Configuring a packet tunnel network
AssigneeWorld Wide Packets, Inc.
InventorsDackary Ronald Busch, Kevin Q Daines
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Packet tunnel network configuration methods, management system operation methods, and management systems receive a request to enable layer-two Ethernet communication between service virtual local area networks via edge bridges fully connected by packet tunnels. The packet tunnel network configuration methods, management system operation methods, and management systems direct the edge bridges to establish the packet tunnels and modify Ethernet packets received from the service virtual local area networks by adding an instance service identifier and a tunnel identifier to the received Ethernet packets.
Claims25
A packet tunnel network creation method comprising:
- a first edge bridge (EB) receiving a request to create a plurality of packet tunnels fully connecting a plurality of EBs to each other, the plurality of EBs comprising the first EB and two or more additional EBs and the plurality of packet tunnels enabling layer-two Ethernet communication between three or more provider networks, each of the three or more provider networks individually being associated with a different one of the plurality of EBs relative to one another;
- in response to the receiving of the request, the first EB directing the additional EBs to establish the plurality of packet tunnels and a plurality of tunnel identifiers associated with the plurality of packet tunnels, the plurality of packet tunnels not existing prior to the receiving of the request;
- and
- wherein subsequent to the directing, the additional EBs modify Ethernet packets received from the provider networks by adding a first field comprising a same Instance Service Identifier (I-SID) and a second field comprising one of the tunnel identifiers to the received Ethernet packets, the additional EBs selecting the one tunnel identifier of the second field on a packet-by-packet basis based on a Customer Destination Address (C-DA) field of the received Ethernet packets.
A packet tunnel network creation method comprising:
- a network management system receiving a request to create a plurality of packet tunnels fully connecting a plurality of EBs to each other, the plurality of packet tunnels enabling layer-two Ethernet communication between three or more provider networks, each of the three or more provider networks individually being associated with a different one of the plurality of EBs relative to one another;
- in response to the receiving of the request, the network management system directing the EBs to establish the packet tunnels and a plurality of tunnel identifiers associated with the plurality of packet tunnels, the plurality of packet tunnels not existing prior to the receiving of the request;
- and
- wherein subsequent to the directing, the EBs modify Ethernet packets received from the provider networks by adding a first field comprising a same Instance Service Identifier (I-SID) and a second field comprising one of the tunnel identifiers to the received Ethernet packets, the EBs of the plurality selecting the one tunnel identifier of the second field on a packet-by-packet basis based on a Customer Destination Address (C-DA) field of the received Ethernet packets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.