Border gateway protocol extended community attribute for layer-2 and layer-3 virtual private networks
AssigneeRockstar Consortium US LP
InventorHamid Ould-Brahim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Described are a network, computer program product, and method of distributing routing information for a virtual private network (VPN) application through a packet-switched network (PSN) having fully meshed provider edge (PE) routers through Provider Backbone Bridge (PBB) tunnels. A PE router is configured to participate in a VPN and to run a BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) as an auto-discovery process for finding one or more other PE routers participating in the VPN. The VPN is associated with a PBB tunnel. A service instance identifier (I-SID) is assigned to the VPN. The PE router advertises membership in the VPN by including the I-SID assigned to the VPN in a BGP message issued during the auto-discovery process.
Claims39
A method of distributing routing information for a virtual private network (VPN) application through a packet-switched network (PSN), the method comprising:
- configuring a provider edge (PE) router of the PSN to support a VPN and to run a BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) as an auto-discovery process for finding one or more other PE routers participating in the VPN;
- associating the VPN with a Provider Backbone Bridge (PBB) tunnel;
- assigning an I-component service instance identifier (I-SID) to the VPN;
- advertising, by the PE router, membership in the VPN by including the I-SID assigned to the VPN in a BGP message issued during the auto-discovery process.
A packet-switched network comprising a provider edge (PE) router, the PE router being configured to participate in a virtual private network (VPN) and to run a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) as an auto-discovery mechanism for finding one or more other PE routers in the VPN, the VPN being associated with a Provider Backbone Bridge (PBB) tunnel and having an assigned I-component service instance identifier (I-SID), the PE router advertising membership in the VPN by including the I-SID assigned to the VPN in a BGP message issued during the auto-discovery process.
A computer program product for distributing routing information for a virtual private network (VPN) application through a packet-switched network (PSN), the computer program product comprising:
- a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code comprising:
- computer-readable program code configured to configure a provider edge (PE) router of the PSN to support a VPN and to run a BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) as an auto-discovery process for finding one or more other PE routers in the VPN;
- computer-readable program code configured to associate the VPN with a Provider Backbone Bridge (PBB) tunnel;
- computer-readable program code configured to assign an I-component service instance identifier (I-SID) to the VPN;
- computer-readable program code configured to advertise, by the PE router, membership in the VPN by including the I-SID assigned to the VPN in a BGP message issued during the auto-discovery process.
A method of distributing routing information for a virtual private network (VPN) application through a packet-switched network (PSN) having a plurality of provider edge (PE) routers, the method comprising:
- configuring each PE router to support at least one VPN and to run a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) as a VPN auto-discovery mechanism for finding one or more other PE routers attached to the same VPN;
- associating a given VPN with a Provider Backbone Bridge (PBB) tunnel;
- and
- advertising, by each PE router, membership in the VPN by including a Service Instance Identifier (I-SID) assigned to the VPN in a BGP message issued during the auto-discovery mechanism.
A packet-switched network comprising a plurality of provider edge (PE) routers, each PE router being configured to support a virtual private network (VPN) and to run a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) as an auto-discovery mechanism for finding one or more other PE routers in the same VPN, the VPN being associated with a Provider Backbone Bridge (PBB) tunnel and having an assigned I-component Service Instance Identifier (I-SID), each PE router advertising membership in the VPN by including the I-SID assigned to the VPN in a BGP message issued during the auto-discovery process.
A provider edge (PE) router configured to support a virtual private Network (VPN) over a packet-switched network through a Provider Backbone Bridge (PBB) tunnel, the PE router comprising:
- a processor assigning an I-component Service Instance Identifier (I-SID) to the VPN;
- a memory storing a mapping of the VPN to the PBB tunnel and program code with computer-readable instructions for performing a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) auto-discovery mechanism for finding one or more other PE routers in the same VPN;
- and
- a processor executing the computer-readable instructions to produce a BGP message that includes the I-SID assigned to the VPN in order to advertise membership in the VPN during the BGP auto-discovery mechanism.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.