Patent ID: 7710902

Claim:
A method, comprising: sending advertisements from a plurality of egress provider edge devices (PEs) to a plurality of ingress PEs for one or more address prefixes of a first multi-homed customer network that desires path diversity through a provider network to a second customer network; receiving the plurality of advertisements at a first ingress PE; determining at the first ingress PE whether at least a second ingress PE is multi-homed with the first ingress PE to the second customer network; computing, in response at the first ingress PE, a plurality of diverse paths within the provider network from at least the first and second multi-homed ingress PEs to a corresponding egress PE of the plurality of egress PEs; determining whether a plurality of diverse paths exist; establishing a first tunnel from the first ingress PE to a first egress PE of the plurality of egress PEs in response to existence of a plurality of diverse paths; and establishing a second tunnel from the second ingress PE to a second egress PE of the plurality of egress PEs that is diverse from the first tunnel.