Patent ID: 8179902

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving at a network device, a virtual private network name; determining if said received virtual private network name meets a predefined requirement, wherein said predefined requirement defines virtual private network names that can be converted into a specified output comprising a unique route distinguisher identifier; if said received virtual private network name does not meet said predefined requirement, rejecting said virtual private network name and requesting a new virtual private network name; if said received virtual private network name meets said predefined requirement, automatically generating a route distinguisher from said virtual private network name, wherein automatically generating comprises applying an algorithm at a processor at the network device to automatically convert said virtual private network name into said unique route distinguisher identifier and adding an autonomous system number to said identifier to create said route distinguisher for a virtual private network; and utilizing said route distinguisher to build a full mesh virtual private network; wherein said virtual private network name is rejected if the size of the route distinguisher identifier is greater than a predefined limit.