Patent ID: 8279749
Filing Date: 2012-10-02
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising: receiving traffic from a multicast network interconnecting a primary head-end node (PHE) to one or more backup head-end nodes (BHEs); establishing a primary point-to-multipoint (P2MP) tunnel from the PHE to a plurality of tail-end nodes, the primary P2MP tunnel having one or more characteristics; forwarding the multicast traffic from the PHE onto the primary P2MP tunnel; selecting a BHE from the one or more BHEs based on a number links that are shared, or a proportion of links that are shared to links that are not shared, between the primary P2MP tunnel and potential backup P2MP tunnels from the one or more BHEs; notifying the selected BHE of the characteristics of the primary P2MP tunnel; establishing a backup P2MP tunnel from the selected BHE to the plurality of tail-end nodes, the backup P2MP tunnel having at least one of the characteristics of the primary P2MP tunnel; and initiating forwarding of the multicast traffic from the selected BHE onto the backup P2MP tunnel in response to detecting a failure of the PHE.