Edge devices for providing a transparent LAN segment service and configuring such edge devices
AssigneeJunpier Networks, Inc.
InventorYakov Rekhter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A transport LAN segment service is provided over a transport network. The transport network will include edge devices configured to support one or more transparent LAN segments. Configuration is simplified by advertising TLS-port-label information, layer 2 address learning, and multicasting when the needed configuration information has not yet been learned or discovered.
Claims37
For use in an edge device of a transport network adapted to provide a transparent LAN segment service, a method, implemented by one or more processors, for processing ingress data received by a port of the edge device, the method comprising:
- a) selecting a set of forwarding information based on the port on which the data is received, wherein the forwarding information includes at least one entry including a layer 2 address, a label associated with the layer 2 address, and an edge device identifier associated with the layer 2 address;
- b) selecting one of the at least one entry of the selected forwarding information based on a layer 2 address of the ingress data received;
- c) adding the label of the selected one of the at least one entry of the selected forwarding information to the ingress data received to generate modified data;
- and
- d) forwarding the modified data towards an edge device identified by the edge device identifier of the selected one of the at least one entry of the selected forwarding information,
- wherein the act of selecting one of the at least one entry of the selected forwarding information is performed by attempting to match the layer 2 address of the ingress data received with the layer 2 address of each of the at least one entry, and
- wherein if the layer 2 address of the ingress data received does not match the layer 2 address of any of the at least one entry, then the selected entry does not include a layer 2 address, but does include at least one set of associated information, each of the at least one set of associated information including a label and an associated edge device identifier.
For use in an edge device of a transport network adapted to provide a transparent LAN segment service, a method, implemented by one or more processors, for processing ingress data received by a port of the edge device, the method comprising:
- a) selecting a set of forwarding information based on the port on which the data is received, wherein the forwarding information includes at least one entry including a layer 2 address, a label associated with the layer 2 address, and an edge device identifier associated with the layer 2 address;
- b) selecting one of the at least one entry of the selected forwarding information based on a layer 2 address of the ingress data received;
- c) adding the label of the selected one of the at least one entry of the selected forwarding information to the ingress data received to generate modified data;
- and
- d) forwarding the modified data towards an edge device identified by the edge device identifier of the selected one of the at least one entry of the selected forwarding information,
- wherein the port of the edge device is associated with a set of labels and a particular transparent LAN segment, and
- wherein the set of labels is defined by a label base and a label range.
For use in an edge device of a transport network adapted to provide a transparent LAN segment service, a method, implemented by one or more processors, for processing egress data, having a label, received by the edge device, the method comprising:
- a) determining a port of the edge device based on at least one of the label and a layer 2 address of the egress data;
- and
- b) providing at least a part of the egress data to the port determined,
- wherein the act of determining a port of the edge device based on the label and a layer 2 address of the egress data includes
- i) selecting a label block based on the label of the egress data,
- ii) determining a port identifier based on the label block selected and the label,
- iii) selecting a set of forwarding information based on the port identifier determined,
- wherein the forwarding information includes at least one entry including a layer 2 address and a port associated with the layer 2 address,
- iv) selecting one of the at least one entry of the selected forwarding information based on a layer 2 address of the egress data received, and
- v) determining the port of the edge device to be the port associated with the layer 2 address of the selected one of the at least one entry of the selected forwarding information.
For use in an edge device of a transport network adapted to provide a transparent LAN segment service, a method, implemented by one or more processors, for processing egress data, having a label, received by the edge device, the method comprising:
- a) determining a port of the edge device based on at least one of the label and a layer 2 address of the egress data;
- and
- b) providing at least a part of the egress data to the port determined,
- wherein the act of determining a port of the edge device based on the label and a layer 2 address of the egress data includes
- i) selecting a set of forwarding information based on the label of the egress data, wherein the forwarding information includes at least one entry including a layer 2 address and a port associated with the layer 2 address,
- ii) selecting one of the at least one entry of the selected forwarding information based on a layer 2 address of the egress data received, and
- iii) determining the port of the edge device to be the port associated with the layer 2 address of the selected one of the at least one entry of the selected forwarding information, and
- wherein the act of selecting one of the at least one entry of the selected forwarding information is performed by attempting to match the layer 2 address of the egress data with the layer 2 address of each of the at least one entry.
For use in an edge device of a transport network adapted to provide a transparent LAN segment service, a method, implemented by one or more processors, for processing egress data, having a label, received by the edge device, the method comprising:
- a) determining a port of the edge device based on at least one of the label and a layer 2 address of the egress data;
- and
- b) providing at least a part of the egress data to the port determined,
- wherein the port of the edge device is associated with a set of labels and a particular transparent LAN segment, and
- wherein the set of labels is defined by a first label base, a first label range, a label block offset, a second label base, and a second label range.
