Patents by Inventor Hamid Ould-Brahim
Hamid Ould-Brahim has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 8619791Abstract: Described are a network, computer program product, and method of distributing routing information for a virtual private network (VPN) application through a packet-switched network (PSN) having fully meshed provider edge (PE) routers through Provider Backbone Bridge (PBB) tunnels. A PE router is configured to participate in a VPN and to run a BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) as an auto-discovery process for finding one or more other PE routers participating in the VPN. The VPN is associated with a PBB tunnel. A service instance identifier (I-SID) is assigned to the VPN. The PE router advertises membership in the VPN by including the I-SID assigned to the VPN in a BGP message issued during the auto-discovery process.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2011Date of Patent: December 31, 2013Assignee: Rockstar Consortium US LPInventor: Hamid Ould-Brahim
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Patent number: 8594097Abstract: An architecture for providing service mediation in a network having a Layer-2 domain and an MPLS domain includes at least one Layer-2 provider edge device in communication with a first customer site; at least one Layer-2 edge device in communication with the Layer-2 provider edge device; at least one MPLS mediation edge device in communication with the Layer-2 edge device; and at least one MPLS provider edge device in communication with both the MPLS mediation edge device and a second customer site. An end-to-end connection is established using native Layer-2 signaling, if any, in the Layer-2 domain and PWE3 signaling protocols in the MPLS domain. The MPLS mediation edge device resolves associations between Layer-2 edge devices and MPLS provider edge devices. The service is “mediated” in the sense that native Layer-2 signaling is terminated at the MME, and a new domain, i.e., pseudowire, is established across the MPLS domain.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 2012Date of Patent: November 26, 2013Assignee: Rockstar Consortium US LPInventors: Hamid Ould-Brahim, Elizabeth Hache, Jeffrey Sugimoto, Gregory Wright
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Patent number: 8588237Abstract: Frames of customer traffic may be encapsulated by adding Mac-in-Mac (MiM) encapsulation fields for transportation of the frames over a portion of provider network. The MiM encapsulated traffic may be further encapsulated using VPLS by adding VPLS encapsulation fields for transportation of the frames over another portion of the provider network. The MiM encapsulations use provider network MAC addresses which enables VPLS MAC learning to occur using provider network MAC address space. MiM tunnels are mapped to VPLS service instances which are assigned pseudowire tags for transportation over the VPLS portion of provider network. The MiM header is retained when the MiM encapsulated frames are transported over the VPLS portion of the provider network. As VPLS frames exit the core network, the VPLS encapsulation fields are removed to extract the original MiM encapsulated frames for further transportation over the MiM portion of the provider network.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 2011Date of Patent: November 19, 2013Assignee: Rockstar Consortium US LPInventors: Dinesh Mohan, Hamid Ould Brahim
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Publication number: 20130272308Abstract: Frames of customer traffic may be encapsulated by adding Mac-in-Mac (MiM) encapsulation fields for transportation of the frames over a portion of provider network. The MiM encapsulated traffic may be further encapsulated using VPLS by adding VPLS encapsulation fields for transportation of the frames over another portion of the provider network. The MiM encapsulations use provider network_MAC addresses which enables VPLS MAC learning to occur using provider network MAC address space. MiM tunnels are mapped to VPLS service instances which are assigned pseudowire tags for transportation over the VPLS portion of provider network. The MiM header is retained when the MiM encapsulated frames are transported over the VPLS portion of the provider network. As VPLS frames exit the core network, the VPLS encapsulation fields are removed to extract the original MiM encapsulated frames for further transportation over the MiM portion of the provider network.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 4, 2013Publication date: October 17, 2013Inventors: Dinesh Mohan, Hamid Ould Brahim
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Publication number: 20120307683Abstract: An architecture for providing service mediation in a network having a Layer-2 domain and an MPLS domain includes at least one Layer-2 provider edge device in communication with a first customer site; at least one Layer-2 edge device in communication with the Layer-2 provider edge device; at least one MPLS mediation edge device in communication with the Layer-2 edge device; and at least one MPLS provider edge device in communication with both the MPLS mediation edge device and a second customer site. An end-to-end connection is established using native Layer-2 signaling, if any, in the Layer-2 domain and PWE3 signaling protocols in the MPLS domain. The MPLS mediation edge device resolves associations between Layer-2 edge devices and MPLS provider edge devices. The service is “mediated” in the sense that native Layer-2 signaling is terminated at the MME, and a new domain, i.e., pseudowire, is established across the MPLS domain.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 3, 2012Publication date: December 6, 2012Applicant: ROCKSTAR BIDCO, LPInventors: Hamid Ould-BRAHIM, Elizabeth HACHE, Jeffrey SUGIMOTO, Gregory WRIGHT
