US 2015/0146573 A1 · APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR LAYER-2 AND LAYER-3 VPN DISCOVERY

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for layer-2 and layer-3 VPN discovery are disclosed. The apparatus is incorporated in a network, and the network includes a first carrier network. The first carrier network includes at least two layer-1 provider edge devices. Layer-1 VPN information is created within the first carrier network. BGP next hop information passes within the first carrier network. The BGP next hop information is for a selected one of the following: a layer-2 VPN-based provider edge device, a layer-3 VPN-based provider edge device, and a layer-2 and layer-3 VPN-based provider edge device. The network also includes a second carrier network within which the BGP next hop information is used for VPN discovery.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A layer-1 Virtual Private Network (VPN) provider edge device for a layer-1 VPN network, the layer-1 VPN provider edge device being configured:

to receive Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) next hop information from a higher-layer customer network, the BGP next hop information comprising BGP next hop information for at least one of:
a layer-2 VPN based provider edge device;
a layer-3 VPN based provider edge device;
and
a layer-2 and layer-3 VPN based provider edge device;
and
to distribute the BGP next hop information to at least one other layer-1 VPN provider edge devices over the layer-1 VPN provider network to enable the higher-layer customer network to use the BGP next hop information for VPN discovery.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

14/611,530Filed 2 Feb 2015

Priority

29 Dec 2003

Published

28 May 2015

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

H04L 45/50
Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks: using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
H04L 12/4641
Interconnection of networks: virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN]
H04L 45/033
Topology update or discovery: by updating distance vector protocols
H04L 69/323
Intralayer communication protocols among peer entities or protocol data unit [PDU] definitions: in the physical layer [OSI layer 1]

Family

Application10/747,346Continuation · filed 29 Dec 2003

Application13/473,181Continuation · filed 16 May 2012

Application14/611,530Continuation

US 2005/0198301 A1Published application

US 2012/0226821 A1Published application

US 8,190,772 B2Related patent

US 8,949,460 B2Related patent

US 2015/0146573 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Apparatus and method for layer-2 and layer-3 vpn discovery

Life of this patent

Apparatus and method for layer-2 and layer-3 vpn discovery

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims10