Alcatel Lucent

Alcatel

David Elie-Dit-Cosaque

Kamakshi Sridhar

Maarten Petrus Joseph Vissers

Tony Van Kerckhove

Atiya Suhail

Gerard Damm

Jessy Victor Rouyer

Maher Ali

Laurence Rose

Girish Chiruvolu

Ljubisa Tancevski

Andrea Fumagalli

Luca Valcarenghi

L Michele Goodwin

Roberto Guglielmi

Oscar Rodriguez

Sandeep Darisala

Marco Tacca

Ativa Suhail

Jean-Francois Cartier

Kothandaraman Parthasarathy

A system and method for propagating fault information in an Ethernet OAM network having multiple levels of OAM domains. An Alarm Indication and Suppression (AIS) frame is generated by a Maintenance Intermediate Point (MIP) node upon detecting a fault condition in a first OAM domain, which is transmitted to one or more Maintenance End Points (MEPs) of the first OAM domain. Upon receiving the AIS frames, the MEP nodes are operable generate another AIS frame for propagating to an adjacent higher level second OAM domain. Responsive to the AIS frame from the lower level first OAM domain, any alarms caused in the second OAM domain due to the fault condition in the first OAM domain are suppressed.

Alarm indication and suppression (AIS) mechanism in an ethernet OAM network

Alarm indication and suppression (AIS) mechanism in an Ethernet OAM network

A system, device, and method for aggregating traffic in a network, such as for wireless backhaul traffic in a cellular communication system. UE device traffic is sent to and from an access bridge, which is one node in an access network formed into a ring topology, and from the access bridge to a core bridge in communication with a core network of the communication system. According to a preferred embodiment, the access bridge and the core bridge each have a LAG component configured according to IEEE 802.1D and IEEE 802.3-2005, and a ring component configured according to IEEE 802.1Q or 802.1AD. In operation, this LAG component load balances communication traffic coming into the bridge node onto one of two VLANs formed of portions of the access network ring. In the event of a fault condition affecting one of the two VLANs, the fault VLAN is removed from the aggregation scheme until the fault condition is alleviated.

Load balancing and fault protection in aggregation networks

A system and method for configuring Maintenance Intermediate Point (MIP) nodes of an Ethernet OAM network based on absolute level indicia as well as relative level indicia encoded in OAM frames generated by Maintenance End Point (MEP) nodes. A first OAM level field in a payload portion of an Ethernet OAM frame is encoded with an absolute OAM level associated with the originating MEP's OAM domain. A second OAM level field is encoded with a relative OAM level indicative of the number of OAM domain levels traversed by the Ethernet OAM frame.

Autoconfiguration of ethernet OAM points

A system, method, and device for monitoring the connectivity of a network that has been configured in a ring topology, such as an Ethernet ring network. The ring network includes a plurality of nodes, each with first port and a second port for forwarding CC messages to respective neighbor nodes, and an MEP for forming and processing the CC messages. Of the plurality of network nodes, neighbor nodes are selected as CC forwarding nodes and, after a database on each node has been configured, the selected nodes begin sending CC messages to each other via the ring network, beginning with transmission to a non-selected node. If a selected node fails to receive an expected CC message, it transmits a fault notification and ceases sending CC messages. The network then reselects CC message forwarding nodes, which begin forwarding CC messages until another fault is detected or the network is otherwise reconfigured.

Monitoring connectivity in ring networks

A network environment including a provider network coupled to a first customer network site via a first access link and to a second customer network site via a second access link. The provider network is operable with the IEEE 802.1ag standard for propagating a remote link fault condition via an Ethernet Alarm Indication and Suppression (AIS) frame or a Continuity Check (CC) frame, which is translated into a locally compliant non-IEEE 802.1ag error delivery condition so that a management entity associated with the first customer network site is appropriately alerted.

Remote access link fault indication mechanism

Customer virtual local area networks (C-VLANs) connecting multiple LAN segments are set up through a provider network (). Provider edge bridges (PEs) are coupled to customer edge bridges (CEs) to provide a transparent link between LAN segments. To determine whether a backdoor link is used in the C-VLAN topology, PEs monitor MAC address from a predetermined time after a TCN is received to determine if there are contradictory addresses or new addresses relative to the existing MAC address tables (or forwarding databases) that are indicative of a backdoor link. If so, an unlearning message is sent to bridges in the provider domain. In another embodiment, CEs set a snoop bit to indicate which TCNs must be snooped.

