Patent ID: 7869447

Claim:
A method for configuration of a multi-domain virtual private network (VPN) within a communications network comprising the steps of: providing domain VPN information within at least two VPN provider domains of the communication network interconnected to each other; at least one respective VPN being available in each of the at least two VPN provider domains, the VPNs being available between edge nodes of the at least two VPN provider domains, at which edge nodes customers are connected to the VPNs; the domain VPN information comprising at least a VPN identity of VPNs available in a respective VPN provider domain; initiating a connect request for connecting a first edge node in a first VPN provider domain to a first VPN not presently available in the first VPN provider domain; matching an identity of the first VPN with VPN identities of a second VPN provider domain of the at least two VPN provider domains different from the first VPN provider domain; and configuring the first VPN to comprise the first edge node based on the outcome of the matching step, wherein the step of matching includes sending an information request about existence of the first VPN from the first VPN provider domain to an adjacent VPN provider domain and returning an acknowledgment to the first VPN provider domain if a match is found, wherein the acknowledgement includes information about which VPN provider domains that have to be transited to reach the VPN provider domain in which the first VPN is available.