Patent ID: 8537810

Claim:
A method in a first edge network element in an e-tree service network, wherein the first edge network element is coupled to a second edge network element through a set of pseudowires including a root pseudowire for carrying packets that are sent from a root network element in the e-tree service network and a leaf pseudowire for carrying packets that are sent from a leaf network element in the e-tree service network, and wherein the first edge network element includes a plurality of logical ports including a first logical port associated with the root pseudowire, a second logical port associated with the leaf pseudowire, and a third logical port associated with a leaf access circuit that is coupled to a local leaf network element, the method comprising the steps of: responsive to receiving a first packet with a first source Media Access Control (MAC) address and a first destination MAC address on the first logical port associated with the root pseudowire, performing the following steps: associating, in a root pseudowire MAC address table, the first source MAC address with the first logical port that is associated with the root pseudowire, and associating, in a leaf pseudowire MAC address table, the first source MAC address with the second logical port that is associated with the leaf pseudowire; responsive to receiving a second packet with a second source MAC address and a second destination MAC address on the second logical port associated with the leaf pseudowire, associating, in the root pseudowire MAC address table, the second source MAC address with the first logical port that is associated with the root pseudowire; receiving a third packet with a third source MAC address and a third destination MAC address on the third logical port associated with the leaf access circuit; and responsive to determining that the third destination MAC address is in the leaf pseudowire MAC address table, forwarding the third packet out on a logical port that is associated with the third destination MAC address as indicated in the leaf pseudowire MAC address table.