Pseudo-wire providing an in-band control channel using an offset

A method implemented by a first provider equipment (PE) device to enable operations, administration and management (OAM) functionality over a pseudo-wire (PW) between the first PE device and a second PE device, wherein the PW traverses a packet switched network and carries control channel messages and a flow of data packets, and where the packet switched network includes nodes traversed by the pseudo-wire that use information outside a pseudo-wire label stack of the data packets for determining multi-path routing, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving a control channel message over the pseudo-wire from the second PE;
• determining that the control channel message is an offset based control channel message;
• and
• processing the control channel message at a packet offset after pseudo-header, in response to determining that the control channel message is the offset based control channel message, wherein the offset based control channel message includes a pseudo-flow header, the pseudo-flow header matching a header that is also part of the data packets of the flow, that is outside the pseudo-wire label stack of the data packets, and that is used by the nodes for determining multi-path routing of the data packets, the pseudo-flow header of the control channel message to ensure that the control channel message is forwarded over a same route by the nodes of the packet switched network as the data packets of the flow, thereby enabling OAM functionality specified by the control channel message to be accurately performed for the pseudo-wire.

A network element configured to function as a first provider equipment (PE) device to enable operations, administration and management (OAM) functionality over a pseudo-wire (PW) between the first PE device and a second PE device, wherein the PW traverses a packet switched network and carries control channel messages and a flow of data packets, and where the packet switched network includes nodes traversed by the pseudo-wire that use information outside a pseudo-wire label stack of the data packets for determining multi-path routing, the method comprising the steps of, the network element comprising:

• an ingress module configured to receive data packets over a network connection between the first PE and the packet switched network;
• an egress module configured to transmit data packets over the network connection;
• a network processor communicatively coupled to the ingress module and egress module, the network processor configured to execute a pseudo-wire management module, a control channel management module and an OAM module,
• the pseudo-wire management module configured to establish and maintain a pseudo-wire between the first PE device and the second PE device over the packet switched network,
• the control channel management module communicatively coupled to the pseudo-wire management module, the control channel management module configured to add a prefix to an offset based control channel message to be sent over the pseudo-wire, wherein the offset based control channel message includes a pseudo-flow header, the pseudo-flow header matching a header that is also part of the data packets of the flow, that is outside the pseudo-wire label stack of the data packets, and that is used by the nodes for determining multi-path routing of the data packets, the pseudo-flow header of the control channel message to ensure that the control channel message is forwarded over a same route by the nodes of the packet switched network as the data packets of the flow, thereby enabling OAM functionality specified by the control channel message to be accurately performed for the pseudo-wire, the control channel management module configured to identify the offset based control channel message and initiate processing of the offset based control channel message on the contents of the message following the pseudo-flow header, and
• the OAM module configured to process OAM functionality defined in the offset based control channel message.