Metro ethernet network with scaled broadcast and service instance domains

A network-facing provider edge (n-PE) device comprising:

• a port configured to receive a customer frame from an access network associated with a service provider (SP), the customer frame having a first Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tag of a first predetermined bit length, the first VLAN tag including a service instance identifier;
• and
• a processor configured to:
• add, to the customer frame, a second VLAN tag of a second predetermined bit length greater than the first predetermined bit length, wherein:
• the second VLAN tag is nested relative to the first VLAN tag;
• and
• the second VLAN tag includes a mapping of the service instance identifier of the first VLAN tag and a first field having a bit length of 4-bits, the first field comprising one or more of:
• a class of service field;
• a discard eligible bit;
• a frame check sequence bit;
• a customer MAC address encapsulation bit;
• or
• a stack bit;
• and
• add, to the customer frame, a n-PE Media Access Control (MAC) header, wherein adding the n-PE MAC header encapsulates a customer MAC header.

A user-facing provider edge (u-PE) device comprising:

• a port configured to receive a customer frame from a customer edge (CE) device, the customer frame including a customer VLAN and a customer Media Access Control (MAC) header;
• and
• a processor configured to:
• add a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tag having a bit length of 20-bits or more to the customer frame, wherein:
• the VLAN tag including a broadcast domain identifier and a service instance identifier designating a broadcast domain and a service instance domain, respectively, for connections across the Ethernet access network and through a core network of a service provider (SP);
• and
• the VLAN tag includes a first field having a bit length of 4-bits, the first field comprising one or more of:
• a class of service field;
• a discard eligible bit;
• a frame check sequence bit;
• a customer MAC address encapsulation bit;
• or
• a stack bit;
• and
• add a SP Media Access Control (MAC) header to the customer frame, wherein adding the SP MAC header encapsulates a customer MAC header.