Patent ID: 7995483
Filing Date: 2011-08-09
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: simultaneously executing, with a first network device, a first maintenance session and a second maintenance session different from the first maintenance session for a same maintenance association, wherein the maintenance association comprises a logical grouping of at least the first network device and a second network device that are established to verify the integrity of a single service instance; maintaining a first session identifier that uniquely identifies the first maintenance session within the first network device and a second session identifier that uniquely identifies the second maintenance session within the first network device; generating, with the first network device, an outgoing maintenance message such that the outgoing maintenance message includes a session identifier field specifying the first session identifier when the outgoing maintenance message is associated with the first maintenance session and specifying the second session identifier when the outgoing maintenance message is associated with the second maintenance session, wherein the outgoing maintenance message conforms to a maintenance protocol that does not specify session identifiers for inclusion in the outgoing maintenance message; transmitting, with the first network device, the outgoing maintenance message to a second network device included within the maintenance association; receiving, with the first network device, a response maintenance message from the second network device in response to the outgoing maintenance message, wherein the response maintenance message includes the same session identifier field, unmodified by the second network device, specifying either the first or the second session identifier; parsing, with the first network device, the response maintenance message to determine whether the session identifier field stores either the first or the second session identifier; and forwarding, with the first network device, the response maintenance message to the first or the second maintenance session based on the determination.