Patent Abstract:
A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions stored on a non-transitory medium of an upstream node in a network system comprising a plurality of nodes that when executed by a processor cause the node to advertise an upstream assigned label to a downstream node, receive a message from the downstream node, and if the received message confirms that no conflict with the upstream assigned label exists at the downstream node, assign the upstream-assigned label, or if the received message confirms that a conflict with the upstream-assigned label exists at the downstream node, either select a new upstream-assigned label or wait until indication is received that the label resource has become available.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not applicable. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
       [0003]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0004]    Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) can be used to set up Point-to-Multipoint (P2MP) and Multipoint-to-Multipoint (MP2MP) Label Switched Paths (LSPs). The set of LDP extensions for setting up P2MP or MP2MP LSPs may be referred to as multipoint LDP (mLDP), which may be specified in Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comments (RFC) 6388, titled “Label Distribution Protocol Extensions for Point-to-Multipoint and Multipoint-to-Multipoint Label Switched Paths,” which is hereby incorporated by reference. Certain Upstream Label Assignment (ULA) techniques may be specified in IETF RFC 6389, titled “MPLS Upstream Label Assignment for LDP,” which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
         [0005]    A router that experiences a node/link failure must have pre-determined alternate reroute path to protect such a failure. One approach to protect against failure of a protected node is facility protection, also known as facility backup. Facility backup methods take advantage of the MPLS label stack. Instead of creating a separate LSP for every backed-up LSP, as done in one-to-one backup methods, a single LSP is created that serves to backup one or more primary LSPs. This may also be referred to as a LSP tunnel a bypass tunnel. 
         [0006]    Current facility backup methods distinguish incoming label map (ILM) entries using label value and context keys, supported by hardware and a forwarding plane. This can be complex and costly when new nodes are added. Principles underlying label resource occupation in facility backup label assignment include the following: (a) labels assigned by the upstream-label assigner actually occupy downstream nodes&#39; label resources, and therefore the downstream nodes may not assign the labels to other LSPs, and (b) the upstream-label assigners may assign the upstream labels to their own upstream label switching routers (LSRs), and thus upstream label space is independent of downstream label space. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    In one aspect, the disclosure includes a computer program product comprising computer executable instructions stored on a non-transitory medium of an upstream node in a network system comprising a plurality of nodes that when executed by a processor cause the node to advertise an upstream assigned label to a downstream node, receive a message from the downstream node, and if the received message confirms that no conflict with the upstream assigned label exists at the downstream node, assign the upstream-assigned label, or if the received message confirms that a conflict with the upstream-assigned label exists at the downstream node, either select a new upstream-assigned label or wait until indication is received that the label resource has become available. 
         [0008]    In another aspect, the disclosure includes a network apparatus in a downstream node of a network comprising a plurality of nodes comprising a processor configured to receive a label assignment advertisement advertising a first label from an upstream assigner in a first LSP, compare the first label to an existing label for a second LSP, and if the comparison shows that the first label conflicts with the existing label, assign a second label to the first LSP, or if the comparison shows that the first label does not conflict with the existing label, assign the first label to the first LSP. 
         [0009]    In yet another aspect, the disclosure includes, in a network node of a network system comprising a plurality of nodes, a method of distributing upstream-assigned labels, comprising assigning a downstream label for a primary LSP, receiving a message from a protected node, wherein the message carries an upstream label for the primary LSP, and deciding whether to replace the first downstream label with the second downstream label or request that the protected node reassign the upstream label for the primary LSP, wherein if the downstream label has not been used by another tunnel the downstream label is replaced with the upstream label and if the downstream label has been used by another tunnel, a request is made to the protected node to reassign a new upstream label for the primary LSP. 
