Multiple prefix connections with translated virtual local area network

• US 9,300,604 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2013
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: John, Kaippallimalil Mathew
• Primary Examiner(s): SWEET, LONNIE V
• Application Number:
  US14/065,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20140064285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2874 Processing of data for distribution to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4604 LAN interconnection over a backbone network, e.g. Internet, Frame Relay
• 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 12/4666 Operational details on the addition or the stripping of a tag in a frame, e.g. at a provider edge node
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5652 Cell construction, e.g. including header, packetisation, depacketisation, assembly, reassembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/66 Layer 2 routing, e.g. in Ethernet based MAN's
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3081 ATM peripheral units, e.g. policing, insertion or extraction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2596 Translation of addresses of the same type other than IP, e.g. translation from MAC to MAC addresses

Abstract

A system comprising an access node (AN) coupled to a plurality of service providers (SPs) and a host and configured to forward a plurality of services between the SPs and the host using a plurality of first connections between the AN and the host and a plurality of second connections between the AN and the SPs, and a router gateway (RG) positioned between the host and the AN and coupled to the AN via an access line that comprises the first connections, wherein the AN translates a plurality of first identifiers for the first connections to a plurality of second identifiers for the second connections to route the services appropriately between the host and the SPs over the first connections and the corresponding second connections.

Claims

1. An access node (AN) coupled to a plurality of service providers (SPs) and a plurality of hosts, comprising:

a processor operably coupled to a memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor perform the following;

forward a plurality of services between the SPs and the hosts using a plurality of first connections between the AN and the hosts and a plurality of second connections between the AN and the SPs, wherein the services are forwarded via a residential gateway (RG) positioned between the hosts and the AN, and wherein the AN is coupled to the RG via an access line that comprises the first connections;

translate a plurality of first identifiers for the first connections to a plurality of second identifiers for the second connections to route the services between the hosts and the SPs over the first connections and the corresponding second connections,

wherein each of the first identifiers comprises a Media Access Control (MAC) address for the RG, a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) identifier (ID) that corresponds to one of the hosts, and a host prefix that identifies the host corresponding to the VLAN ID,

wherein the first identifiers are maintained in a first list at the AN,

wherein each of the second identifiers comprises the MAC address for the RG, a Customer VLAN (C-VLAN) ID that corresponds to one of the hosts, and a Service VLAN (S-VLAN) ID that corresponds to one of the SPs, and

wherein the second identifiers are maintained in a second list at the AN.

2. The AN of claim 1, wherein each VLAN ID for each host in the first list is mapped to a C-VLAN ID and S-VLAN ID pair in the second list.

3. The AN of claim 1, wherein the MAC address for the RG and each VLAN ID that corresponds to one of the hosts in the first list is associated with a port ID that corresponds to the access line in a third list that is maintained at the AN.

4. The AN of claim 3, wherein the first identifiers comprise a plurality of MAC addresses for a plurality of RGs, and wherein the second identifiers comprise the same MAC addresses.

5. The AN of claim 4, wherein each VLAN ID for each host that is associated with one of the MAC addresses for the RGs in the first list is mapped to a C-VLAN ID and S-VLAN ID pair that corresponds to the same RG MAC address in the second list.

6. The AN of claim 5, wherein the third list comprises a plurality of port IDs for a plurality of access lines that correspond to the RGs.