Patent ID: 9686381
Date: 2017-06-20
CPC Classifications: H04L

Claim:
1. A method comprising: sending, by a first provider edge (PE) router and to second and third PE routers that are configured to provide a VPLS, a first layer three (L3) control plane message that includes first configuration information for forwarding VPLS frames to the first PE router, wherein the first PE router is an intermediate device between the second and third PE routers, and the first L3 control plane message comprising a request that the VPLS frames include a control word when forwarded to the first PE router; receiving, by the first PE router and from the second PE router, a second L3 control plane message that includes second configuration information for forwarding VPLS frames to the second PE router, the second L3 control plane message not comprising a request that the VPLS frames include the control word when forwarded to the second PE router; receiving, by the first PE router and from the third PE router, a third L3 control plane message that includes third configuration information for forwarding VPLS frames to the third PE router, the third L3 control plane message comprising a request that the VPLS frames include the control word when forwarded to the third PE router; responsive to determining that the second L3 control plane message does not comprise the request that VPLS frames to be forwarded to the second PE router include the control word, configuring a forwarding plane of the first PE router to process VPLS frames that are received from the second PE router without processing the VPLS frames to remove the control word even though the first L3 control plane message sent by the first PE router specified the request that VPLS frames forwarded to the first PE router are to include the control word; and responsive to determining that the third L3 control plane message does comprise the request that VPLS frames to be forwarded to the third PE router include the control word, configuring the forwarding plane of the first PE router to process VPLS frames received from the third PE router to remove the control word.