Patent ID: 8406143

Claim:
A method for implementing connectivity fault management (CFM) in a Provider Backbone Transport (PBT) network, comprising: receiving, by a receiving node, a connectivity fault management message transmitted from a source node, wherein the connectivity fault management message carries a path identifier and a connection maintenance target address, wherein the path identifier consists of a destination media access control (MAC) address and a virtual local area network identifier (VLAN ID), and wherein the connection maintenance target address is contained in a protocol data unit of the connectivity fault management message; determining, by a maintenance domain intermediate point (MIP), whether the connection maintenance target address matches an address of the receiving node; if the connection maintenance target address matches the address of the receiving node, transmitting a connectivity fault management reply message; and if the connection maintenance target address does not match the address of the receiving node, forwarding the connectivity fault management message to a next hop based on the VLAN ID and the destination MAC address in the path identifier.