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Patent number: 8289964Abstract: An architecture for providing service mediation in a network having a Layer-2 domain and an MPLS domain includes at least one Layer-2 provider edge device in communication with a first customer site; at least one Layer-2 edge device in communication with the Layer-2 provider edge device; at least one MPLS mediation edge device in communication with the Layer-2 edge device; and at least: one MPLS provider edge device in communication with both the MPLS mediation edge device and a second customer site. An end-to-end connection is established using native Layer-2 signaling, if any, in the Layer-2 domain and PWE3 signaling protocols in the MPLS domain. The MPLS mediation edge device resolves associations between Layer-2 edge devices and MPLS provider edge devices. The service is “mediated” in the sense that native Layer-2 signaling is terminated at the MME, and a new domain, i.e., pseudowire, is established across the MPLS domain.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2005Date of Patent: October 16, 2012Assignee: Rockstar Bidco, L.P.Inventors: Hamid Ould-Brahim, Elizabeth Hache, Jeffrey Sugimoto, Gregory Wright
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Publication number: 20120226821Abstract: An apparatus and a method for layer-2 and layer-3 VPN discovery are disclosed. The apparatus is incorporated in a network, and the network includes a first carrier network. The first carrier network includes at least two layer-1 provider edge devices. Layer-1 VPN information is created within the first carrier network. BGP next hop information passes within the first carrier network. The BGP next hop information is for a selected one of the following: a layer-2 VPN-based provider edge device, a layer-3 VPN-based provider edge device, and a layer-2 and layer-3 VPN-based provider edge device. The network also includes a second carrier network within which the BGP next hop information is used for VPN discovery.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 16, 2012Publication date: September 6, 2012Inventor: HAMID OULD-BRAHIM
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Publication number: 20120207171Abstract: To allow seamless interworking between an 802.1ah service instance (ISID) and a VPLS service instance, the AGI value used to signal the setup of the pseudowire portion of the VPLS may carry the ISID value of an associated 802.1ah service instance. This allows the service instance to be identified end-to-end across the Ethernet and VPLS networks using the same value without modifying how the MPLS network operates. The VPLS network will use AGI/AII signaling to set up pseudowires on the MPLS network, but instead of using an AGI value assigned by the MPLS network, the AGI value that is assigned will be taken from the ISID value of the Ethernet frame or from ISIDs registered by the Ethernet network.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 9, 2012Publication date: August 16, 2012Inventors: Hamid Ould Brahim, David ALLAN, Dinesh MOHAN
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Patent number: 8190772Abstract: An apparatus and a method for layer-2 and layer-3 VPN discovery are disclosed. The apparatus is incorporated in a network, and the network includes a first carrier network. The first carrier network includes at least two layer-1 provider edge devices. Layer-1 VPN information is created within the first carrier network. BGP next hop information passes within the first carrier network. The BGP next hop information is for a selected one of the following: a layer-2 VPN-based provider edge device, a layer-3 VPN-based provider edge device, and a layer-2 and layer-3 VPN-based provider edge device. The network also includes a second carrier network within which the BGP next hop information is used for VPN discovery.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2003Date of Patent: May 29, 2012Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventor: Hamid Ould-Brahim
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Publication number: 20120120957Abstract: Described is a method of operating a first provider edge (PE) router to support virtual private network (VPN) applications through a packet-switched network (PSN). Routing information is obtained for a VPN route to be routed through an Ethernet switched path between the first PE router and a second PE router. The first PE router is at a source end of the Ethernet switched path and the second PE router is at a destination end of the Ethernet switched path. The VPN route is associated with the Ethernet switched path. A Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) message is sent from the first PE router to the second PE router, the BGP message containing routing information for the VPN route.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 26, 2012Publication date: May 17, 2012Applicant: ROCKSTAR BIDCO, LPInventor: Hamid Ould-Brahim
