Patent Document

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to digital computer network technology; more particularly, to methods and apparatus for providing metro Ethernet services. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Many enterprises are changing their business processes using advanced information technology (IT) applications to achieve enhanced productivity and operational efficiencies. These advanced applications tend to place increasing importance on peer-to-peer data communications, as compared to traditional client-server data communications. As a result, the underlying network architecture to support these applications is evolving to better accommodate this new model. 
   The performance of many peer-to-peer applications benefit from being implemented over service provider networks that support multipoint network services. A multipoint network service is one that allows each customer edge (CE) end point or node to communicate directly and independently with all other CE nodes. Ethernet switched campus networks are an example of a multipoint service architecture. The multipoint network service contrasts with the hub-and-spoke network service, where the end customer designates one CE node to the hub that multiplexes multiple point-to-point services over a single User-Network Interface (UNI) to reach multiple “spoke” CE nodes. In a hub-and-spoke network architecture, each spoke can reach any other spoke only by communicating through the hub. Traditional network service offering to the end customers via wide area networks (WANs) such as Frame Relay (FR) and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks are based on a hub-and-spoke service architecture. 
   Virtual Private Network (VPN) services provide secure network connections between different locations. A company, for example, can use a VPN to provide secure connections between geographically dispersed sites that need to access the corporate network. There are three types of VPN that are classified by the network layer used to establish the connection between the customer and provider network. Layer 1 VPNs are simple point-to-point connections such as leased lines, ISDN links, and dial-up connections. In a Layer 2 VPN (L2VPN) the provider delivers Layer 2 circuits to the customer (one for each site) and provides switching of the customer data. Customers map their Layer 3 routing to the circuit mesh, with customer routes being transparent to the provider. Many traditional L2VPNs are based on Frame Relay or ATM packet technologies. In a Layer 3 VPN (L3VPN) the provider router participates in the customer&#39;s Layer 3 routing. That is, the CE routers peer only with attached PEs, advertise their routes to the provider, and the provider router manages the VPN-specific routing tables, as well as distributing routes to remote sites. In a Layer 3 Internet Protocol (IP) VPN, customer sites are connected via IP routers that can communicate privately over a shared backbone as if they are using their own private network. Multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) networks are one type of L3VPN solution. An example of an IP-based Virtual Private Network is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,693,878. U.S. Pat. No. 6,665,273 describes a MPLS system with a network device for traffic engineering. 
   Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) has recently generated interest with enterprises and service providers as it offers multipoint Ethernet LAN services, often referred to as Transparent LAN Service (TLS), over MPLS networks. VPLS is an architecture that delivers a Layer 2 multipoint VPN service that in all respects emulates an Ethernet LAN across a wide metropolitan geographic area. All services in a VPLS appear to be on the same LAN, regardless of location. In other words, with VPLS, customers can communicate as if they were connected via a private Ethernet segment, i.e., multipoint Ethernet LAN services. VPLS thus supports the connection of multiple sites in a single bridged domain over a managed IP/MPLS network. 
     FIG. 1  illustrates an example of a basic VPLS architecture with an IP or MPLS service provider network core. The customer sites (i.e., CE devices) are connected to the service provider network at a PE device. Each PE-CE pair is shown connected by an Attachment Circuit (AC). An AC is the customer connection to a service provider network; that is, the connection between a CE and its associated PE. An AC may be a physical port, or a virtual port, and may be any transport technology, i.e., Frame Relay, ATM, Ethernet VLAN, etc. In the context of a VPLS, an AC is typically an Ethernet port. In the example of  FIG. 1 , each PE includes a Virtual Switch Instance (VSI) that emulates an Ethernet bridge (i.e., switch) function in terms of MAC address learning and forwarding in order to facilitate the provision of a multi-point L2VPN. A pseudowire (PW) is shown connecting every two VSIs. A PW is a virtual connection that is bi-directional in nature and, in this example, consists of a pair of unidirectional MPLS Virtual Circuits (VCs). 