         [0010]    These and other features will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is now made to the following brief description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts. 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an example embodiment of one embodiment of a label switched system. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of an example embodiment of a method for node protection in facility mode. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of another example embodiment of a method for node protection in facility mode. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a process diagram showing an example embodiment of a label allocation and FRR entry process on a merge point (MP). 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a process diagram showing another example embodiment of a label allocation and FRR entry process on a MP. 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a process diagram showing still another example embodiment of a label allocation and FRR entry process on a MP. 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram of an example embodiment of the enhanced ULA mechanism for P2MP/MP2MP facility protection. 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a schematic diagram of an example embodiment of the enhanced ULA mechanism for P2MP/MP2MP facility protection. 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is a schematic diagram of an example embodiment of the enhanced ULA mechanism for P2MP/MP2MP facility protection. 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  is a schematic diagram of an example embodiment of the enhanced ULA mechanism for P2MP/MP2MP facility protection. 
           [0022]      FIG. 11  is a schematic diagram of an example embodiment of the enhanced ULA mechanism for P2MP/MP2MP facility protection. 
           [0023]      FIG. 12  is a schematic diagram of an example embodiment of the enhanced ULA mechanism for P2MP/MP2MP facility protection. 
           [0024]      FIG. 13  is a schematic diagram of an example embodiment of the enhanced ULA mechanism for P2MP/MP2MP facility protection. 
           [0025]      FIG. 14  is a schematic diagram of a typical general-purpose network component suitable for implementing one or more embodiments of the disclosed components. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0026]    It should be understood at the outset that, although an illustrative implementation of one or more embodiments are provided below, the disclosed systems and/or methods may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or in existence. The disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, including the exemplary designs and implementations illustrated and described herein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents. 
         [0027]    Facility backup protection may be used to protect primary LSPs. Label allocation in systems employing facility backup protection can be complicated and may require hardware or forwarding plane replacement when adding or eliminating nodes and/or LSPs. The disclosure includes provisions for a simple negotiation mechanism to make ULA labels unique on a MP without requiring supporting hardware or forwarding planes, in part by using a priority based protocol. When label conflicts occur, the label occupation priority may rank: (a) priority existing upstream-assigned labels as the highest priority; (b) upstream-assigned labels which are in the process of being assigned as an intermediate priority; and (c) existing downstream-assigned labels as the lowest priority. Priority protocols may be combined with make-before-break (MBB) procedures to update conflicting labels. Further information concerning MBB may be found in RFC 3509, titled “RSVP-TE: Extensions to RSVP for LSP Tunnels,” which is incorporated herein by reference. The disclosure thus includes provisions for allowing the upstream label assigners to account for the label resources of the downstream nodes. 
         [0028]      FIG. 1  is a schematic of one example embodiment of a label switched system  100 , where a plurality of P2P LSPs and P2MP LSPs may be established between at least some of the components. The P2P LSPs and P2MP LSPs may be used to transport data traffic, e.g., using packets and packet labels for routing. The label switched system  100  may comprise a label switched network  101 , which may be a packet switched network that transports data traffic using packets or frames along network paths or routes. The packets may route or switch along the paths, which may be established using a label switching protocol, such as MPLS or generalized MPLS (GMPLS). 
         [0029]    The label switched network  101  may comprise a plurality of edge nodes, including a first ingress node  111 , a second ingress node  112 , a plurality of first egress nodes  121 , and a plurality of second egress nodes  122 . When a P2MP LSP in the label switched network  101  comprises at least some of the edge nodes, the first ingress node  111  and second ingress node  112  may be referred to as root nodes, and the first egress nodes  121  and second egress nodes  122  may be referred to as leaf nodes. Additionally, the label switched network  101  may comprise a plurality of internal nodes  130 , which may communicate with one another and with the edge nodes. The first ingress node  111  and the second ingress node  112  may communicate with a source node  145  at a first external network  140 , such as an Internet Protocol (IP) network, which may be coupled to the label switched network  101 . As such, the first ingress node  111  and the second ingress node  112  may transport data, e.g., data packets, between the label switch network  101  and the external network  140 . Further, some of the first egress nodes  121  and second egress nodes  122  may be grouped in pairs, where each pair may be coupled to a second external network or a client (not shown). 