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Patent number: 8144715Abstract: To allow seamless interworking between an 802.1ah service instance (ISID) and a VPLS service instance, the AGI value used to signal the setup of the pseudowire portion of the VPLS may carry the ISID value of an associated 802.1ah service instance. This allows the service instance to be identified end-to-end across the Ethernet and VPLS networks using the same value without modifying how the MPLS network operates. The VPLS network will use AGI/AII signaling to set up pseudowires on the MPLS network, but instead of using an AGI value assigned by the MPLS network, the AGI value that is assigned will be taken from the ISID value of the Ethernet frame or from ISIDs registered by the Ethernet network. The AGI message may be given a new type value indicating that the AGI message carries a value that corresponds to the ISID value on an attached Ethernet network.Type: GrantFiled: April 17, 2008Date of Patent: March 27, 2012Assignee: Rockstar Bideo LPInventors: Hamid Ould Brahim, David Allan, Dinesh Mohan
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Publication number: 20120044939Abstract: Frames of customer traffic may be encapsulated by adding Mac-in-Mac (MiM) encapsulation fields for transportation of the frames over a portion of provider network. The MiM encapsulated traffic may be further encapsulated using VPLS by adding VPLS encapsulation fields for transportation of the frames over another portion of the provider network. The MiM encapsulations use provider network MAC addresses which enables VPLS MAC learning to occur using provider network MAC address space. MiM tunnels are mapped to VPLS service instances which are assigned pseudowire tags for transportation over the VPLS portion of provider network. The MiM header is retained when the MiM encapsulated frames are transported over the VPLS portion of the provider network. As VPLS frames exit the core network, the VPLS encapsulation fields are removed to extract the original MiM encapsulated frames for further transportation over the MiM portion of the provider network.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 2, 2011Publication date: February 23, 2012Inventors: Dinesh Mohan, Hamid Ould Brahim
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Patent number: 8117338Abstract: Described are a network device and method for distributing routing information for a virtual private network (VPN) application through a packet-switched network (PSN) from a first provider edge (PE) router to a second provider edge (PE) router. An Ethernet switched path (e.g., a Provider Backbone Transport (PBT) tunnel) is established between the first and second PE routers. The first PE router is at a source end of the Ethernet switched path and the second PE router is at a destination end of the Ethernet switched path. A BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) message is sent from the first PE router to the second PE router. The BGP message contains routing information for a VPN route in a VPN supported by the PSN. An association between the VPN route in the VPN and the Ethernet switched path is determined from the routing information in the BGP message.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2008Date of Patent: February 14, 2012Assignee: Rockstar Bidco, LPInventor: Hamid Ould-Brahim
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Publication number: 20120008630Abstract: Described are a network, computer program product, and method of distributing routing information for a virtual private network (VPN) application through a packet-switched network (PSN) having fully meshed provider edge (PE) routers through Provider Backbone Bridge (PBB) tunnels. A PE router is configured to participate in a VPN and to run a BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) as an auto-discovery process for finding one or more other PE routers participating in the VPN. The VPN is associated with a PBB tunnel. A service instance identifier (I-SID) is assigned to the VPN. The PE router advertises membership in the VPN by including the I-SID assigned to the VPN in a BGP message issued during the auto-discovery process.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 23, 2011Publication date: January 12, 2012Applicant: NORTEL NETWORKS LIMITEDInventor: Hamid Ould-Brahim
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Patent number: 8085811Abstract: Frames of customer traffic may be encapsulated by adding Mac-in-Mac (MiM) encapsulation fields for transportation of the frames over a portion of provider network. The MiM encapsulated traffic may be further encapsulated using VPLS by adding VPLS encapsulation fields for transportation of the frames over another portion of the provider network. The MiM encapsulations use provider network MAC addresses which enables VPLS MAC learning to occur using provider network MAC address space. MiM tunnels are mapped to VPLS service instances which are assigned pseudowire tags for transportation over the VPLS portion of provider network. The MiM header is retained when the MiM encapsulated frames are transported over the VPLS portion of the provider network. As VPLS frames exit the core network, the VPLS encapsulation fields are removed to extract the original MiM encapsulated frames for further transportation over the MiM portion of the provider network.Type: GrantFiled: May 24, 2010Date of Patent: December 27, 2011Assignee: Nortel Networks, Ltd.Inventors: Dinesh Mohan, Hamid Ould Brahim
