At&t Intellectual Property I, L.p.

Neal Shackleton

Michael J Satterlee

John F Gibbons

Jamil Cheikhali

Oliver Spatscheck

Jacobus Erasmus Van Der Merwe

Albert Gordon Greenberg

Nicholas G Duffield

Christopher J Chase

Methods and apparatus to dynamically control connectivity within VPNs are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes a route server for storing an indication in an entry for a first pair of provider edge routers in a virtual private network (intra-VPN) connectivity database, the intra-VPN connectivity database including entries for a plurality of pairs of provider edge routers. The indication to define an additional connectivity for the first pair of provider edge routers beyond connectivity defined in a virtual private network routing and forwarding table associated with a first provider edge router of the first pair of provider edge routers. The first pair of provider edge routers including a second provider edge router to which the first provider edge router is to be communicatively coupled.

Methods and apparatus to dynamically control connectivity within virtual private networks

A method of routing data in a network includes sending an instruction to a router to statically route outbound traffic to a firewall farm having an anycast address, identifying prefixes of endpoints that communicate with router, instructing a firewall router to send a route advertisement to the network announcing that the firewall router is the subsequent best hop for data bound for the endpoints, detecting a change in network condition, and sending another instruction to the router to route outbound traffic to another firewall farm having the anycast address after detecting the change.

System and method to route data in an anycast environment

Methods and apparatus to dynamically control connectivity within VPNs are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes broadcasting, by a route server, a border gateway protocol advertisement as received at the route server; determining a first provider edge router is to be configured for additional connectivity beyond a connectivity defined in a table associated with the first provider edge router, the additional connectivity including an identification of a second provider edge router to which the first provider edge router is to be communicatively coupled; generating a copy of the received border gateway protocol advertisement; modifying the copy of the received border gateway protocol advertisement to facilitate the additional connectivity; and broadcasting the modified copy of the received border gateway protocol advertisement.

A method includes receiving a control message that identifies a first video conference terminal as an active talker. The method includes sending, in response to the control message, outgoing video conference data from the first video conference terminal via a first multicast group to two or more video conference terminals joined to the first multicast group. The method also includes sending a command to join a second multicast group in response to the control message.

Video conference system

Methods and apparatus to dynamically control connectivity within VPNs are disclosed. A disclosed example route server to control connectivity within a VPN comprises a memory to implement a database, a border gateway protocol (BGP) engine to process BGP advertisements, a network interface to receive a first BGP advertisement, which a first route target (RT) associated with the first PE router, from a first provider edge (PE) router associated with the VPN, and an intra-VPN connectivity controller to, in response to the first BGP advertisement, query the database to determine whether the first PE router is to be communicatively coupled to a second PE router of the VPN and when the first and second PE routers of the VPN are to be communicatively coupled, direct the BGP engine to form a second BGP advertisement that includes a second RT associated with the second PE router based on the first BGP advertisement.

Certain exemplary embodiments comprise a method comprising: for selected traffic that enters a backbone network via a predetermined ingress point and is addressed to a predetermined destination, via a dynamic tunnel, automatically diverting the selected traffic from the predetermined ingress point to a processing complex; and automatically forwarding the selected traffic from the processing complex toward the predetermined destination.

Systems, methods, and devices for monitoring networks

Certain exemplary embodiments comprise a method that can comprise, via an Ethernet Channel Service Unit (ECSU), providing a packet conversion between a Serial Wide Area Network (WAN) protocol and an Ethernet network protocol. The ECSU can be adapted to provide access to a network service between a first device adapted to communicate using an Ethernet protocol via the Ethernet network and a second device adapted to communicate using a serial protocol via the Serial WAN.

Methods, systems, and/or devices for providing network access

System and method for route data in an anycast environment

A computer-implemented method includes receiving registration messages at a call control agent device via first unicast transmissions from at least three video conference terminals. The registration messages request set up of a video conference between the at least three video conference terminals. The computer-implemented method includes sending a set up message from the call control agent device to each of the at least three conference terminals via second unicast transmissions. The set up message includes at least an identification of a multicast control group, a send multicast group of each of the at least three conference terminals, and a default receive multicast group. In response to the set up message, one or more of the at least three video conference terminals join the default receive multicast group.

Video conference system and method using multicast and unicast transmissions

A method and apparatus for processing a route update in a network are disclosed. For example, the method receives at least one route update from a customer edge (CE) device by a centralized routing registry. The method identifies at least one interface of a provider edge (PE) device associated with the CE device, and forwards the at least one route update to the at least one interface of the provider edge (PE) device.

Method and apparatus for providing a routing registry

A method of routing data in an anycast environment includes sending an instruction from an intelligent route reflector device to an anycast router associated with an anycast network. The instruction signals the anycast router to statically pin up to an initial service node corresponding to a network service. The initial service node is associated with an anycast address. The method includes identifying prefixes of Internet protocol (IP) addresses of customer endpoints that communicate with the anycast network via the anycast router, and sending a route advertisement to a service node router associated with the initial service node. The route advertisement instructs the service node router to send an advertisement to the anycast network announcing that the service node router is a next best hop for data traffic related to the network service and bound for a customer endpoint having an IP address that includes any of the identified prefixes.

Growing community of inventors

Tierra Verde, FL, United States of America

Neal Shackleton