Patent ID: 8547832
Filing Date: 2013-10-01
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising: a first network device consolidating Ethernet Alarm Indication Signal (ETH-AIS) information corresponding to a plurality of Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) into a single Ethernet frame; sending, by the first network device, the Ethernet frame to a second network device over a communications link carrying traffic for the plurality of VLANs; receiving the Ethernet frame by a second network device on a particular port of a plurality of ports of the second network device; and sending, by the second network device, ETH-AIS information of said received consolidated ETH-AIS information corresponding to each particular VLAN of the plurality of VLANs out each port of the plurality of ports configured for sending packets for the particular VLAN except for the particular port on which said consolidated ETH-AIS information was received; wherein said consolidating ETH-AIS information of the plurality of VLANs refers to combining individual ETH-AIS information of each of the plurality of VLANs into the single Ethernet frame sent to peer devices rather than sending separately in different Ethernet frames.