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Patent number: 8027347Abstract: Described are a network, network device, and method for a method of distributing routing information for a virtual private network (VPN) application through a packet-switched network (PSN) having fully meshed provider edge (PE) routers through Provider Backbone Bridge (PBB) tunnels. Each PE router is configured to support at least one VPN and to run a BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) as an auto-discovery process for finding one or more other PE routers attached to the same VPN. A given VPN is associated with a PBB tunnel. A service instance identifier (I-SID), as defined in IEEE 802.1ah, is assigned to the VPN. Each PE router advertises membership in the VPN by including the I-SID assigned to the VPN in a BGP message issued during the auto-discovery process.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2008Date of Patent: September 27, 2011Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventor: Hamid Ould-Brahim
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Publication number: 20100226376Abstract: Frames of customer traffic may be encapsulated by adding Mac-in-Mac (MiM) encapsulation fields for transportation of the frames over a portion of provider network. The MiM encapsulated traffic may be further encapsulated using VPLS by adding VPLS encapsulation fields for transportation of the frames over another portion of the provider network. The MiM encapsulations use provider network MAC addresses which enables VPLS MAC learning to occur using provider network MAC address space. MiM tunnels are mapped to VPLS service instances which are assigned pseudowire tags for transportation over the VPLS portion of provider network. The MiM header is retained when the MiM encapsulated frames are transported over the VPLS portion of the provider network. As VPLS frames exit the core network, the VPLS encapsulation fields are removed to extract the original MiM encapsulated frames for further transportation over the MiM portion of the provider network.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 24, 2010Publication date: September 9, 2010Inventors: Dinesh Mohan, Hamid Ould Brahim
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Patent number: 7746892Abstract: Frames of customer traffic may be encapsulated by adding Mac-in-Mac (MiM) encapsulation fields for transportation of the frames over a portion of provider network. The MiM encapsulated traffic may be further encapsulated using VPLS by adding VPLS encapsulation fields for transportation of the frames over another portion of the provider network. The MiM encapsulations use provider network_MAC addresses which enables VPLS MAC learning to occur using provider network MAC address space. MiM tunnels are mapped to VPLS service instances which are assigned pseudowire tags for transportation over the VPLS portion of provider network. The MiM header is retained when the MiM encapsulated frames are transported over the VPLS portion of the provider network. As VPLS frames exit the core network, the VPLS encapsulation fields are removed to extract the original MiM encapsulated frames for further transportation over the MiM portion of the provider network.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2006Date of Patent: June 29, 2010Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventors: Dinesh Mohan, Hamid Ould Brahim
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Patent number: 7664123Abstract: A generalized virtual router is disclosed. A routing and switching apparatus includes a switching fabric and a matrix of switching and routing elements. At least some of the elements are interconnected by the switching fabric. A router control provides control for the switching fabric. The apparatus has both cross-connect and routing functionality.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2004Date of Patent: February 16, 2010Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventors: Peter Ashwood Smith, Hamid Ould-Brahim, Bilel Jamoussi, Donald Fedyk
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Patent number: 7653050Abstract: A technique for implementing an automatic port discovery protocol in a virtual private network cross-connect is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized by a method comprising the steps of implementing a virtual private cross-connect for supporting a plurality sites associated with at least one virtual private network; providing at least one connection between the virtual private cross-connect and each site; and supporting a combination of at least two of layer-3, layer-2 and layer-1 services.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2002Date of Patent: January 26, 2010Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventor: Hamid Ould Brahim