Redback Networks Inc.

Ericsson Ab

Gerald Neufeld

David R Stiles

Siegfried Luft

Rene T Tio

Ravi Chandra

Jenny Yuan

Hamid Asayesh

Ajay M Patel

Thomas J Meehan

Simon Williams

Emmanuel A Papoutsakis

A method and apparatus for process sync restart is described. A computer implemented method comprises receiving a first set of data from a network process, determining death of the network process, clearing the first set of data if a time period expires, and synchronizing the first set of data with a second set of data if the time period does not expire, the second set of data received from the network process after the network process restarts.

Method and apparatus for process sync restart

A method and apparatus for virtual private networks (VPNs) is described. A computer implemented method comprises determining a set of endpoints for a generic routing encapsulation (GRE) tunnel, determining a key (the key corresponding to a VPN), dynamically establishing the GRE tunnel with the set of endpoints and the key, and processing a set of GRE traffic for the VPN.

Method and apparatus for virtual private networks

A method and apparatus for mesh based protection of an optical network is described. A method comprises protecting a first set of one or more optical sub-channels with automatic protection switching, utilizing a second and third set of one or more optical sub-channels to transmit traffic in accordance with a mesh process to transmit traffic, and transmitting traffic in the third set of optical sub-channels, which would have been transmitted in the second set of optical sub-channels, in accordance with routes determined by the mesh process in response to an alarm indicating a failure affecting the second set of optical sub-channels.

Method and apparatus for protection of an optical network

A method and apparatus for variable rate pipes is described. In one embodiment of the invention, a computer implemented method comprises allocating a pipe from part of a working channel and at least part of a protecting channel of a span of a bi-directional line switched ring (BLSR), the pipe having a bandwidth, transmitting a set of layer 2/3 traffic in the pipe, and reducing the pipe's bandwidth when a failure occurs in the ring.

Method and apparatus for variable rate pipes

A method and apparatus for a fault tolerant network element is described. In one embodiment of the invention, a computer implemented method comprises storing an operation and executing the operation idempotently with a network resource process.

Fault tolerant network element

A method and apparatus for managing an information routing information base is described. A method comprises managing a routing information base (RIB), the RIB including a first set of elements that indicate a set of destinations, a second set of elements that indicate a set of next hops, a third set of elements that indicate a set of interfaces, receiving a message that indicates a modification to a plurality of routes corresponding to a plurality of the first set of elements, and modifying a first relationship between one of the second set of elements and a first one of the third set of elements and a second relationship between the one of the second set of elements and a second one of the third set of elements in accordance with the message, the one of the second set of elements referenced by the plurality of the first set of elements.

Method and apparatus for a routing information base

A method and apparatus for a hybrid variable rate pipe is described. In one embodiment of the invention, a computer implemented method of provisioning a non-BLSR protected layer 2/3 channel over a BLSR, provisioning a tunnel over the BLSR, and protecting the non-BLSR protected layer 2/3 channel between a first and second node of the BLSR with the tunnel is described.

Protection mechanism for an optical ring

A method and apparatus for switching data of different protocols through a network are described. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving data from a number of interfaces. Additionally, the method includes switching the data through a first switch fabric upon determining that the data is being processed as packet data. The switching of the data through the first switch fabric includes de-encapsulating a first number of protocol headers from the packet data. The switching of the data through the first switch fabric also includes encapsulating a second number of protocol headers from the packet data. Moreover, the method includes switching the data through a second switch fabric upon determining that the data is being processed as Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) traffic.

Method and apparatus for switching data of different protocols

A method and apparatus for a hybrid variable rate pipe is described. In one embodiment of the invention, a computer implemented method comprises provisioning a hybrid variable rate pipe on a span of an optical ring and transmitting a set of traffic in the hybrid variable rate pipe.

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Los Altos, CA, United States of America

Gerald Neufeld