Patent ID: 7835370

Claim:
A processor-implemented method of operation for a user-facing provider edge (u-PE) device of a Service Provider (SP) Ethernet access network that operates consistent with an IEEE 802.1ad specification, the method comprising: receiving a packet from a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) device, the packet including a subscriber Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tag that identifies a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) subscriber, the packet having a format consistent with an IEEE 802.1q specification; and adding an outer VLAN tag to the packet, thereby creating a modified packet with the subscriber VLAN tag comprising an inner VLAN tag, the outer VLAN tag uniquely identifying a pair of devices consisting of the DSLAM and a destination server coupled to the SP Ethernet access network such that a separate broadcast domain is provided for the pair of devices across the SP Ethernet access network, the modified packet having a format consistent with the IEEE 802.1ad specification, wherein forwarding of data packets over the SP Ethernet access network is based solely on the outer VLAN tag.