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US 2003/0112799 A1Published application
Method and apparatus for multiple contexts and layer 3 virtual private networks
AssigneeRedback Networks Inc.
InventorsRavi Chandra, Enke Chen, Jenny Yuan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method an apparatus for multiple contexts and layer 3 virtual private networks is described. A method comprises providing a layer 3 virtual private network (VPN) to a first customer; providing backbone access to a second customer; and maintaining on a single network element a first set of information for the first customer separately from a second set of information for the second customer.
Claims33
A method comprising:
- providing a layer 3 virtual private network (VPN) to a first customer;
- providing backbone access to a second customer;
- and
- maintaining on a single network element a first set of information for the first customer separately from a second set of information for the second customer.
1 more element
A computer implemented method comprising:
- maintaining a first set of information for a first layer 3 virtual private network (VPN), the first set of information including a first value identifying the first layer 3 VPN;
- separately maintaining a second set of information for a second layer 3 VPN, the second set of information including a second value identifying the second layer 3 VPN;
- associating the first value with a first route distinguisher;
- associating the second value with a second route distinguisher;
- and
- maintaining a single exterior gateway protocol (EGP) table for the first and second layer 3 VPNs.
3 more elements
A network element comprising:
- a control card to host an exterior gateway protocol (EGP) process and an interior gateway protocol (IGP) process;
- a machine readable medium coupled with the control card, the machine readable medium having a set of instructions to cause the network element to maintain a first set of information for a first layer 3 virtual private network (VPN) and separately maintain a second set of information for a second layer 3 VPN, to maintain a single exterior gateway protocol (EGP) table for the first layer 3 VPN and the second layer 3 VPN, to identify the first layer 3 VPN with a first value and to identify the second layer 3 VPN with a second value, and to associate a first route distinguisher (RD) with the first value and a second RD with the second value;
- a line card coupled with the control card, the first line card to process traffic for the first layer 3 VPN and the second layer 3 VPN;
- a first interface coupled with the line card, the first interface to receive traffic for the first layer 3 VPN;
- and
- a second interface coupled with the line card, the second interface to receive traffic for the second layer 3 VPN.
3 more elements
A system comprising:
- a first piece of customer equipment to transmit and receive traffic within a first layer 3 virtual private network (VPN);
- a second piece of customer equipment to transmit and receive traffic within a second layer 3 VPN;
- and
- a network element coupled with the first piece of customer equipment and the second piece of customer equipment, the network element to maintain a first set of information for the first layer 3 VPN and separately maintain a second set of information for the second layer 3 VPN, the first set of information to include a first value identifying the first layer 3 VPN and the second set of information to include a second value identifying the second layer 3 VPN, to maintain a single shared exterior gateway protocol (EGP) table for the first layer 3 VPN and the second layer 3 VPN, and to associate the first value with a first route distinguisher (RD) and the second value with a second RD.
1 more element
A machine-readable medium that provides instructions, which when executed by a set of one or more processors, cause said set of processors to perform operations comprising:
- maintaining separate exterior gateway protocol (EGP) tables for non-virtual private network (VPN) customers;
- maintaining a single shared EGP table for layer 3 VPN customers;
- and
- associating individual layer 3 VPNs with individual route distinguishers (RDs).
1 more element
A machine-readable medium that provides instructions, which when executed by a set of one or more processors, cause said set of processors to perform operations comprising:
- maintaining a first set of information for a first layer 3 virtual private network (VPN), the first set of information including a first value identifying the first layer 3 VPN;
- separately maintaining a second set of information for a second layer 3 VPN, the second set of information including a second value identifying the second layer 3 VPN;
- associating the first value with a first route distinguisher (RD);
- associating the second value with a second RD;
- maintaining a data structure to perform mappings between the first value and the first RD and between the second value and the second RD;
- and
- maintaining a single exterior gateway protocol (EGP) table for the first and second layer 3 VPNs.
4 more elements
A machine-readable medium that provides instructions, which when executed by a set of one or more processors, cause said set of processors to perform operations comprising:
- storing a first set of configuration information for a non-virtual private network (VPN) customer;
- storing a second set of configuration information for a first layer 3 VPN, the second set of configuration information including a first value identifying the first layer 3 VPN;
- associating the first value with a first route distinguisher (RD);
- storing a third set of configuration information for a second layer 3 VPN, the third set of configuration information including a second value identifying the second layer 3 VPN;
- associating the second value with a second RD;
- creating a first exterior gateway protocol (EGP) table and a first routing table for the non-VPN customer;
- creating a second EGP table for the first and the second layer 3 VPNs;
- creating a second routing table for the first layer 3 VPN and a third routing table for the second layer 3 VPN;
- mapping between the first value and the first RD to communicate modifications and to service requests for a set of entries in the second EGP table, the set of entries corresponding to the first layer 3 VPN.
6 more elements
A machine-readable medium that provides instructions, which when executed by a set of one or more processors, cause said set of processors to perform operations comprising:
- maintaining a first set of information for a first layer 3 virtual private network (VPN), the first set of information including a first value identifying the first layer 3 VPN;
- separately maintaining a second set of information for a second layer 3 VPN, the second set of information including a second value identifying the second layer 3 VPN;
- associating the first value with a first route distinguisher;
- associating the second value with a second route distinguisher;
- and
- maintaining a single exterior gateway protocol (EGP) table for the first and second layer 3 VPNs.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.