Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a provider edge node and a method performed on the node including one or more of the following: storing, in a cache on the node, an association between an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the customer edge device and a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the customer edge device; storing, in a backup memory in the node, a copy of the last-known IP address of the customer edge device; removing the stored association from the cache in response to a cache-clearing event, while maintaining the copy of the last-known IP address in the backup memory; sending an address discovery message, the address discovery message requesting an updated MAC address corresponding to the last-known IP address maintained in the backup memory; and updating the cache to reflect the updated MAC address upon receipt of an additional address update message from the customer edge device.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method for determining peer status in a pseudowire (PW) node, the method including: sending a first PW status request message to a peer node including a PW node local message ID, PW node remote message ID, and request flag; starting a first retry timer; starting a second retry timer when the first retry timer expires and no response to the first PW status request message is received; starting a first request timer when the second retry timer expires and no response to the first PW status request message is received; and starting a third retry timer when the first request timer expires and no response to the first PW status request message is received.

Abstract: A method for retaining service configuration during test connection to a pseudowire service is disclosed. The method for retaining service configuration during test connection includes the steps of configuring a test service access point; providing a first instruction at a first network element to lock the pseudowire connection; providing a second instruction at a second network element to lock the pseudowire connection; receiving an instruction at said the network element to associate a test service provided at a network management element to said first Service Distribution Point; and providing a loopback instruction to the pseudowire connection. The method for retaining service configuration during test connection to a pseudowire service provides advantages over systems known in the art by eliminating the need for reconfiguring the connection to customer equipment at the point of test and afterwards.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a backbone network for performing switchover of plurality of pseudo-wires (PWs) connecting a customer edge device to a primary backbone edge bridge (BEB), the method including: designating one of the plurality of PWs as a control PW; associating the remaining PWs with the control PW; associating a virtual backbone MAC (B-MAC) address with the control PW; and advertising, by the primary BEB, the virtual B-MAC address to the backbone network.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method of acknowledging a pseudowire (PW) status message by a PW node, the method including: receiving at the PW node a PW status message from a peer node; determining that acknowledging the PW status message will reduce the number of PW status messages sent by the peer node; and sending an acknowledgement message to the peer node acknowledging the receipt of the PW status message from the peer node.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method for determining peer status in a pseudowire (PW) node, the method including: sending a first PW status request message to a peer node including a PW node local message ID, PW node remote message ID, and request flag; starting a first retry timer; starting a second retry timer when the first retry timer expires and no response to the first PW status request message is received; starting a first request timer when the second retry timer expires and no response to the first PW status request message is received; and starting a third retry timer when the first request timer expires and no response to the first PW status request message is received.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node including one or more of the following: performing an active gateway election to determine whether the provider edge device will be an active gateway for a connection; if the provider edge device will be the active gateway for the connection, indicating to a customer edge device that no fault is currently associated with a link between the customer edge device and the provider edge device; and if the provider edge device will not be the active gateway for the connection, indicating to the customer edge device that a fault is currently associated with the link between the customer edge device and the provider edge device.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node including one or more of the following: performing an active gateway election to determine whether the provider edge device will be an active gateway for a connection; if the provider edge device will be the active gateway for the connection, indicating to a customer edge device that no fault is currently associated with a link between the customer edge device and the provider edge device; and if the provider edge device will not be the active gateway for the connection, indicating to the customer edge device that a fault is currently associated with the link between the customer edge device and the provider edge device.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node including one or more of the following: performing an active gateway election to determine whether the provider edge device will be an active gateway for a connection; if the provider edge device will be the active gateway for the connection, indicating to a customer edge device that no fault is currently associated with a link between the customer edge device and the provider edge device; and if the provider edge device will not be the active gateway for the connection, indicating to the customer edge device that a fault is currently associated with the link between the customer edge device and the provider edge device.

Abstract: Various embodiments relate to a communications system and related method for determining an address of a service access point (SAP) upon establishment of a service over a packet data network. A customer SAP connected to a provider SAP may request a link-local address for another customer SAP on the far-end of the packet data network. When the service, such as a virtual leased line (VLL) is not yet established, the provider SAP may generate an address for the customer based on another value, such as its own media access control (MAC) address. The generated address may then allow the service to become established, which may allow Neighbor Solicitation and Neighbor Advertisement packets to be sent, analyzed, and extracted. The provider SAP may then replace the generated address with the address extracted from the Neighbor Solicitation or Advertisement packet received after the service was established.

Abstract: Various embodiments relate to a communications system and related method for determining an address of a service access point (SAP) upon establishment of a service over a packet data network. A customer SAP connected to a provider SAP may request a link-local address for another customer SAP on the far-end of the packet data network. When the service, such as a virtual leased line (VLL) is not yet established, the provider SAP may generate an address for the customer based on another value, such as its own media access control (MAC) address. The generated address may then allow the service to become established, which may allow Neighbor Solicitation and Neighbor Advertisement packets to be sent, analyzed, and extracted. The provider SAP may then replace the generated address with the address extracted from the Neighbor Solicitation or Advertisement packet received after the service was established.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a provider edge node and a method performed on the node including one or more of the following: storing, in a cache on the node, an association between an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the customer edge device and a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the customer edge device; storing, in a backup memory in the node, a copy of the last-known IP address of the customer edge device; removing the stored association from the cache in response to a cache-clearing event, while maintaining the copy of the last-known IP address in the backup memory; sending an address discovery message, the address discovery message requesting an updated MAC address corresponding to the last-known IP address maintained in the backup memory; and updating the cache to reflect the updated MAC address upon receipt of an additional address update message from the customer edge device.

