System using policy filter decision to map data traffic to virtual networks for forwarding the traffic in a regional access network
AssigneeAT&T Corp.
InventorsHan Q. Nguyen, Tayfun Cataltepe, Samir S. Saad
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention discloses a method and architecture for enabling multiple services or service providers to share the facilities of an access network infrastructure that provides physical connectivity to subscribers.
Claims26
A method of forwarding data traffic in a packet-switched regional access network, the packet-switched regional access network further comprising a plurality of virtual networks defined thereon, comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving data traffic with a destination address;
- (b) where the destination address is a local address in the packet switched regional access network, forwarding the data traffic using destination-based routing;
- and
- (c) where the destination address is not a local address in the packet-switched network, policy filtering the data traffic and, based on the policy filtering, mapping the data traffic to one of the plurality of virtual networks, wherein the packet switched regional access network is connected to a plurality of service networks and wherein one of the plurality of virtual networks defines one or more routes for the data traffic through the packet switched regional access network to one of the plurality of service networks.
A method of forwarding data traffic in a packet-switched regional access network, the packet switched regional access network further comprising a plurality of virtual networks defined thereon, comprising the steps of:
- (a) policy filtering data traffic entering the packet switched network;
- (b) where the data traffic has a destination address that is a local address in the packet-switched regional access network, mapping the data traffic to a first of a plurality of virtual networks that defines all local routes in the packet-switched regional access network;
- and
- (c) where the data traffic is a destination address that is not a local address in the packet-switched regional access network, mapping the data traffic to a second of a plurality of virtual networks that defines one or more routes in the packet-switched regional access network to one of a plurality of service networks connected to the packet-switched regional access network.
An apparatus for forwarding data traffic in a packet-switched regional access network, comprising:
- (a) a forwarding table specifying local addresses in the packet-switched regional access network;
- (b) a policy filter for associating data traffic with one of a plurality of virtual networks, each virtual network defining one or more routes for data traffic through the regional access network to one of a plurality of service networks connected to the regional access network;
- and
- (c) a packet processor that chooses destination-based routing for data traffic destined for local addresses specified in the forwarding table and, for data traffic destined for addresses not specified in the forwarding table, that executes a policy filter decision on the data traffic and maps the data traffic to a virtual network based on the policy filtering decision.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.