Patent ID: 7742400
Filing Date: 2010-06-22
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for detecting a link failure between nodes in a hybrid network which includes an Internet Protocol (IP) network segment using a Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) mechanism and including a node therein, and a Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network segment using an MPLS Operation and Maintenance (OAM) mechanism and including a peer node therein corresponding to the node, comprising: establishing a sub-BFD connection between the node and an edge node which is in both the IP network segment and the MPLS network segment and is adjacent to the node; establishing an end-to-end BFD connection between the node and the peer node; establishing on the edge node a first table including an end-to-end address pair of the node and peer node, an Label Switched Path (LSP) number corresponding to the end-to-end address pair and an identifier of the sub-BFD connection corresponding to the end-to-end address pair; establishing on the node a second table including the end-to-end address pair, the identifier of the sub-BFD connection corresponding to the end-to-end address pair and an identifier of the end-to-end BFD connection corresponding to the end-to-end address pair; upon detecting a first failure on the sub-BFD connection of the IP network segment, the node inquiring the end-to-end address pair corresponding to the identifier of the sub-BFD connection from the second table, inquiring the identifier of the end-to-end BFD connection corresponding to the inquired end-to-end address pair from the second table, and notifying the first failure to the peer node via the inquired end-to-end BFD connection; and upon detecting a second failure by the MPLS OAM mechanism of the MPLS network segment, the edge node inquiring the end-to-end address pair corresponding to an LSP number of a failed LSP from the first table, inquiring the identifier of the sub-BFD connection corresponding to the inquired end-to-end address pair from the first table, and notifying the node of the second failure via the inquired sub-BFD connection.