Autoconfiguration of Ethernet OAM points
AssigneeAlcatel
InventorsDavid Elie-Dit-Cosaque, Kamakshi Sridhar, Maarten Joseph Vissers, Tony Kerckhove
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Abstract
A system and method for configuring Maintenance Intermediate Point (MIP) nodes of an Ethernet OAM network based on absolute level indicia as well as relative level indicia encoded in OAM frames generated by Maintenance End Point (MEP) nodes. A first OAM level field in a payload portion of an Ethernet OAM frame is encoded with an absolute OAM level associated with the originating MEP's OAM domain. A second OAM level field is encoded with a relative OAM level indicative of the number of OAM domain levels traversed by the Ethernet OAM frame.
Claims44
A method of configuring Maintenance Intermediate Point (MIP) nodes disposed in an Ethernet Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) network, comprising:
- configuring absolute level indicia associated with Maintenance End Point (MEP) nodes of said Ethernet OAM network;
- initiating, by said MEP nodes, of OAM frames having an absolute level indicium and a relative level indicium encoded therein;
- and
- when an OAM frame arrives at a particular MIP node, deducing said particular MIP node's absolute level indicium based on said OAM frame's absolute level and relative level indicia.
A method of providing Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) level information in an end-to-end Ethernet network having multiple levels of OAM domains, comprising:
- encoding a first OAM level field in a payload portion of an Ethernet frame with an absolute OAM level associated with said Ethernet frame's originating OAM domain;
- and
- encoding a second OAM level field in said payload portion with a relative OAM level indicative of number of OAM domain levels traversed by said Ethernet frame.
A system for configuring Maintenance Intermediate Point (MIP) nodes disposed in an Ethernet Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) network having multiple levels of OAM domains, comprising:
- means for configuring absolute level indicia associated with Maintenance End Point (MEP) nodes of said Ethernet OAM network;
- means for encoding an absolute level indicium and a relative level indicium in OAM frames initiated by said MEP nodes;
- and
- means for determining a particular MIP node's absolute level indicium based on absolute level and relative level indicia encoded in an OAM frame received by said particular MIP node.
An error detection method operable in an Ethernet Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) network having a plurality of Maintenance End Point (MEP) nodes and Maintenance Intermediate Point (MIP) nodes organized into multiple levels of OAM domains, comprising:
- configuring said MIP nodes based on absolute level indicia and relative level indicia encoded in OAM frames generated by said MEP nodes;
- upon arrival of an OAM frame at an MIP node, comparing said MIP node's absolute level indicium with said OAM frame's encoded absolute level indicium;
- and
- if said MIP node's absolute level indicium equals said OAM frame's encoded absolute level indicium, generating an error upon determining that said OAM frame's encoded relative level indicium equals a value other than zero.
An error detection system operable in an Ethernet Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) network having a plurality of Maintenance End Point (MEP) nodes and Maintenance Intermediate Point (MIP) nodes organized into multiple levels of OAM domains, comprising:
- means for configuring said MIP nodes based on absolute level indicia and relative level indicia encoded in OAM frames generated by said MEP nodes;
- means, operable upon arrival of an OAM frame at an MIP node, for comparing said MIP node's absolute level indicium with said OAM frame's encoded absolute level indicium;
- and
- means for generating an error upon determining that said OAM frame's encoded relative level indicia equals a value other than zero and said MIP node's absolute level indicium equals said OAM frame's encoded absolute level indicium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.