Network and edge router
AssigneeFujitsu Limited
InventorDaisuke Hama
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In network for forming a VPN on a shared network and communicating via the VPN, a core network of the VPN is formed by an MPLS network, access networks for accessing the core network are formed by VLANs, and edge routers are provided between the MPLS network and VLANs for interfacing the MPLS network and the VLANs. A transmit-side edge router converts a packet, which enters from a VLAN, to an MPLS packet and transmits this MPLS packet to the MPLS network, A receive-side edge router converts the MPLS packet, which has been received from the MPLS network, to a VLAN packet and directs the VLAN packet to a VLAN that belongs to the same VPN as that of a VLAN on the transmit side.
Claims7
A network for forming a VPN on a shared network and communicating via the VPN, comprising:
- a core network of the VPN formed by an MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switch) network;
- access networks formed by VLANs to access said core newtwork;
- and
- edge routers provided at edges of the MPLS network for interfacing said MPLS network and the VLANs, wherein each of said edge routers includes
- a first table for storing correspondence between VLAN identifiers (VIDs) contained in VLAN packets and VPN labels contained in MPLS packets;
- a second table for storing correspondence between an address of each edge router which constructs said VPN and is connected to a VLAN, and an address of a VLAN-compatible device which constructs the VLAN and is connected to the edge router;
- means for finding a VPN label, which corresponds to a VLAN identifier (VID) of a VLAN packet, from said first table;
- a route decision unit for deciding a route which directs an MPLS packet to a receive-side edge router, and
- a third table for storing forwarding labels, which specify routes decided by said route decision unit, mapped to addresses of receive-side edge routers;
- means for finding a receive-side edge router corresponding to a destination of a packet from the second table based upon the destination address of a VLAN-compatible device contained in the VLAN packet and finding a forwarding label, which corresponds to the receive-side edge router, from said third table;
- a MPLS packet generation means for generating an MPLS packet that contains said VPN label and said forwarding label and sending this MPLS packet to the MPLS network;
- and
- means for finding a VID, which corresponds to a VPN label contained in an MPLS packet received from the MPLS network, from said first table, generating a VLAN packet having this VID and sending this VLAN packet to a VLAN indicated by this VID.
An edge router in a network for forming a VPN on a shared network, forming a core network of the VPN by an MPLS network and forming an access network, which is for accessing the core network, by a VLAN, comprising:
- a first table for storing correspondence between VLAN identifiers (VIDs) contained in VLAN packets and VPN labels contained in MPLS packets;
- a second table for storing correspondence between an address of each edge router which constructs said VPN and is connected to a VLAN, and address of a VLAN-compatible device which constructs the VLAN and is connected to the edge router,
- means for finding a VPN label, which corresponds to a VLAN identifier (VID) of a VLAN packet, from said first table;
- a route decision unit for deciding a route which directs an MPLS packet to a receive-side edge router;
- and
- a third table for storing forwarding labels, which specify routes decided by said route decision unit, mapped to addresses of receive-side edge routers;
- means for finding a receive-side edge router corresponding to a destination of a packet from the second table based upon the destination address of a VLAN-compatible device contained in the VLAN packet and finding a forwarding label, which corresponds to the receive-side edge router, from said third table;
- an MPLS packet generating unit for generating an MPLS packet that includes said VPN label and said forwarding label and sending this MPLS packet to the MPLS network;
- and
- means for finding a VID, which corresponds to a VPN label contained in an MPLS packet received from the MPLS network, from said first table, generating a VLAN packet having this VID and sending this VLAN packet to a VLAN indicated by this VID.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.