   Conceptually in context of the VPLS service, a PW can be thought of as point-to-point virtual link for each offered service between a pair of VSIs. Therefore, if each VSI can be thought of as a virtual Ethernet switch for a given customer service instance, then each PW can be thought of as a virtual link connecting these virtual switches to each other for that service instance. 
   Another type of provider provisioned VPN architecture that uses PWs is the Virtual Private Wire Service (VPWS). VPWS is a Layer 2 service that provides point-to-point connectivity (e.g., Frame Relay, ATM, point-to-point Ethernet) and can be used to create port-based or VLAN-based Ethernet private lines across a MPLS-enabled IP network. Conceptually, in the context of the VPWS service, a PW can be thought of as a point-to-point virtual link connecting two customer ACs. After a PW is setup between a pair of PEs, frames received by one PE from an AC are encapsulated and sent over the PW to the remote PE, where native frames are reconstructed and forwarded to the other CE. All PEs in the SP network are connected together with a set of tunnels, with each tunnel carrying multiple PWs. Depending on the number of customer sites and the topology for connecting these sites, the number of PWs setup for a given customer can range from two, for a customer with only two sites, to many PWs for a customer who has locations connected to every PE. 
   For an Ethernet network to function properly, only one active path can exist between any two nodes. To provide path redundancy and prevent undesirable loops in the network topology caused by multiple active paths, Ethernet networks typically employ Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), or some variant of STP, e.g., MSTP or RSTP. (For purposes of the present application, STP and its variants are generically denoted by the acronym “xSTP”.) Switches in a network running STP gather information about other switches in the network through an exchange of data messages called Bridge Protocol Data Units (BPDUs). BPDUs contain information about the transmitting switch and its ports, including its switch and port Media Access Control (MAC) addresses and priorities. The exchange of BPDU messages results in the election of a root bridge on the network, and computation of the best path from each switch to the root switch. To provide path redundancy, STP defines a tree from the root that spans all of the switches in the network, with certain redundant paths being forced into a standby (i.e., blocked) state. If a particular network segment becomes unreachable the STP algorithm reconfigures the tree topology and re-establishes the link by activating an appropriate standby path. Examples of networks that run STP are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,519,231, 6,188,694 and 6,304,575. 
   A redundancy mechanism for Virtual Private LAN Service with Ethernet access network is described in Section 11.2 of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) document draft-ietf-l2vpn-vpls-ldp-01.txt. The redundancy mechanism described in that draft leverages the use of xSTP on the Ethernet bridges in the access network as well on the PEs to provide a failure recovery mechanism for link and node failures. According to this approach, each network-facing PE (n-PE) runs xSTP such that each BPDU packet is terminated by the receiving n-PE and the information in the BPDU packet is processed by the n-PE. The n-PE then originates a new BPDU packet using the newly processed information. The main drawback of this mechanism is that it requires every node in the Ethernet access network, including n-PE devices, to execute the spanning-tree protocol. However, certain platforms (e.g., with router-based platforms) utilize n-PE devices that are not equipped to run xSTP protocols. These platforms would require costly xSTP-related software development in order to run xSTP protocols. 
   Thus, there is a need for alternative methods and apparatus that achieve redundancy functionality for VPLS services with Ethernet access networks, while obviating the need to run xSTP protocols on the n-PEs. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description that follows and from the accompanying drawings, which however, should not be taken to limit the invention to the specific embodiments shown, but are for explanation and understanding only. 
       FIG. 1  is an example of a typical prior art VPLS system. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary VPLS system with a MPLS/IP core network and separate access networks in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is an expanded view of the access network of the VPLS system shown in  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an equivalent network connection for the n-PE devices shown in the portion of the VPLS system of  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 5  is a VPLS instance according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a portion of a VPLS instance according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating a method of operation according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   A method and apparatus for achieving L2VPN redundancy with an Ethernet access domain without the need for running xSTP protocols is described. In the following description specific details are set forth, such as device types, protocols, configurations, etc., in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, persons having ordinary skill in the networking arts will appreciate that these specific details may not be needed to practice the present invention. 