Method and apparatus for updating provider domain due to customer TCNs

A bridge (EthOAM device) and method are described herein where the bridge implements the method and reduces a number of static entries (pre-defined multicast MAC addresses) which need to be configured within a database (e.g., forwarding database (FDB)) to support the flow of Ethernet OAM multicast frames such as, for example, Connectivity Check (CC) frames and Link Trace (LT) frames which are used in accordance with the IEEE 802.1ag standard.

Bridge and method for optimization of memory for Ethernet OAM multicast frames

A system and method for securing an Ethernet Connectivity Fault Management (CFM) domain defined on a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN). In one embodiment, the scheme includes, responsive to registering by an external port with the VLAN, whereby the VLAN is extended to include the external port, monitoring by a boundary Maintenance End Point (MEP) node of the Ethernet CFM domain to determine if bidirectional control frame flow (e.g., Continuity Check (CC) frame flow) is observed thereat; and, responsive to determining by the boundary MEP node that there is no bidirectional control frame flow therethrough, generating an alarm indicative of a potential breach of the Ethernet CFM domain by the external port.

System and method for securing an ethernet connectivity fault management (CFM) domain defined on a VLAN

A method and system for logical group endpoint discovery in a data communication network is disclosed. A network endpoint receives from a source a request identifying a logical group and determines whether a port associated with the endpoint is a member of the logical group. If a port associated with the endpoint is a member of the logical group, the endpoint transmits to the source a reply identifying the port and the logical group. The request may be multicast while the reply may be unicast. The logical group may be a VLAN or a multicast group. The source and endpoint are preferably 802.1ag maintenance endpoints. The request may include an IEEE 802.1ag continuity check multicast address as a destination address.

Logical group endpoint discovery for data communication network

A diagnostic tool and method are described herein that are capable of diagnosing and localizing a multicast connectivity flow fault within a layeraggregation network. In one application, the diagnostic tool and method can be used by a customer service representative to diagnose why a customer cannot receive a television channel even though they can receive other television channels within an IPTV network.

Diagnostic tool and method for troubleshooting multicast connectivity flow problem(s) in a layer 2 aggregation network

A loop detection system and method operable in an Ethernet network having a provider network and a customer network. In one embodiment, a provider edge (PE) entity is operable to generate a test frame with at least one of a destination address (DA) and source address (SA) that is unknown to the customer network. The test frame is broadcast to the customer network coupled to the PE entity. Upon determining that the test frame or its duplicates are received back by the PE entity within a first time period, loop location within the Network is deduced responsive to the determination.

System and method for detecting loops in a customer-provider bridge domain

Scalable selective alarm suppression is achieved through a new class of management packet, such as a new class of Ethernet management frame, adapted to convey a reachability relationship between a lower level maintenance point and a single higher level maintenance point, and more particularly adapted to convey to a first higher level maintenance point that receives the packet an identity of a single second higher level maintenance point that will become unreachable to the first higher level maintenance point in the event of a loss of continuity involving the lower level maintenance point. Once the first higher level maintenance point has learned a totality of operative reachability relationships through receipt of such packets and is notified of a loss of continuity involving the lower level maintenance point, the first higher level maintenance point can reference the learned reachability relationships and readily determine under what circumstances it should suppress an alarm in response to a detected loss of continuity with a higher level maintenance point.

Scalable selective alarm suppression for data communication network

A domain configuration system and method operable in an Ethernet OAM network having multiple levels of OAM domains. A port of a first end bridge of the network is configured as a first MEP node belonging to a predetermined OAM domain having a particular level. GARP or CC frames are transmitted from the first MEP node in a forward attribute registration process towards the remaining bridges of the network. A port of a second end bridge of the network is configured as a second MEP node of the predetermined OAM domain. In a backward attribute registration process, GARP or CC frames are transmitted from the second MEP node towards the remaining bridges of the network. Responsive to the frame flow, ports in bridges disposed between the first and second end bridges are automatically configured as MIP nodes having the particular level.

Growing community of inventors

Richardson, TX, United States of America

David Elie-Dit-Cosaque