         [0030]    In an example embodiment, the edge nodes and internal nodes  130  may be any devices or components that support transportation of the packets through the label switched network  101 . For example, the network nodes may include switches, routers, or various combinations of such devices. The network nodes may receive packets from other network nodes, determine which network nodes to send the packets to, and transmit the packets to the other network nodes. In some embodiments, at least some of the network nodes may be LSRs, which may be configured to modify or update the labels of the packets transported in the label switched network  101 . Further, at least some of the edge nodes may be label edge routers (LERs), which may be configured to insert or remove the labels of the packets transported between the label switched network  101  and the external network  140 . 
         [0031]    The label switched network  101  may comprise a first P2MP LSP  105 , which may be established to multicast data traffic from the first external network  140  to the destination nodes  150  or other networks  160 . The first P2MP LSP  105  may comprise the first ingress node  111  and at least some of the first egress nodes  121 . The first P2MP LSP  105  is shown using solid arrow lines in  FIG. 1 . To protect the first P2MP LSP  105  against link or node failures, the label switched network  101  may comprise a second P2MP LSP  106 , which may comprise the second ingress node  112  and at least some of the second egress nodes  122 . The second P2MP LSP  106  is shown using dashed arrow lines in  FIG. 1 . Each second egress node  122  may be paired with a first egress node  121  of the first P2MP LSP  105 . The second P2MP LSP  106  may also comprise some of the same or completely different internal nodes  130 . The second P2MP LSP  106  may provide a backup path to the first P2MP LSP  105  and may be used to forward traffic from the first external network  140  to the first P2MP LSP  105  or second P2MP LSP  106 , e.g., to egress node  123 , when a network component of P2MP LSP  105  fails. 
         [0032]      FIGS. 2 and 3  are schematic diagrams of two methods for node protection in facility mode using ULA protocols.  FIG. 2  depicts facility mode protection for two primary LSPs traveling along common nodes to common destinations. A single backup LSP supports both depicted primary LSPs. The nodes of  FIG. 2  may be substantially the same as the corresponding nodes of  FIG. 1 , wherein root  210  corresponds to ingress nodes  111  and/or  112 , point of local repair (PLR)  220 , protected node  230 , MPs  240 , internal nodes  250  correspond to internal nodes  130 , leaf nodes  260  may further correspond to egress nodes  121 ,  122  and/or  123 , the primary LSP 1  and the primary LSP 2  correspond to LSP  105 , and the backup LSP corresponds to LSP  106 . In order to achieve 1:n protection in facility mode, a unique identifier may be assigned to represent each primary LSP being protected. Without a unique LSP identifier, downstream nodes, e.g., MPs  240  or leaf nodes  260 , may not distinguish between traffic received on LSP 1  from traffic received on LSP 2 . The methods of  FIGS. 2 and 3  utilize hardware support to create the unique identifiers. 
         [0033]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of a backup LSP utilized following node failure in a primary LSP (not depicted). The nodes of  FIG. 3  may be substantially the same as the corresponding nodes of  FIG. 1 , wherein root  270  corresponds to ingress nodes  111  and/or  112 , and the nodes PLR  275 , protected node  280 , and internal nodes  285  correspond to internal nodes  130 . MPs  290  may correspond to internal nodes or may further correspond to egress nodes  121 ,  122  and/or  123 . Beginning at PLR  275 , the backup LSP  295  utilizes inner label L as the upstream-assigned label and utilizes outer labels L 21 , L 32 , L 53 , L 75 , and L 65  for discrete forwarding. When a first MP  290  receives the traffic with outer label L 65 , the first MP  290  may utilize hardware support to determine whether label L occupies its label space or upstream label space. In  FIG. 3 , label L was assigned by the original multicast stream prior to failure of node N and was advertised to all LSRs in a fast re-routing (FRR) domain and used for traffic switchover in case of node N failure.  FIGS. 2 and 3  both have merge points (e.g.,  240 ,  290 ) where the possibility exists for label conflicts. Thus, label negotiation may be need at those merge points. 
