Method and system for using IS-IS for SPB in the context of a service provider network

A method for using Intermediate System to Intermediate System, IS-IS, as a control plane for Shortest Path Bridging (SPB) in a network comprising at least a Service Provider Network (SPN) and at least two Backbone Edge Bridges (BEBs) connected to the SPN, the method comprising:

• forming adjacency, by each one of the BEBs of the at least two BEBs, with each other BEB of the at least two BEBs, by periodically sending a Local Area Network (LAN) IS-IS Hello (IIH), and listening to LAN IIHs received from each other BEB of the at least two BEBs;
• electing one of the BEBs of the at least two BEBs as a Designated Intermediate System (DIS) emulating a pseudonode;
• creating by each one of the BEBs of the at least two BEBs, a non-pseudonode level-1 Link State Protocol (LSP) packet, listing the pseudonode as its neighbor, and flooding it to each other BEB of the at least two BEBs;
• creating by the DIS a Pseudonode level-1 LSP packet, listing the DIS and each one of the other BEBs of the at least two BEBs as its neighbor, and flooding it to each other BEB of the at least two BEBs;
• sending by the DIS, after the forming adjacency, Complete Sequence Number Protocol Data Units (CSNPs), to each other BEB of the at least two BEBs;
• and
• running Shortest Path First (SPF) by each of the at least two BEBs to calculate the shortest path in the network from itself to each other BEB of the at least two BEBs;
• wherein the LAN IIH is sent to Level 1 IS multicast addresses, with a LAN ID, consisting of the SysID of the DIS plus an octet-long unique ID assigned by the DIS.