# US 8,787,394 B2 · Separate ethernet forwarding and control plane systems and methods with interior gateway route reflector for a link state routing system

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- Number: US 8,787,394 B2
- Document ID: US8787394B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/018,944
- Filed: 2011-02-01
- Published: 2012-08-02
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2011-02-01
- Assignees: Ciena Corporation
- Applicants: Nigel L. Bragg; Ian H. Duncan
- Inventors: Nigel L. Bragg; Ian H. Duncan
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8787394B2

## CPC

- H04L 45/50: using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
- H04L 45/04: {Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing}
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

The present disclosure provides a separate Ethernet forwarding and control plane system, method, network, and architecture with a Link State Interior Gateway route reflector for the control plan system and a layer two network architecture for the forwarding system. The present invention optionally utilizes a cloud implementation for the Designated Router (DR) or designated peering node reducing peering requirements and distributing the functionality. Through the architecture of the present invention, the Provider router is obviated by the application of layer two switches and servers. Such an architecture provides improved scaling, performance, and cost reduction.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A network, comprising:
a plurality of interconnected switches;
a plurality of Provider Edge (PE) routers interconnected via the plurality of interconnected switches;
one or more Link State Interior Gateway Route Reflectors interconnected to the PE routers;
a control plane formed between the PE routers and the one or more Link State Interior Gateway Route Reflectors; and
a forwarding plane between the PE routers over the plurality of interconnected switches;
wherein the one or more Link State Interior Gateway Route Reflectors comprise a plurality of geographically diverse servers, and wherein each of the PE routers is communicatively coupled to one of the plurality of geographically diverse servers.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The network of claim 1, wherein the PE routers and the plurality of geographically diverse servers are communicatively coupled via Shortest Path Bridging-Media Access Control (SPB-M).

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The network of claim 1, wherein the PE routers and the plurality of geographically diverse servers are communicatively coupled via Shortest Path Bridging-Virtual Local Area Network Identification (SPB-V).

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The network of claim 1, wherein the PE routers and the plurality of geographically diverse servers are communicatively coupled via Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS).

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The network of claim 1, wherein the PE routers and the plurality of geographically diverse servers are communicatively coupled via a network technology emulating Ethernet LAN service.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The network of claim 1, wherein the plurality of geographically diverse servers are configured to appear as a single designated peering node to the plurality of PE routers.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The network of claim 6, wherein a logical layer two network server-server interconnect extends a messaging fabric between the geographically diverse servers to create the single designated peering node.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The network of claim 1, wherein, at each of the PE routers, the forwarding plane appears as various interconnects through the plurality of interconnected switches, and wherein, at each of the PE routers, the control plane appears as interconnects to the one or more Link State Interior Gateway Route Reflectors.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The network of claim 1, wherein the forwarding plane is logically separated from the control plane.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The network of claim 1, wherein the plurality of interconnected switches and the one or more Link State Interior Gateway Route Reflectors replace functionality associated with a Provider router such that the network does not include the Provider router.