System and method for building large-scale layer 2 computer networks
US7821972B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 29, 2005 |
| Grant date | Oct 26, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 26, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L12/4641
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A grand computer network is formed from layer 2 (L2) networking technology in which groups of Provider L2 bridges are organized into formations, and different formations are interconnected via network-network interface (NNI) links. Customer sites are coupled to the formations. Customers identify their traffic, e.g., frames, by labeling or tagging it with a Customer Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) Identifier (C-VLAN ID) or Customer Service Instance (CSI). Within the formations, the C-VLAN ID is mapped to a Service VLAN ID (S-VLAN ID) or Provider Service Instance (PSI), and the S-VLAN ID is appended to the customer traffic. The PSIs are hierarchical, such that each PSI belongs to at most one other “outer” or higher-level PSI, but may itself own any number of “inner” or lower-level PSIs. As a given frame traverses through the different formations of the Grand Network via the NNI links, the frame acquires an encapsulation, sheds an encapsulation or exchanges its current encapsulation for a different one. Bridges within the formations run a Hierarchical Spanning Tree Program (HSTP) to block intra-formation loops, and a GARP L2-NNI Registration Protocol (GLRP) to block inter-formation …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.