Patent ID: 8619635

Claim:
A method in a first edge network element in an e-tree service network, wherein the first edge network element is coupled to a second edge network element through a set of pseudowires including a root pseudowire for carrying packets that are sent from a root network element in the e-tree service network and a leaf pseudowire for carrying packets that are sent from a leaf network element in the e-tree service network, and wherein the network element includes a plurality of logical ports including a first logical port associated with a leaf access circuit that is coupled to a local leaf node, a second logical port associated with the root pseudowire, and a third logical port associated with the leaf pseudowire, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a first packet with a first destination Media Access Control (MAC) address on the first logical port associated with the leaf access circuit; responsive to determining that the first destination MAC address corresponds to a first MAC address in a MAC address table stored in the first edge network element, and that a first attribute associated with the first MAC address in the MAC address table indicates that the first MAC address was learned from the leaf pseudowire, dropping the first packet; receiving a second packet with a second destination MAC address on the first logical port associated with the leaf access circuit; responsive to determining that the second destination MAC address corresponds to a second MAC address in the MAC address table, and that a second attribute associated with the second MAC address in the MAC address table indicates that the second MAC address was learned from the root pseudowire, forwarding the second packet out the third logical port onto the leaf pseudowire towards the second edge network element regardless of which of the plurality of logical ports that the second MAC address is associated with in the MAC address table.