US 12,587,412 B2 · Interworking between different layer two medias using network tunnels

Abstract

Interworking between different layer two (L2) medias using network tunnels is provided by receiving, at a virtual gateway network element (GNE), a packet from a first L2 media type network for transmission to a second L2 media type network under the control of a different entities, wherein the first and second L2 media type networks are incompatible for direct packet transmission; removing, at the virtual GNE, ethernet encapsulation from the packet; re-encapsulating, at a network device located between the virtual GNE and a packet network, the packet in a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) encapsulation; forwarding, over the packet network, the packet from the network device to a digital communication channel (DCC) associated with the second L2 media type network; replacing, at the DCC, the MPLS encapsulation with a link access protocol (LAP) encapsulation; and transmitting the packet encapsulated with the LAP encapsulation to the second L2 media type network.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method, comprising:

removing, at a virtual gateway network element (GNE), Ethernet encapsulation from a received packet from a first media type network by replacing the Ethernet encapsulation with a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tag;
adding, at the virtual GNE, Connectionless-mode Network Protocol (CLNP) information to the received packet with the VLAN tag;
re-encapsulating, at a first network device located between the virtual GNE and a packet network, the received packet with the CLNP information in a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) encapsulation;
forwarding, over the packet network, the re-encapsulated packet from the first network device to a second network device;
replacing, at the second network device, the MPLS encapsulation with a Link Access Protocol (LAP) encapsulation to generate a second packet;
and
transmitting the second packet encapsulated with the LAP encapsulation to a second media type network, where the first media type network and the second media type network are incompatible for direct packet transmission.

4 more elements

A method, comprising:

removing, at a digital communication channel (DCC), a Link Access Protocol (LAP) encapsulation from a packet received from a first media type network;
re-encapsulating, at the DCC, the received packet without the LAP encapsulation in a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) encapsulation;
forwarding the re-encapsulated packet from the DCC to a second network device, wherein the second network device is between a virtual Gateway Network Element (GNE) on a cross-media device;
replacing the MPLS encapsulation with an Ethernet encapsulation by:
replacing the MPLS encapsulation with a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tag to generate a second packet;
adding Connectionless-mode Network Protocol (CLNP) information to the second packet with the VLAN tag;
and
re-encapsulating the second packet that comprises the CLNP information with the Ethernet encapsulation;
and
transmitting, from the virtual GNE, the second packet encapsulated with the Ethernet encapsulation to a recipient in a second media type network that is identified in the second packet with the Ethernet encapsulation.

7 more elements

A system, comprising:

a virtual Gateway Network Element (GNE) on a cross-media device and connected to a first media type network via an Ethernet connection and to a first router controlled by a first party;
and
a second router connected over an internet protocol (IP) network to the first router, and associated with a second media type network controlled by a second party;
wherein the virtual GNE and the first router are configured to:
remove, at the virtual GNE, Ethernet encapsulation from downlink packets by replacing the Ethernet encapsulation with a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tag and adding Connectionless-mode Network Protocol (CLNP) information to the downlink packets with VLAN tags;
re-encapsulate, at the first router, the downlink packets with the CLNP information in a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) encapsulation;
forward the re-encapsulated downlink packets with the MPLS encapsulation over a packet network between the first router and the second router;
receive uplink packets with the MPLS encapsulation via the packet network;
replace, at the virtual GNE, the MPLS encapsulation in the uplink packets with the Ethernet encapsulation;
and
transmit, from the virtual GNE, the uplink packets encapsulated with the Ethernet encapsulation to the first party.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Interworking between different layer two medias using network tunnels

Life of this patent

Interworking between different layer two medias using network tunnels

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20