Patent ID: 7796593
Filing Date: 2010-09-14
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: executing a virtual private LAN service (VPLS) protocol within a network device residing within a layer 3 (L3) network to enable a VPLS domain to operate over a layer 3 (L3) network positioned intermediate to a plurality of layer 2 (L2) networks by encapsulating and forwarding L2 traffic through the intermediate L3 network so that, from the perspective of the L2 networks, the L2 networks appear to directly connect to each other; receiving an L2 packet originating from one of the L2 networks via one of a plurality of interface cards of the network device, wherein each of the plurality of interface cards couple to the L2 networks of the VPLS domain; upon receiving the L2 packet with the network device, accessing a policy data structure stored within the network device that specifies one or more configurable VPLS flood groups, wherein each of the configurable VPLS flood groups specifies packet criteria to map L2 packets to the respective one of the VPLS flood groups, and wherein each of the VPLS flood groups indicates a subset comprising less than all of the remaining plurality of interface cards to which to flood copies of the L2 packet other than the interface card on which the L2 packet was received; applying the criteria of the VPLS flood groups to the L2 packet to detect a match; upon detecting a match, associating the L2 packet with one of the VPLS flood groups having criteria that matched the contents of the L2 packet; and outputting copies of the L2 packet from each of the subset of the plurality of interface cards specified by the one of the VPLS flood groups having the matching criteria so that a copy of the L2 packet is not output to the L2 network from which the L2 packet was received and the copies are output to less than all of the other L2 networks of the VPLS domain in accordance with the matching VPLS group.