Patent ID: 7558194

Claim:
A method for providing connectivity to a virtual service, comprising: receiving an indication of a connectivity loss on the virtual service between a first node and a second node; selecting a third node to be used to provide an alternate path between the first node and the second node; and establishing the alternate path using a pseudowire stitched over the third node; wherein the first, second, and third nodes are included in a plurality of nodes comprising a full mesh provisioned to be used to provide the virtual service; each node included in the mesh has a direct mesh connection to each other node included in the mesh and each node included in the mesh is configured to implement a split horizon by which a packet received via a mesh connection to another node included in the mesh is not normally forwarded back onto the mesh; establishing the alternate path includes at least temporarily configuring the third node to forward to the second node packets received from the first node that are associated with the pseudowire stitched over the third node, even though both the first node and the second node are associated with the mesh, as provisioned, such that absent establishment of the alternate path packets received from the first node would not otherwise be sent by the third node to another mesh node such as the second node; and establishment of the alternate path restores full mesh connectivity between the nodes provisioned to comprise the mesh.