Tunnel provisioning with link aggregation
AssigneeOrckit IP, LLC
InventorRonen Solomon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for processing data packets in a communication network includes establishing a path for a flow of the data packets through the communication network. At a node along the path having a plurality of aggregated ports, a port is selected from among the plurality to serve as part of the path. A label is chosen responsively to the selected port. The label is attached to the data packets in the flow at a point on the path upstream from the node. Upon receiving the data packets at the node, the data packets are switched through the selected port responsively to the label.
Claims26
A method for assigning and utilizing an Ethernet data port in an Ethernet Link Aggregation Group (LAG) in a Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network, the method comprising the steps of:
- assigning, by a first MPLS/LAG switch, a single port of a LAG to a network tunnel, wherein the single port of the LAG meets a bandwidth requirement of the network tunnel, and wherein the single port of the LAG has a port serial number;
- dedicating a sub-set of bits in a data packet label prepared by the first MPLS/LAG switch to encode the port serial number of the single port of the LAG into the data packet label;
- sending, by the first MPLS/LAG switch, the data packet label, in which the port serial number of the single port is encoded, to a node;
- receiving from the preceding node, by the first MPLS/LAG switch, a data packet comprising the data packet label, in which the port serial number of the single port is encoded;
- and
- sending the data packet from the first MPLS/LAG switch to a second MSPLS/LAG switch via the single port having the port serial number encoded in the data packet label.
An apparatus for assigning and utilizing an Ethernet data port in an Ethernet Link Aggregation Group (LAG), the apparatus comprising a processor, which is configurable to:
- assign a single port of a LAG to a network tunnel, wherein the single port meets a bandwidth requirement of the network tunnel, and wherein the single port has a port serial number;
- dedicate a sub-set of bits in a data packet label to encode the port serial number of the single port of the LAG into the data packet label;
- publish the packet label upstream;
- and
- a mapper, which is configured to:
- receive a data packet from an upstream node;
- detect the data packet label in the data packet;
- and
- if the data packet contains the data packet label, send the data packet to a MPLS/LAG switch via the single port.
A method for assigning and utilizing an Ethernet data port in an Ethernet Link Aggregation Group (LAG) in a Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving from a preceding node located upstream from a first MPLS/LAG switch, at the first MPLS/LAG switch, a message requesting configuration of a network tunnel, the message further requesting a data packet label associated with the network tunnel, the message specifying a bandwidth requirement;
- assigning, at the first MPLS/LAG switch, a single port of a LAG to the network tunnel wherein the single port of the LAG, which meets the specified bandwidth requirement, wherein the single port of the LAG has a port serial number;
- dedicating a sub-set of bits in a data packet label prepared by the first MPLS/LAG switch to encode the port serial number of the single port of the LAG into the data packet label;
- sending, by the first MPLS/LAG switch, the data packet label, in which the port serial number of the single port is encoded, to anode;
- receiving from a node located upstream, at the first MPLS/LAG switch, a data packet that includes the data packet label, in which the port serial number of the single port is encoded;
- and
- sending the data packet from the first MPLS/LAG switch to a second MSPLS/LAG switch via the single port having the port serial number encoded in the data packet label.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.