   A computer network is a geographically distributed collection of interconnected subnetworks for transporting data between nodes, such as intermediate nodes and end nodes. A local area network (LAN) is an example of such a subnetwork; a plurality of LANs may be further interconnected by an intermediate network node, such as a router or switch, to extend the effective “size” of the computer network and increase the number of communicating nodes. Examples of the end nodes may include servers and personal computers. The nodes typically communicate by exchanging discrete frames or packets of data according to predefined protocols. In this context, a protocol consists of a set of rules defining how the nodes interact with each other. 
   Each node typically comprises a number of basic subsystems including a processor, a main memory and an input/output (I/O) subsystem. Data is transferred between the main memory (“system memory”) and processor subsystem over a memory bus, and between the processor and I/O subsystems over a system bus. Examples of the system bus may include the conventional lightning data transport (or hyper transport) bus and the conventional peripheral component [computer] interconnect (PCI) bus. The processor subsystem may comprise a single-chip processor and system controller device that incorporates a set of functions including a system memory controller, support for one or more system buses and direct memory access (DMA) engines. In general, the single-chip device is designed for general-purpose use and is not heavily optimized for networking applications. 
   In a typical networking application, packets are received from a framer, such as an Ethernet media access control (MAC) controller, of the I/O subsystem attached to the system bus. A DMA engine in the MAC controller is provided a list of addresses (e.g., in the form of a descriptor ring in a system memory) for buffers it may access in the system memory. As each packet is received at the MAC controller, the DMA engine obtains ownership of (“masters”) the system bus to access a next descriptor ring to obtain a next buffer address in the system memory at which it may, e.g., store (“write”) data contained in the packet. The DMA engine may need to issue many write operations over the system bus to transfer all of the packet data. 
   With reference now to  FIG. 2 , there is shown an exemplary system  10  providing VPLS service to a customer having two sites/CEs in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. A Service Provider (SP) core MPLS/IP network  12  is shown including three network-facing provider edge (n-PE) devices  16 - 18 , which act as a gateway between the MPLS/IP core and edge domain. Although not explicitly shown in  FIG. 2 , MPLS/IP network  12  may include a plurality of ordinary provider (P) devices that act purely as label-switching devices that can swap an incoming label with an outgoing label at very high speed. 
   The edge domain in system  10  comprises a pair of Ethernet access networks  20  and  30 . Access network  20 , for example, is shown connected to n-PE devices  16  and  17 , whereas access network  30  is shown connected to n-PE device  18  of the MPLS/IP core  12 . Each of the access networks  20  &amp;  30  includes respective user-facing provider edge (u-PE) devices  22  &amp;  32 , which are used to connect respective customer edge (CE) devices  21  &amp;  31  to the service. 
   A full mesh of pseudowires (PWs) comprising PWs  13 - 15  is formed between Virtual Switch Instances (VSIs) associated with a given customer service instance in n-PEs  16 - 18 . Each VSI functions like a logical Ethernet switch or bridge for a given customer service instance with PWs  13 - 15  providing a mechanism for packet forwarding between a pair of VSIs from one n-PE device to another n-PE device over the network. Thus, PWs  13 - 15  are used for transport of customer data packet traffic across the MPLS/IP core, thereby interconnecting access networks  20  and  30 . 
   It is appreciated that each individual PW has a set of unique attributes that are specific to that PW only. As the attributes are inherently point-to-point in nature, signaling of these attributes may be performed using a peer-to-peer protocol such as targeted Label Distribution Protocol (LDP). 