         [0034]      FIG. 4  is a process diagram showing an example embodiment of a label allocation and FRR entry process  400  on a MP  402 .  FIG. 4  also shows a protected node N  404 , a PLR  406  and a separate LSP node  408 . The components of  FIG. 4  may be substantially the same as the corresponding components of  FIGS. 2 and 3 , wherein MP  402  corresponds to MPs  240 , the protected node N  404  corresponds to protected node  230 , the separate LSP node  408  corresponds to protected node  230  for a different LSP, and PLR  406  corresponds to PLR  220 . 
         [0035]    Process  400  may begin at  410  with MP  402  assigning a downstream label for the primary LSP and sending the assigned downstream label to the protected node N  404  using a message, for example, a PATH message, as may be defined in RFC 6510, titled “Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP) Message Formats for Label Switched Path (LSP) Attributes Objects” and incorporated herein by reference. Upon receipt of the downstream-assigned label, N  404  may discard the downstream-assigned label and use ULA to assign a new label to be used as a label for N  404  to send traffic to MP  402 . N  404  may send the upstream label to MP  402  at  412  using a message, for example, a RESV message, ibid. Once MP  402  receives the upstream label from N  404 , MP  402  may evaluate the upstream label to determine whether the received upstream label conflicts with a label currently residing at MP  402 . 
         [0036]    In determining whether a conflict exists, MP  402  may use a label occupation priority protocol in which existing upstream-assigned labels have the highest priority, in-process upstream-assigned labels have an intermediate priority, and existing downstream-assigned labels have the lowest priority. An example non-conflict case may be as follows: if an identical downstream-assigned label occupies the label space requested by node N  404  at MP  402 , MP  402  may replace the downstream label with the higher-priority upstream-assigned label without conflict because upstream-assigned labels in the process of being assigned have a higher priority than existing downstream-assigned labels. An example conflict case may be as follows: if an identical upstream-assigned label for a second LSP occupies the label space requested by node N  404  at MP  402 , the received label conflicts and cannot be assigned until the conflict is resolved because existing upstream-assigned labels (e.g., the existing label at MP  402 ) have a higher priority than upstream-assigned labels which are in the process of being assigned (e.g., the label space requested by N  404 ). 
         [0037]    If a conflict does not exist, MP  402  may replace its existing downstream-assigned label for the primary LSP with the received upstream label, and send the protected node N  404  a confirmation message at  414 . If a conflict does exists, MP  402  may attempt to resolve the conflict, e.g., by sending a new label to internal node  408  for a separate LSP at  416 . In another example embodiment, MP  402  may send a ‘no label resources’ and/or ‘resolving conflict’ message to N  404  in conjunction with resolving the conflict. Once the internal node  408  sends an indication of label reassignment to MP  402 , shown at  418 , MP  402  may respond to node N  404  with a confirmation message at  414 . Once a message, for example the RESV message, is originated by PLR  406 , sent through the backup route and received by MP  402 , shown at  422 , MP  402  will obtain an inner label that represents the primary LSP. MP  402  may then add an FRR entry with both inner and outer labels. The forwarding information base (FIB) for MP  402  will then have two forwarding entries for the LSP being protected in facility mode, a primary LSP entry and a backup LSP entry. 
         [0038]      FIG. 5  is a process diagram showing another example embodiment of a label allocation and FRR entry process  500  on a MP  502 .  FIG. 5  also shows a protected node N  504 . The components of  FIG. 5  may be substantially the same as the corresponding components of  FIG. 4 , wherein MP  502  corresponds to MP  402 , N  504  corresponds N  404  and PLR  506  corresponds to PLR  406 . Process  500  may begin at  510  with N  504  requesting the in-use labels and/or not-in-use labels from MP  502 . MP  502  may respond to N  504  at  512  with a list of all the in-use labels and/or not-in-use labels at  343 . In other embodiments, no request from N  504  is needed and MP  502  sends the in-use labels and/or not-in-use labels periodically or upon other trigger events. Once the list is received by N  504 , N  504  may loop through the reported labels to identify a prospective new label which does not occupy MP  502  label space. In other embodiments, N  504  further loops through the lists provided by one or more additional MPs to generate a prospective new label from the offset. N  504  may subsequently send MP  502  the new ULA-conditioned label at  514  and MP  502  may send a message confirming assignment at  516 . The PLR  506  message and MP  502  process  518  may substantially correspond to  422  of  FIG. 4 . 
