the remote maintenance endpoint is active in response to the second network element periodically receiving connectivity check messages of the first protocol generated by the remote maintenance endpoint, and is not active in response to a lack of connectivity check messages received from the remote maintenance endpoint.

5. The first network element of claim 2, wherein the connectivity status of the local maintenance endpoint is active in response to the first network element periodically receiving connectivity check messages of the first protocol generated by the local maintenance endpoint, and is not active in response to a lack of connectivity check messages received from the local maintenance endpoint.

6. The first network element of claim 1, wherein the first network is one or more network selected from the group consisting of a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) network and a virtual private LAN service (VPLS) network.

7. The first network element of claim 2, wherein the second and third networks are one or more networks selected from the group consisting of a switched Ethernet network and a virtual local area network (VLAN).

8. The first network element of claim 2, wherein the first protocol is Connectivity Fault Management protocol.

9. The first network element of claim 1, wherein the second protocol is Virtual Circuit Connectivity Verification (VCCV) protocol.

10. The first network element of claim 9, wherein information about the connectivity status is stored in fields of a VCCV message.

11. The first network element of claim 1, wherein a maintenance endpoint is one of a personal computer, a server, a bridge, and a switch.

12. A first network element to be coupled with a second network element over a first network in the same domain, the first network element comprising:

means for receiving a single first fault state change message, according to a second protocol, from the second network element over the first network in response to a connectivity status of a remote maintenance endpoint changing from not active to active, wherein the second network element sends the single first fault state change message to the first network element instead of creating and sending a fault state change message for each of the connectivity check messages periodically received by the second network element in response to the connectivity status change of the remote maintenance endpoint;

means for receiving a single second fault state change message, according to the second protocol, from the second network element over the first network in response to the connectivity status of the remote maintenance endpoint changing from active to not active, wherein the second network element sends the single second fault state change message when a lack of connectivity check messages is detected; and

means for proxying connectivity check messages to a local maintenance endpoint in response to the first single fault state change message, wherein the proxying comprises, generating and periodically sending proxied connectivity check messages to the local maintenance endpoint over a second network, different than the first network, such that the proxied connectivity check messages are formatted to appear as if they are the connectivity check messages periodically received by the second network element that originated from the remote maintenance endpoint.

13. The first network element of claim 12, further comprising:

means for detecting, according to a first protocol, a connectivity status of a local maintenance endpoint on a second network changing between not active and active;

means for creating and sending a single third fault state change message, according to the second protocol, in response to the connectivity status of the local maintenance endpoint changing from not active to active, instead of creating and sending a fault state change message for each of connectivity check messages periodically received by the first network element in response the connectivity status change of the local maintenance endpoint to the remote maintenance endpoint coupled to the second network element over a third network.

14. The first network element of claim 12, further comprising means for storing the connectivity status of the remote maintenance endpoint.

15. The first network element of claim 12, wherein the connectivity status of the remote maintenance endpoint is active in response to the second network element periodically receiving connectivity check messages of the first protocol generated by the remote maintenance endpoint, and is not active in response to a lack of connectivity check messages received from the remote maintenance endpoint.

16. The first network element of claim 13, wherein the connectivity status of the local maintenance endpoint is active in response to the first network element periodically receiving connectivity check messages of the first protocol generated by the local maintenance endpoint, and is not active in response to a lack of connectivity check messages received from the local maintenance endpoint.

17. The first network element of claim 12, wherein the first protocol is Connectivity Fault Management protocol.

18. The first network element of claim 12, wherein the second protocol is Virtual Circuit Connectivity Verification (VCCV) protocol.

19. The first network element of claim 18, wherein information about the connectivity status is stored in fields of a VCCV message.

20. The first network element of claim 12, wherein a maintenance endpoint is one of a personal computer, a server, a bridge, and a switch.