Patent ID: 7747954
Filing Date: 2010-06-29
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for testing connectivity of virtual private networks, the virtual private networks including customer edge routers and provider edge routers, the provider edge routers belonging to a network managed by a service provider, the method comprising: displaying a list of the virtual private networks on a display screen of a network management system for the network; receiving a signal from a user to select at least one virtual private network from the list of the virtual private networks, the virtual private network having a topology, an import route target, and an export route target associated therewith; generating a list of operations to test connectivity of the virtual private network from the topology, the import route target, and the export route target; displaying the list of operations to the user on the display screen; receiving a signal from the user to select an operation from the list of operations, the operation having a source provider edge router and a destination provider edge router associated therewith; sending a message from the network management system to the source provider edge router to perform the operation; and performing the operation, wherein the displayed list of operations is a negative connectivity test menu only when the user selects more than one virtual private network, wherein the operation is a ping VPN Routing and Forwarding (VRF) operation that confirms there is no chance of a traffic leak when all outcomes of the ping VRF operation are failures during a negative connectivity test, but otherwise is a connectivity test menu and operations from said negative connectivity menu confirm whether traffic leaks exist between said virtual private networks, the traffic leaks defined as connections between said virtual private networks that are not authorized to be connected.