Method for providing scalable multicast service in a virtual private LAN service

• US 9,049,047 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2011
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Foundry Networks LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jalan, Rajkumar, Yun, Louis, Hsu, Ivy Pei-Shan
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, WEN TAI
• Application Number:
  US13/278,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20120120952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/354 for supporting virtual local area networks [VLAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks

Abstract

Multicast capability in a virtual private LAN service (VPLS) is provided in a provider IP/MPLS infrastructure without headend replications by encapsulating a customer data packet to use an established multicast protocol, such as IP multicast. In one example, the customer data packet is encapsulated by an IP header having an IP multicast group address and an Ethernet header. In one implementation, a DNS type mechanism is provided to distribute the IP multicast addresses for VPLS use. Such IP multicast group address can be set aside from an administratively scoped address range. An efficient IP routing algorithm running on the provider'"'"'s network provides an efficient distribution tree for routing IP-encapsulated customer packet for the VPLS.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a network device on a first port directly connected to a customer local area network (customer LAN), a multicast IP packet originating from a host device on the customer LAN, wherein the customer LAN is not managed by a service provider operating the network device;

determining, by the network device, whether the received multicast IP packet has a destination multicast IP address that is within an administratively-scoped Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) multicast IP group address range reserved for local use by the service provider operating the network device; and

if the destination multicast IP address is within the administratively-scoped VPLS multicast IP group address range, dropping, by the network device, the multicast IP packet.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving another multicast IP packet on a second port;

determining whether said another multicast IP packet is a VPLS packet of which the network device is a member, the determining being based on whether a destination multicast IP address included in said another multicast IP packet is associated with the VPLS; and

if the destination multicast IP address is associated with the VPLS;

stripping an IP header and an Ethernet header from said another multicast IP packet, the stripping resulting in a data packet originally transmitted from another LAN in the VPLS; and

forwarding the data packet to the customer LAN connected to the first port.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the Ethernet header includes a destination multicast Ethernet address that is associated with the destination multicast IP address included in said another multicast IP packet.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein determining whether said another multicast IP packet is a VPLS packet of which the network device is a member does not take into account any packet fields in said another multicast IP packet other than the destination multicast IP address.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

performing an IP multicast lookup using the destination multicast IP address included in said another multicast IP packet; and

forwarding said another multicast IP packet to one or more other network devices based on the IP multicast lookup.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether the destination multicast IP address is within the administratively-scoped VPLS multicast IP group address range comprises accessing an access control list (ACL) configured on the network device.

7. A network device comprising a processor configurable to:

receive, on a first port directly connected to a customer local area network (customer LAN), a multicast IP packet originating from a host device on the customer LAN, wherein the customer LAN is not managed by a service provider operating the network device;

determine whether the received multicast IP packet has a destination multicast IP address that is within an administratively-scoped Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) multicast IP group address range reserved for local use by the service provider operating the network device; and

if the destination multicast IP address is within the administratively-scoped VPLS multicast IP group address range, drop the multicast IP packet.

8. The network device of claim 7 wherein the processor is further configurable to:

receive another multicast IP packet on a second port;

determine whether said another multicast IP packet is a VPLS packet of which the network device is a member, the determining being based on whether a destination multicast IP address included in said another multicast IP packet is associated with the VPLS; and

if the destination multicast IP address is associated with the VPLS;

strip an IP header and an Ethernet header from said another multicast IP packet, the stripping resulting in a data packet originally transmitted from another LAN in the VPLS; and

forward the data packet to the customer LAN connected to the first port.

9. The network device of claim 8 wherein the Ethernet header includes a destination multicast Ethernet address that is associated with the destination multicast IP address included in said another multicast IP packet.

10. The network device of claim 8 wherein the processor is further configurable to:

perform an IP multicast lookup using the destination multicast IP address included in said another multicast IP packet; and

forward said another multicast IP packet to one or more other network devices based on the IP multicast lookup.

11. The network device of claim 7 wherein determining whether the destination multicast IP address is within the administratively-scoped VPLS multicast IP group address range comprises accessing an ACL configured on the network device.

12. A network device comprising:

means for receiving, on a first port directly connected to a customer local area network (customer LAN), a multicast IP packet originating from a host device on the customer LAN, wherein the customer LAN is not managed by a service provider operating the network device;

means for determining whether the received multicast IP packet has a destination multicast IP address that is within an administratively-scoped Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) multicast IP group address range reserved for local use by the service provider operating the network device; and

if the destination multicast IP address is within the administratively-scoped VPLS multicast IP group address range, means for dropping the multicast IP packet.

13. The network device of claim 12 further comprising:

means for receiving another multicast IP packet on a second port;

means for determining whether said another multicast IP packet is a VPLS packet of which the network device is a member, the determining being based on whether a destination multicast IP address included in said another multicast IP packet is associated with the VPLS; and

if the destination multicast IP address is associated with the VPLS;

means for stripping an IP header and an Ethernet header from said another multicast IP packet, the stripping resulting in a data packet originally transmitted from another LAN in the VPLS; and

means for forwarding the data packet to the customer LAN connected to the first port.

14. The network device of claim 13 wherein the Ethernet header includes a destination multicast Ethernet address that is associated with the destination multicast IP address included in said another multicast IP packet.

15. The network device of claim 13 further comprising:

means for performing an IP multicast lookup using the destination multicast IP address included in said another multicast IP packet; and

means for forwarding said another multicast IP packet to one or more other network devices based on the IP multicast lookup.

16. The network device of claim 12 wherein the means for determining whether the destination multicast IP address is within the administratively-scoped VPLS multicast IP group address range comprises means for accessing an ACL configured on the network device.