         [0039]      FIG. 6  is a process diagram showing still another example embodiment of a label allocation and FRR entry process  600  on a MP  602 .  FIG. 6  also shows a protected node N  604 . The components of  FIG. 6  may be substantially the same as the corresponding components of  FIG. 5 , wherein MP  602  corresponds to MP  502 , N  604  corresponds to N  504  and PLR  606  corresponds to PLR  506 . Process  600  may begin at  610  with MP  602  assigning a downstream label for the primary LSP and sending the assigned downstream label to the protected node N  604 . Upon receipt of the downstream-assigned label, N  602  may discard the downstream-assigned label and use ULA to assign a new label to be used as a label for N  604  to send traffic to MP  602 . N  604  may send the upstream label to MP  602  at  612 . Once MP  602  receives the upstream label from N  604 , MP  602  may evaluate the upstream label to determine whether the received upstream label conflicts with a label currently residing at MP  602 . In so determining, MP  602  may use a label occupation priority protocol substantially similar to  412  of  FIG. 4 . If a conflict does not exist, MP  602  may replace its existing downstream-assigned label for the primary LSP with the received upstream label, and send the protected node N  604  a confirmation message at  614 . If a conflict does exists, MP  602  may send a ‘no label resources’ message to N  604  at  615 . Following a  615  ‘no label resources’ message, N  604  may select a new label for ULA. After selecting a new label, N  604  may send MP  602  a new label at  616 . In one example embodiment, N  604  uses a predefined label range to increase the probability of a unique label, e.g., a hash number generated using the IP address of an LSP component, e.g., N  604 , as the base of the label range. In another example embodiment, if N  604  receives a ‘no label resource’ notifications from the MP  602 , N  604  may optionally enlarge its label resources if all free label space is used up to provide for a unique label. The steps  612 ,  615 , and  616  may be iteratively repeated on an as-needed basis until a non-conflicting upstream label is identified and assigned at MP  602  and a confirmation message is sent at  614 . The PLR  606  message and MP  602  process  618  may substantially correspond to  422  of  FIG. 4 . 
         [0040]    Where the LSP contains more than one MP, the processes  400 ,  500 , and  600  may be repeated for each additional MP with the additional MP(s) taking the role of MPs  402 ,  502  or  602 . For every add-in primary LSP being protected by the same backup LSP, the relevant PLR will assign an inner label and send it to LSRs across the backup LSP so that each MP LSR may add corresponding FRR entries into their FIBs and use them for traffic switchover during local repair. 
         [0041]      FIGS. 7-13  show an example embodiment of the enhanced ULA mechanism for P2MP/MP2MP facility protection.  FIGS. 7-13  contain root  501 , PLR  503 , node  505 , MP  507 , MP  509 , internal node  511 , internal node  513 , and other LSP  515 .  FIGS. 7-13  have an LSP  515  passing through the internal nodes  513  and  511  to the MP  509 .  FIGS. 7-13  may have a multipath-LSP (mLSP) running from root  501  through PLR  503  and node  505  to MPs  507  and  509 . The components of  FIGS. 7-13  may be substantially the same as the corresponding components in  FIG. 1 , wherein root  501  corresponds to ingress nodes  111  and/or  112 , PLR  503 , MP  507 , MP  509 , internal node  511 , and internal node  313  correspond to internal nodes  130 . MPs  507  and  509  may further correspond to egress nodes  121 ,  122  and/or  123 . The root  501  may be a router at which the mLSP is rooted, distributing traffic to leaves along the LSP. The PLR  503  may be an LSR that detects a local failure event and redirects traffic from protected mLSP to a backup mLSP tunnel, which is supposed to locally repair the protected tunnel. The MPs  507  and  509  may be LSRs that merges the traffic from backup tunnels with primary LSP at the forwarding engine. 