Abstract: A method of managing virtual routing forwarding (VRF) tables at a provider edge PE router of a L3 virtual private network (VPN) is provided. An import route target (ImpRT) tree is maintained at the PE router, which keeps the association between all ImpRT attributes currently configured on said PE router and the virtual routing table VRF at that router. When an ImpRT attribute is configured on a VRF table, the PE router first searches the tree to identify a local VRF table that contains a route(s) with that ImpRT attribute. If this information is available locally, the VRF is updated by copying the route information, and there is no need to do a route refresh. When an ImpRT is deleted from a VRF, a route refresh is avoided by parsing all the routes in the VRF and removing the routes that no longer have a matching route target.

Abstract: A method of circuit emulation over an IP interworking VLL, and related system, the method including one or more of the following: configuring a circuit emulation port with one or more logical interfaces; configuring one or more channels on each of the one or more logical interfaces; configuring the one or more channels with a destination IP address; configuring the one or more channels with a destination UDP port number; specifying an Ipipe VLL for each of the one or more channels; determining TDM traffic to go onto the specified Ipipe; packetizing TDM traffic; encapsulating the TDM traffic with encapsulation; inserting one or more packets of the TDM traffic into an IP interworking VLL; sending the one or more packets through the Ipipe; stripping the encapsulation from the one or more packets of the TDM traffic; and forwarding the one or more packets to a destination.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention enable a pseudowire to be dynamically established over a PSN tunnel when the tunnel includes both statically configured segments and dynamically configured segments. Advantageously, these embodiments enable a network node that supports only static tunnel and pseudowire configuration to be included in dynamically configured pseudowires.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method including one or more of: transmitting a forward entity from the source node along forward links through the network toward the terminal node to determine links for the new path; upon encountering a node having insufficient capacity on a forward link exiting the node: determining whether the existing path has a reverse link entering the node; if so, transmitting the forward entity along the reverse link and then onward toward the terminal node to determine whether the existing path can be moved from the forward link and subsequent links to the terminal node to allow for the new path; and, if the existing path can be moved, moving the existing path from the forward, subsequent, and reverse links to create an updated path for the existing path and to allow the new path to assume the forward and subsequent links.

Abstract: A method of circuit emulation over an IP interworking VLL, and related system, the method including one or more of the following: configuring a circuit emulation port with one or more logical interfaces; configuring one or more channels on each of the one or more logical interfaces; configuring the one or more channels with a destination IP address; configuring the one or more channels with a destination UDP port number; specifying an Ipipe VLL for each of the one or more channels; determining TDM traffic to go onto the specified Ipipe; packetizing TDM traffic; encapsulating the TDM traffic with encapsulation; inserting one or more packets of the TDM traffic into an IP interworking VLL; sending the one or more packets through the Ipipe; stripping the encapsulation from the one or more packets of the TDM traffic; and forwarding the one or more packets to a destination.

Abstract: Systems and methods of monitoring a communication traffic transfer rate control mechanism are provided. The traffic transfer rate control mechanism may control a rate of transfer of communication traffic from a first communication traffic management device to a second communication traffic management device, for example. A communication traffic storage history, which is indicative of an effect of the transfer rate control mechanism, is compiled by determining amounts of communication traffic stored in at least one communication traffic queue of at least one of the communication traffic management devices, at each of a number of monitor times. An indication of the determined amounts of communication traffic is provided, and may be analyzed to determine whether the transfer rate control mechanism actually achieves a desired effect. The transfer rate control mechanism or control parameters thereof may then be adjusted if the desired effect is not currently being achieved.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for providing CES using both Ethernet and MPLS networks. TDM data is packetized and Ethernet encapsulated, and then MPLS encapsulated. Following insertion into an MPLS core network, the packet is routed to a destination MPLS router using MPLS routing. The MPLS encapsulation is then removed, and the resulting Ethernet frame inserted into a destination Ethernet network. The Ethernet frame is routed to a destination Ethernet port using Ethernet routing. The TDM data is extracted, and inserted into the appropriate TDM channel. The invention allows inexpensive Ethernet equipment to be used at the boundary with the TDM network, and a reliable MPLS network with its QoS functionality to be used for any long-haul part of the CES.

Abstract: Communication traffic management systems and methods are disclosed. A threshold status of a communication traffic queue of a second communication traffic management device which is capable of receiving communication traffic from a first communication traffic management device is determined, by comparing a depth of the queue to a corresponding threshold for instance. A rate of transfer of communication traffic to the second device, and possibly to particular queues of the second device from corresponding queues of the first device, is controlled based on the threshold status. Transmission of communication traffic from the queues of the second device may thus be in accordance with one communication traffic management scheme, whereas the content of each queue of the second device is controlled according to another communication traffic management scheme used by the first device to transfer communication traffic from its queues, to thereby provide for complex combined communication traffic management.