   With reference now to  FIG. 3 , a more detailed illustration of the left-hand portion of system  10  is shown with Ethernet access network  20  including a set of Intermediate Provider Bridges  23 - 25  interconnected with u-PE device  22  and n-PE devices  16  &amp;  17 . Bridges  23 - 25  are also frequently referred to as provider edge aggregation (Agg-PE) devices. Each of Agg-PE devices  23 - 25  is an Ethernet switch that functions to aggregates one or more u-PE devices for onward connection to one or more n-PE devices. In  FIG. 3 , for example, Agg-PE devices  23 - 25  are shown connecting u-PE device  22  with n-PE devices  16  &amp;  17 . Note that each of the devices  16 ,  17  and  22 - 25  in  FIG. 3  is represented as a box with the letter “B” inside to identify these devices as having bridge functionality. 
   As can be seen, switches  24  &amp;  25  are both shown connected with n-PE device  16 . (In the context of the present application, the terms “bridge” and “switch” are considered synonymous.) Switch  25  has an additional connection with n-PE device  17 , which provides a redundant connection with access network  20  in the event that n-PE device  16  (or its connection) fails. 
   According to the present invention, Ethernet access network  20  operates independent of access network  30 , with bridges  23 - 25  running xSTP protocol so as to prevent loops within the access network. A dedicated PW  41  (i.e., VPLS instance) is established between the redundant n-PE devices  16  &amp;  17  for the purpose of facilitating provider edge BPDU traffic. That is, each n-PE device  16  &amp;  17  has a dedicated VSI connected to PW  41  for accommodating BPDU traffic. It should be understood that the purpose of PW  41  is not for transport of customer data packets or customer BPDU packets; rather, PW  41  is associated with a single island or access network for the purpose of passing provider BPDU traffic between the n-PE devices connected to access network  20  (i.e., n-PEs  16  &amp;  17 ). PW  41  is thus dedicated to carrying BPDUs that are generated by the Provider Bridges (i.e.,  24  &amp;  25 ) directly connected to the n-PEs  16  &amp;  17 . 
   Instead of terminating received BPDUs, processing the information contained in the packet, and generating a new BPDU, n-PE devices  16  &amp;  17  associated with Ethernet access network  20  relay BPDU frames received at their input interface to their output interface for transport across PW  41 . In other words, n-PE device  16  simply relays frames it receives from Agg-PE devices  24  &amp;  25  to n-PE device  17  without processing the BPDU frames (e.g., without terminating, processing, and originating BPDU frames). Device  17  functions in the same manner, i.e., it relays received BPDUs to n-PE device  16  without any processing of the frames. Practitioners in the networking arts will appreciate that relay/loopback of the BPDUs in this manner obviates the need for running xSTP protocol on n-PE devices  16  &amp;  17 . 
   The result of relaying BPDU frames received by n-PE devices  16  &amp;  17  over their trunks in the dedicated BPDU VPLS instance (i.e., PW  41 ) is that for all the access network bridges attached to n-PE devices  16  &amp;  17  (i.e., bridges  24  &amp;  25 ) the core network, as well as n-PEs  16  &amp;  17 , appear as a single LAN segment. In other words, the BPDU relay function in conjunction with the BPDU VPLS instance described above presents n-PE devices  16  &amp;  17  and MPLS/IP core network  12  as a single LAN segment  44  to the Agg-PE devices  24  &amp;  25  connected to n-PE devices  16  &amp;  17 . To put it another way, all of the Agg-PE devices connected to the n-PEs in a single access domain (e.g., single Ethernet access network or island) operate as if they were connected to a single LAN segment. This situation is illustrated in  FIG. 4 , where core network  12  and n-PEs  16  &amp;  17  appear as a single LAN segment  44  to bridge devices  24  &amp;  25 . 
   Persons of skill in the art will further appreciate that when bridges are connect to a LAN segment through one or more links, then all of the xSTP protocols relating to link or node failures over the LAN segment are applicable based on IEEE 802.1 standards. This means, for example, that if the connection between access network  20  and n-PE  16  fails, customer data packet traffic is re-routed through the redundant n-PE device, i.e., n-PE  17 . The present invention thus provides for link/node failure recovery for an Ethernet access network of an L2VPN without the need to run xSTP protocols on the associated n-PE devices. 
