Patent ID: 7688742

Claim:
A monitoring method operable with an access network for monitoring end nodes using Ethernet Connectivity Fault Management (CFM) functionality, wherein said access network includes at least one access node connected to one or more end nodes and a broadband access server (BRAS) connected to an Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) server in a regional Ethernet 802.1ag-compliant network, comprising: responsive to an action from the AAA server in the regional Ethernet network, generating by said BRAS an Ethernet CFM frame directed to an access node, wherein said Ethernet CFM frame includes a field that defines a type of query message and a payload that includes an identification of a particular end node served by said access node; interpreting said Ethernet CFM frame by an interworking function (IWF) entity associated with said access node and constructing a corresponding query message in a native protocol compatible with respect to said particular end node; responsive to said corresponding query message from said access node, generating by said particular end node a reply message in said native protocol directed to said access node; interpreting said reply message by said IWF entity and constructing a reply Ethernet CFM frame including a response that corresponds to said reply message; and transmitting said reply Ethernet CFM frame to said BRAS; and responsive to the reply Ethernet CFM frame, generating a response by the BRAS to the action from the AAA server and transmitting the response to the AAA server.