Patent ID: 8705542

Claim:
A method for providing a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) service for a customer in a metro network which includes a plurality of Provider Bridging (PB) edge nodes, a plurality of upgraded edge nodes, and a PB domain with a plurality of PB core nodes located therein, the method comprising the steps of: providing a first connectivity within the PB domain that spans all of the upgraded edge nodes involved in the VLAN service, wherein the upgraded edge nodes by forwarding frames from the customer on the first connectivity will not result in customer Medium Access Control (MAC) addresses associated with the frames from being learned by the PB core nodes within the PB domain; providing a second connectivity within the PB domain that spans all of the PB edge nodes and the upgraded edge nodes involved in the VLAN service, wherein the upgraded edge nodes forward only known frames from the customer, and wherein the upgraded edge nodes by forwarding the known frames from the customer on the second connectivity will result in customer MAC addresses associated with the known frames being learned by at least a portion of the PB core nodes within the PB domain; and providing a third connectivity within the PB domain that spans all pairs of the PB edge nodes and the upgraded edge nodes involved in the VLAN service, wherein the PB edge nodes do not forward frames from the customer on the third connectivity, wherein the upgraded edge nodes forward replicated unknown and broadcast frames from the customer on the third connectivity, and wherein the upgraded edge nodes by forwarding the replicated unknown and broadcast frames from the customer on the third connectivity will not result in MAC addresses associated with the replicated unknown and broadcast frames being learned by the PB core nodes within the PB domain.