   The approach of the present invention also offers the flexibility of supporting different L2VPN types (e.g., VPWS and VPLS) as well as any topology on the access network, without requiring that the associated n-PE devices run xSTP protocols. By way of example, the present invention is applicable to any L2VPN core network technology, such as MPLS or L2TPv3, as well as to access networks that have a simple hub-and-spoke configuration of u-PEs to n-PEs, or any arbitrary topology of u-PEs, Agg-PEs, and n-PEs. The approach of the present invention also works with the RSTP protocol for any access topology. 
   Turning now to  FIG. 5 , another implementation of the present invention is shown including SP core network  12  with four n-PE devices  16 - 19 . Devices  16  &amp;  17  act as a gateway between SP core network  12  and Ethernet access domain  20 , whereas n-PE devices  18  &amp;  19  provide core network connectivity to access domains  30  &amp;  70 , respectively. Each of the access networks  20 ,  30  and  70  includes respective u-PE devices  22 ,  32  and  72 , which are used to connect respective CE devices  21 ,  31  and  71  to the service. 
   A full mesh of pseudowires comprising PWs  51 - 56  is shown setup between n-PE devices  16 - 19  for customer VPLS service in  FIG. 5 . An additional PW  41  is setup between n-PE devices  16  and  17 . As explained previously, PW  41  is dedicated for carrying BPDU frames relayed by either n-PE device  16  or n-PE device  17 . By way of further example, when n-PE device  16  receives a packet at its input interface having a multicast address that identifies it as a BPDU, it simply relays the BPDU to its output interface for transport to redundant n-PE device  17  over PW  41  only. 
   In the example of  FIG. 5 , only one dedicated BPDU pseudowiire is needed since there are just two n-PE devices associated with Ethernet access network  20 . In situations where there are more than two redundant n-PE devices associated with a single access island, a full mesh of dedicated BPDU pseudowiires is established among the redundant n-PE devices. This situation is illustrated by way of further example in  FIG. 6 , where a third n-PE device  80  provides further redundant connection between core network  12  and access network  20 . In this case, a full mesh of PWs dedicated to BPDU traffic is setup between n-PEs  16 ,  17  and  80 .  FIG. 6  thus shows PW  41  connected between n-PE devices  16  &amp;  17 ; PW  81  connecting n-PE devices  16  &amp;  80 ; and PW  82  providing connection between n-PE devices  17  &amp;  80 . (Note that the other PW and elements of  FIG. 5  are not shown in  FIG. 5  to avoid confusion.) 
     FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating a basic method of network operation according to one embodiment of the present invention. At block  91 , a full mesh of BPDU-dedicated PWs is first established between n-PE devices associated with a given access network. These PW connections may be setup by an operator or automatically through ordinary autodiscovery and autoprovisioning processes. Next, at block  92 , a BPDU is generated according to the xSTP protocol running as part of the normal functionality of each of the bridges within the Ethernet access network. When the BPDU is received by one of the n-PE devices (e.g., n-PE device  16 ), it is relayed across all the PWs designated specifically for BPDU traffic. This step is shown occurring at block  93 . In the event that one of the n-PE devices fails, or its connection fails (decision block  94 ), the xSTP protocol running on the bridge nodes of the access network responds by re-routing data traffic through one of the redundant n-PE devices (block  95 ). 
   It should also be understood that elements of the present invention may also be provided as a computer program product which may include a machine-readable memory having stored thereon instructions which may be used to program a computer (or other electronic device) to perform a process. The machine-readable memory may include, but is not limited to, floppy diskettes, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magneto-optical disks, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnet or optical cards, or other type of machine-readable memory suitable for storing electronic instructions. Elements of the present invention may be downloaded as a computer program product, wherein the program may be transferred from a remote computer (e.g., a server) to a requesting computer (e.g., a customer or client) by way of data signals embodied in a carrier wave or other propagation medium via a communication link (e.g., a modem or network connection). 
   Additionally, although the present invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments, numerous modifications and alterations are well within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Technology Category: 5