A method, implemented by one or more processors, for generating, by a transport network edge device, information about a newly added port belonging to a transparent LAN segment, to be disseminated to other edge devices of the transport network, the method comprising:
- a) obtaining a label base value and a label range value associated with the newly added port;
- b) generating at least one message, the at least one message collectively including
- i) a first field for identifying the transport network edge device;
- ii) a second field for identifying the transparent LAN segment to which the newly added port belongs;
- iii) a third field for identifying the newly added port;
- iv) a fourth field for identifying the range value;
- and
- v) a fifth field for identifying the label base.
A method, implemented by one or more processors, for processing, by a first transport network edge device, information about a newly added port of a second transport network edge device belonging to a transparent LAN segment, the method comprising:
- a) determining a label for getting to newly added port of the second transport network edge device based on the information;
- b) determining an identity of the second transport network edge device based on the information;
- and
- c) generating an entry of a forwarding table used by the first transport network edge device and associated with the transparent LAN segment, the entry including the label determined and the identity of the second transport network edge
- device, wherein the entry associates the label determined and the identity of the second transport network edge device.
For use by an egress edge device of a transport network supporting a transparent LAN segment service, a method, implemented by one or more processors, for populating a forwarding table associated with a transparent LAN segment based on data received, the data received including a label and a layer 2 source address, the method comprising:
- a) determining an edge device of the transport network on which the data entered the transport network based on the label of the data received;
- b) determining a port of the determined edge device on which the data entered the determined edge device based on the label of the data received;
- and
- c) generating an entry in the forwarding table, the entry including
- i) a layer 2 address set to the layer 2 source address of the data,
- ii) an egress edge device identifier based on the determined edge device, and
- iii) a label associated with the determined port,
- wherein the egress edge device stores label information associated with the port determined, and
- wherein the port is determined based on the stored label information and the label of the data received.
A storage device storing processor-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform a method for processing ingress data received by a port of the edge device, the method comprising:
- a) selecting a set of forwarding information based on the port on which the data is received, wherein the forwarding information includes at least one entry including a layer 2 address, a label associated with the layer 2 address, and an edge device identifier associated with the layer 2 address;
- b) selecting one of the at least one entry of the selected forwarding information based on a layer 2 address of the ingress data received;
- c) adding the label of the selected one of the at least one entry of the selected forwarding information to the ingress data received to generate modified data;
- and
- d) forwarding the modified data towards an edge device identified by the edge device identifier of the selected one of the at least one entry of the selected forwarding information,
- wherein the port of the edge device is associated with a set of labels and a particular transparent LAN segment, and
- wherein the set of labels is defined by a label base and a label range.
A storage device storing processor-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform a method for processing egress data, having a label, received by the edge device, the method comprising:
- a) determining a port of the edge device based on at least one of the label and a layer 2 address of the egress data;
- and
- b) providing at least a part of the egress data to the port determined,
- wherein the port of the edge device is associated with a set of labels and a particular transparent LAN segment, and
- wherein the set of labels is defined by a first label base, a first label range, a label block offset, a second label base, and a second label range.
A storage device storing processor-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform a method for generating, by a transport network edge device, information about a newly added port belonging to a transparent LAN segment, to be disseminated to other edge devices of the transport network, the method comprising:
- a) obtaining a label base value and a label range value associated with the newly added port;
- b) generating at least one message, the at least one message collectively including
- i) a first field for identifying the transport network edge device;
- ii) a second field for identifying the transparent LAN segment to which the newly added port belongs;
- iii) a third field for identifying the newly added port;
- iv) a fourth field for identifying the range value;
- and
- v) a fifth field for identifying the label base.
A storage device storing processor-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform a method for processing, by a first transport network edge device, information about a newly added port of a second transport network edge device belonging to a transparent LAN segment, the method comprising:
- a) determining a label for getting to newly added port of the second transport network edge device based on the information;
- b) determining an identity of the second transport network edge device based on the information;
- and
- c) generating an entry of a forwarding table used by the first transport network edge device and associated with the transparent LAN segment, the entry including the label determined and the identity of the second transport network edge device, wherein the entry associates the label determined and the identity of the second transport network edge device.
A storage device storing processor-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform a method for populating a forwarding table associated with a transparent LAN segment based on data received, the data received including a label and a layer 2 source address, the method comprising:
- a) determining an edge device of the transport network on which the data entered the transport network based on the label of the data received;
- b) determining a port of the determined edge device on which the data entered the determined edge device based on the label of the data received;
- and
- c) generating an entry in the forwarding table, the entry including
- i) a layer 2 address set to the layer 2 source address of the data,
- ii) an egress edge device identifier based on the determined edge device, and
- iii) a label associated with the determined port,
- wherein the egress edge device stores label information associated with the port determined, and
- wherein the port is determined based on the stored label information and the label of the data received.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.