Nortel Networks Corporation

Rockstar Consortium US LP

Rpx Clearinghouse LLC

Rockstar Bideo LP

Hamid Ould Brahim

Dinesh Mohan

David Allan

Michael Suiping Chen

Vasile Radoaca

A technique for implementing an optical virtual private network is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized by a method comprising the steps of managing at least one client edge-virtual private network at a client edge by a service provider; and supporting a set of client edge-users at each client edge-virtual private network at each client edge wherein each client edge provides at least one virtual private network service to each client edge-user; wherein each client edge determines connectivity associated with each client edge-user and the service provider establishes the connectivity determined by each client edge.

Technique for implementing an optical/TDM virtual private network

Frames of customer traffic may be encapsulated by adding Mac-in-Mac (MiM) encapsulation fields for transportation of the frames over a portion of provider network. The MiM encapsulated traffic may be further encapsulated using VPLS by adding VPLS encapsulation fields for transportation of the frames over another portion of the provider network. The MiM encapsulations use provider network_MAC addresses which enables VPLS MAC learning to occur using provider network MAC address space. MiM tunnels are mapped to VPLS service instances which are assigned pseudowire tags for transportation over the VPLS portion of provider network. The MiM header is retained when the MiM encapsulated frames are transported over the VPLS portion of the provider network. As VPLS frames exit the core network, the VPLS encapsulation fields are removed to extract the original MiM encapsulated frames for further transportation over the MiM portion of the provider network.

Method and apparatus for transporting Ethernet services

Frames of customer traffic may be encapsulated by adding Mac-in-Mac (MiM) encapsulation fields for transportation of the frames over a portion of provider network. The MiM encapsulated traffic may be further encapsulated using VPLS by adding VPLS encapsulation fields for transportation of the frames over another portion of the provider network. The MiM encapsulations use provider network MAC addresses which enables VPLS MAC learning to occur using provider network MAC address space. MiM tunnels are mapped to VPLS service instances which are assigned pseudowire tags for transportation over the VPLS portion of provider network. The MiM header is retained when the MiM encapsulated frames are transported over the VPLS portion of the provider network. As VPLS frames exit the core network, the VPLS encapsulation fields are removed to extract the original MiM encapsulated frames for further transportation over the MiM portion of the provider network.

Method and apparatus for transporting ethernet services

To allow seamless interworking between an 802.1ah service instance (ISID) and a VPLS service instance, the AGI value used to signal the setup of the pseudowire portion of the VPLS may carry the ISID value of an associated 802.1ah service instance. This allows the service instance to be identified end-to-end across the Ethernet and VPLS networks using the same value without modifying how the MPLS network operates. The VPLS network will use AGI/AII signaling to set up pseudowires on the MPLS network, but instead of using an AGI value assigned by the MPLS network, the AGI value that is assigned will be taken from the ISID value of the Ethernet frame or from ISIDs registered by the Ethernet network. The AGI message may be given a new type value indicating that the AGI message carries a value that corresponds to the ISID value on an attached Ethernet network. Alternatively, an existing AGI message type may be used to carry the ISID value, and a second type field may be used to indicate that the AGI contains an ISID value.

Method and apparatus for interworking VPLS and ethernet networks

A technique for implementing an automatic port discovery protocol in a virtual private network cross-connect is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized by a method comprising the steps of implementing a virtual private cross-connect for supporting a plurality sites associated with at least one virtual private network; providing at least one connection between the virtual private cross-connect and each site; and supporting a combination of at least two of layer-3, layer-2 and layer-1 services.

Technique for implementing a multi-service packet and optical/TDM virtual private cross-connect

A technique for implementing a virtual private optical switched transport network using virtual private optical cross-connect technology is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized by a method comprising the steps of partitioning a network into a plurality of partitions; assigning each partition to a customer; and exclusively controlling the partition assigned to each customer for establishing a private switched network by allowing each customer to exclusively control each respectively assigned partition, wherein each partition comprises at least one virtual private optical cross connect for virtualizing at least one resource.

Technique for implementing a virtual private optical switched transport network using virtual private optical/TDM cross-connect technology

A network can be organized for providing virtual private network services to customers into two regions. A network core for providing layertransport and an associated number of logical provider edges. Each logical provider edge is partitioned into first and second portions. The first portion provides virtual private network services to customers. The second portion works with the core network to communicate with any other logical provider edge within the network. The first portion designated as the PE-Edge includes a group of functions such as a function for configuring optical Ethernet layervirtual private network service, a function for service labeling, a function for ingress traffic management, and a function for information exchange between local VPN and core VPN. The second portion designated as PE-Core includes a group of functions such as a function for distributing service labels, a function for distributing information on transport tunnels, a function for information exchange between local and core VPN. Within the logical provider edge or Logical PE, the PE-Edge and PE-Core communicate via a layernetwork.

Growing community of inventors

Kanata, Canada

Hamid Ould Brahim