Alcatel Lucent

Alcatel-lucent USA Inc.

Alcatel IP Networks, Inc.

Xiang-Ling Tan

Florin S Balus

Joe Regan

Jeroen Dhollander

A Multiple Registration Protocol (MRP) advertisement control capability is provided. A method includes receiving an MRP advertisement at a device configured as an interface between a core domain and a local domain and determining handling of the MRP advertisement at the device using at least one MRP policy stored on the device. The core domain may be a Provider Backbone Bridging (PBB) network or other suitable core network. The local domain may be one of a PBB network, a Provider Bridging Network (PBN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), and the like. In one case, when the MRP advertisement is associated with a local service of the local domain, the MRP policy indicates that the MRP advertisement is not to be forwarded via the core domain. In one case, when the MRP advertisement is associated with an inter-domain service supported by the local domain, the MRP policy indicates that the MRP advertisement is to be forwarded to the core domain when received from the local domain and is to be forwarded to the local domain when received from the core domain.

Method and apparatus for controlling multiple registration protocol (MRP) scope using MRP policies

Extending the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) to provide redundancy and avoid loops in the topology of a service domain associated with a data transport service provided using a provider core network is disclosed. At each of a plurality of provider edge (PE) devices participating in the service, each participating PE being connected to the other participating PE's by a full mesh of mesh connections through the provider core network, a virtual core port is defined that encompasses all of the ports on the PE that are associated with a mesh connection from the PE to one or more other PE's participating in the service. Each participating PE is configured to associate the virtual core port with a virtual core bridge representing the core of the service domain. It is ensured that the virtual core bridge becomes and remains the root bridge.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Xiang-Ling Tan