Patent ID: 8305884

Claim:
A method for self-healing Carrier Ethernet, comprising: statically provisioning a first and second Ethernet path between a plurality of nodes interconnected in one of a ring and a linear chain topology, wherein one of the plurality of nodes comprises a head-end node configured to provide switching on the first and second paths for local and external network traffic; provisioning a management channel comprising a distinct path from the first and second path based on a Virtual Local Area Network Identifier; transmitting data from a source node on the first path; periodically generating distinct Continuity Check Messages (CCMs) by the plurality of nodes on the management channel; monitoring the distinct CCMs to determine a failure condition within a path comprising failure to receive a plurality of the distinct CCMs; responsive to the failure condition, transmitting a CCM with a Remote Defect Indicator (RDI) to the source node, wherein the CCM message with the RDI is generated at a node of the plurality of nodes located on a receive side of a failed primary path; and switching data from the first path to the second path responsive to the CCM with the Remote Defect Indicator, wherein each of the plurality of nodes switches the data to the second path upon reception at each of the plurality of nodes of the CCM with the Remote Defect Indicator; wherein the CCMs are multicast by each of the plurality of nodes, and the one of the ring and linear chain topology are operable to constrain the multicast CCMs to traversing the one of the ring and linear chain without modification of the multicast CCMs.