         [0042]      FIG. 8  shows the label assignment associated with  FIG. 7 . In the mLSP, the MP  509  may advertise label L 53  and the MP  507  may advertise label L 43  to node  505  as downstream-assigned labels. The node  505  may advertise label L 32  to PLR  503 , and PLR  503  may advertise label L 21  to the root  501  as downstream-assigned labels. Similarly, in the path of LSP  515 , the MP  509  may have assigned label L to internal node  511  as a downstream-assigned label; and internal node  511  may have assigned label L 67  to internal node  313 . Initially, these downstream-assigned labels may be accepted and assigned by the upstream nodes or discarded as shown in  FIG. 4  at  410 . 
         [0043]      FIG. 9  shows root  501  transmitting traffic. The mLSP traffic is sent to PLR  503  with inner label L 21 , to node  505  with inner label L 32 , to MP  507  with inner label L 43 , and to MP  509  with inner label L 53 .  FIG. 9  further shows the LSP originating with LSP  515  and transmitting to node  511  with inner label L 67 , and to MP  509  with inner label L. 
         [0044]      FIG. 10  shows node  505  at the beginning of the process of negotiating a new upstream-assigned label. Prior to negotiation, the downstream router, e.g., MP  507  and/or  509 , may optionally advertise its downstream label space periodically or upon prompting from an upstream router, e.g., node  505 , which may be substantially the same as  410  of  FIG. 4 . In  FIG. 10 , node  505  advertises the upstream-assigned label L to MPs  507  and  509 , which may be substantially the same as  412  of  FIG. 4 . Until node  505  receives a confirmation notification from MPs  507  and  509 , e.g., the confirmation sent at  414  of  FIG. 4 , node  505  may continue to send packets using downstream-assigned labels L 43  and L 53  despite advertising the new upstream-assigned label L using a MBB protocol. In an alternate embodiment, MPs  507  and  509  may send node  505  a notification of ‘no label resource’ in the event of a label space conflict at the MP, e.g., such as at  615  of  FIG. 6 . 
         [0045]      FIG. 11  shows MP  507  sending a confirmation notification message to node  505 , which may correspond to  414  of  FIG. 4 . The confirmation message may indicate that there is no label conflict at MP  507 , i.e., the new upstream-assigned label L does not conflict with any preexisting or in-assignment label at MP  507 . Upon identifying a label conflict at MP  509 , MP  509  may send an updated label to node  511  using an updating message, e.g., a PATH message. PATH messages are well known and are generally described in RFC 3509, “SVP-TE: Extensions to RSVP for LSP Tunnels,” and RFC 3473 “Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) Signaling Resource Reservation Protocol-Traffic Engineering (RSVP-TE) Extensions,” incorporated herein by reference.  FIG. 11  shows MP  509  sending an updated label, L 56 , to internal node  511  to replace the prior downstream-assigned label L, which may correspond to  416  of  FIG. 4 . MP  509  may updated label L 56  according to a MBB protocol. 
         [0046]      FIG. 12  shows MP  509  receiving a confirmation message from internal node  511  that the newly updated label L 56  has been assigned and the prior downstream-assigned label L has been released, which may correspond to  418  of  FIG. 4 . When the confirmation message or a package having updated label L 56  is received by MP  509  from internal node  511 , MP  509  may release the prior downstream-assigned label L according to MBB protocols and send node  505  a confirmation message indicating that no label conflict exists at MP  509  for the desired upstream-assigned label, which may correspond to  414  of  FIG. 4 . 
         [0047]      FIG. 13  shows a possible final system state following execution of the enhanced ULA mechanism for P2MP/MP2MP facility protection on the system of  FIGS. 7-12 . When node  505  receives confirmation from both downstream MPs  507  and  509 , which may correspond to  414  of  FIG. 4 , node  505  may release the downstream-assigned labels and begin using L as the newly assigned upstream-assigned label according to MBB protocols. Node  505  may further inform the upstream mLSP nodes of the label assignment and the root  501  may transmit packets to MPs  507  and  509  through PLR  503  using inner label L, which may correspond to  422  of  FIG. 4 . Similarly, the LSP  515  may transmit packets to MP  509  using inner label L 56 . 
         [0048]    The system and methods described above may be implemented on any general-purpose network component(s), such as those depicted in  FIGS. 1-13 , with sufficient processing power, memory resources, and network throughput capability to handle the necessary workload placed upon it.  FIG. 14  illustrates a typical, general-purpose network component  1400  suitable for implementing one or more embodiments of the components disclosed herein. The network component  1400  includes a processor  1402  (which may be referred to as a central processor unit or CPU) that is in communication with memory devices including secondary storage  1404 , read only memory (ROM)  1406 , random access memory (RAM)  1408 , input/output (I/O) devices  1410 , and network connectivity devices  1412 . The processor  1402  may be implemented as one or more CPU chips, or may be part of one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and/or digital signal processors (DSPs). 
         [0049]    The secondary storage  1404  is typically comprised of one or more disk drives or erasable programmable ROM (EPROM) and is used for non-volatile storage of data. Secondary storage  1404  may be used to store programs that are loaded into RAM  1408  when such programs are selected for execution. The ROM  1406  is used to store instructions and perhaps data that are read during program execution. ROM  1406  is a non-volatile memory device that typically has a small memory capacity relative to the larger memory capacity of secondary storage  1404 . The RAM  1408  is used to store volatile data and perhaps to store instructions. Access to both ROM  1406  and RAM  1408  is typically faster than to secondary storage  1404 . 
         [0050]    At least one embodiment is disclosed and variations, combinations, and/or modifications of the embodiment(s) and/or features of the embodiment(s) made by a person having ordinary skill in the art are within the scope of the disclosure. Alternative embodiments that result from combining, integrating, and/or omitting features of the embodiment(s) are also within the scope of the disclosure. Where numerical ranges or limitations are expressly stated, such express ranges or limitations should be understood to include iterative ranges or limitations of like magnitude falling within the expressly stated ranges or limitations (e.g., from about 1 to about 10 includes, 2, 3, 4, etc.; greater than 0.10 includes 0.11, 0.12, 0.13, etc.). For example, whenever a numerical range with a lower limit, R 1 , and an upper limit, R u , is disclosed, any number falling within the range is specifically disclosed. In particular, the following numbers within the range are specifically disclosed: R=R 1 +k*(R u −R 1 ), wherein k is a variable ranging from 1 percent to  100  percent with a  1  percent increment, i.e., k is 1 percent, 2 percent, 3 percent, 4 percent, 5 percent, . . . , 50 percent, 51 percent, 52 percent, . . . , 95 percent, 96 percent, 97 percent, 98 percent, 99 percent, or 100 percent. Moreover, any numerical range defined by two R numbers as defined in the above is also specifically disclosed. The use of the term about means±10% of the subsequent number, unless otherwise stated. Use of the term “optionally” with respect to any element of a claim means that the element is required, or alternatively, the element is not required, both alternatives being within the scope of the claim. Use of broader terms such as comprises, includes, and having should be understood to provide support for narrower terms such as consisting of, consisting essentially of, and comprised substantially of. Accordingly, the scope of protection is not limited by the description set out above but is defined by the claims that follow, that scope including all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims. Each and every claim is incorporated as further disclosure into the specification and the claims are embodiment(s) of the present disclosure. The discussion of a reference in the disclosure is not an admission that it is prior art, especially any reference that has a publication date after the priority date of this application. The disclosure of all patents, patent applications, and publications cited in the disclosure are hereby incorporated by reference, to the extent that they provide exemplary, procedural, or other details supplementary to the disclosure. 
         [0051]    While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure, it may be understood that the disclosed systems and methods might be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. The present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is not to be limited to the details given herein. For example, the various elements or components may be combined or integrated in another system or certain features may be omitted, or not implemented. 
         [0052]    In addition, techniques, systems, subsystems, and methods described and illustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may be combined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, or methods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Other items shown or discussed as coupled or directly coupled or communicating with each other may be indirectly coupled or communicating through some interface, device, or intermediate component whether electrically, mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples of changes, substitutions, and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7