Abstract: An apparatus comprising a first node configured to couple to a second node, wherein the first node is further configured to exchange a plurality of timestamps recording transmission times and at least one of a plurality of octet counts and a plurality of frame counts with the second node to perform throughput measurements, and wherein the at least one of the plurality of octet counts and the plurality of frame counts correspond to a packet flow between the first node and the second node and are used to calculate throughput for the packet flow based on a time interval of the exchanged at least one of the plurality of octet counts and the plurality of frame counts that is determined using the timestamps.

Abstract: A communications network comprising components configured to implement a method comprising analyzing a path between a first end point and a second end point, and identifying a partial fault along the path is disclosed. Also disclosed is a method for communicating information within a network, the method comprising: defining a path traversing a plurality of nodes, receiving a fault report from an intermediate node, determining whether the fault report affects the path, and responsive to the determination that the fault report affects the path, transmitting the fault report to an upstream or downstream node in the path.

Abstract: A network comprising a plurality of trees each comprising at least one ingress leaf node, at least one interior node, and at least one egress leaf node, wherein at least some of the ingress leaf nodes and the egress leaf nodes are common to the trees, and wherein the ingress leaf node is configured to transport data to the egress leaf node using any of the trees is disclosed. Also disclosed is a network component comprising a processor configured to implement a method comprising selecting one of a plurality of trees associated with information contained within a frame, directing the frame to the selected tree, and maintaining a filtering database (FDB) entry in an interior node in the unselected tree or trees.

Abstract: A method comprising receiving a data frame, encapsulating the received data frame into a reflected frame message (RFM) encapsulated frame, and if the received data frame causes the RFM encapsulated frame to exceed a maximum service data unit size, either the data frame is truncated or the data frame is split into two smaller frames and those two smaller frames are encapsulated by two separate RFM frames, wherein if a truncation flag is set to be true, the data frame is truncated to be encapsulated in one RFM.

Abstract: A telecommunications network comprising components configured to implement a method comprising: receiving a reservation from a customer, reserving a network resource specified in the reservation, initiating the establishment of a reserved connection through a network, the reserved connection parameters based on the reservation, subsequent to the establishment of the reserved connection, detecting a data stream transmitted from the customer, and allowing the data stream to be transported over the network using the reserved connection. Also disclosed is a method for reserving bandwidth on a network, the method comprising: submitting a reservation request specifying a bandwidth requirement and a start time, receiving a confirmation that the reservation has been accepted, and transmitting a data stream to a network at the start time, wherein the data stream is transported over the network using no more than the bandwidth specified in the reservation request.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a node configured to transmit operation, administration, and maintenance (OAM) connectivity frames, wherein the node adds an impairment notification indication to some, but not all of OAM connectivity frames transmitted by the node, wherein the impairment notification indication indicates the node's desire to receive notification of an impairment condition along the path. A network component comprising a receiver unit configured to receive multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) Ping frames, a circuit logic configured to add a downstream link impairment indication to responses to the MPLS Ping frames, wherein the downstream link impairment indication comprises a type and a severity level for a path impairment condition, and a transmitter unit configured to transmit the responses to the transmitted MPLS Ping frames.

Abstract: A communications network comprising a plurality of nodes supporting connection-oriented traffic and connectionless traffic, wherein management traffic between the nodes is propagated as connectionless traffic having a common management identifier. Also disclosed is a communications network component comprising logic that supports connection-oriented traffic and Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN)-based connectionless traffic, wherein the logic propagates management messages as VLAN-based connectionless traffic having a unique VLAN identifier (VID). Included is a communications network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising provisioning a unique VID for management messages, and selectively propagating management messages with the unique VID.

Abstract: A system for providing aggregate-rate communication services is provided. The system comprises a provider network, having an arbitrary topology; a plurality of customers; and a plurality of port nodes, comprising at least one aggregation-group. Port nodes in the at least one aggregation-group share capacity of the at least one aggregation-group fairly. Each of the plurality of customers is associated with at least one of the plurality of port nodes to access the provider network.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, the present invention provides a method for transferring data in a packet-based network. The method includes a step for receiving at least a first data frame. The first data frame is associated with a first origination node and a first destination node. The method includes a step for processing information associated with the first data frame. The method includes a step for determining whether the first data frame satisfies at least one predetermined condition based on at least information associated with the first data frame. If the first data frame is determined to satisfy the at least one predetermined condition, the method includes a step for providing a second data frame based on at least information associated with the first data frame, where the second data frame is associated with a second origination node and a second destination node.

Abstract: A network comprising a switch configured to learn a source address (SA) for a source node with a source port that receives a frame comprising the SA if the SA is not previously learned on another port and to subsequently forward any frame comprising a destination address (DA) for a destination node that matches the learned SA on the source port associated with the SA. A network comprising a switch configured to flood a frame received on a receiving port if the frame comprises a DA that is not previously learned on a source port and to distinguish the flooded frame from other forwarded frames by labeling the flooded frame, wherein the frame is flooded on a plurality of ports. A method comprising disabling a plurality of filtering database (FDB) entries that correspond to a plurality of addresses that are associated with a port, and sending the addresses in a control frame.

Abstract: A system for rate management of communication services. The system comprises at least one group of ports sharing a guaranteed-rate; and each of the group of ports determines an allowed-rate using at least one rate management policy.

Abstract: A network comprising a switch configured to switch traffic between a plurality of external interfaces via a plurality of virtual interfaces associated with the external interfaces, wherein the traffic comprises a plurality of external virtual local area network (VLAN) identifiers (VIDs) associated with the external interfaces to select the virtual interfaces, and wherein the virtual interfaces are configured to forward traffic based on an internal VID that is assigned to the traffic independent of the external VID. Also disclosed is a network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a frame from a physical port, obtaining an external VID from a VLAN tag in the frame, removing the VLAN tag from the frame, selecting a virtual interface based on the external VID, and delivering the frame to the selected virtual interface.

Abstract: A network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising transparently snooping a path control message comprising a first path identifier, wherein the path control message is sent between a plurality of routers and is not intended for the network component, analyzing a plurality of frames each comprising a second path identifier, and diverting at least some of the frames away from at least one of the routers, wherein the second path identifier in the diverted frames matches the first path identifier. Included is a method comprising configuring a bypass path by snooping a control frame comprising a label switched path (LSP) identifier, and routing a plurality of data frames associated with the LSP identifier to the bypass path without routing any subsequent control frames associated with the LSP identifier to the bypass path.

Abstract: A method comprising receiving a data frame, encapsulating the received data frame into a reflected frame message (RFM) encapsulated frame, and if the received data frame causes the RFM encapsulated frame to exceed a maximum service data unit size, either the data frame is truncated or the data frame is split into two smaller frames and those two smaller frames are encapsulated by two separate RFM frames, wherein if a truncation flag is set to be true, the data frame is truncated to be encapsulated in one RFM.

Abstract: A system for passive alarm propagation and suppression in a communication network is disclosed. The system includes a packet based network including one subset of network providing connectivity to other set(s) of network. The network includes a first edge node and a second edge node; a first customer node connecting to the first edge node and a second customer node connecting to the second edge node; and a replicated alarm suppression table (RAST) residing in the first provider edge node.

Abstract: A network comprising a first layer processor (LP) configured to distribute a plurality of component communications to a plurality of component connections using a distribution table comprising a plurality of component communication identifiers (CCIDs) and the component connection associated with each CCID, a second LP configured to collect the packets from the component connections, and a composite connection coupled to the first LP and the second LP, wherein the composite connection comprises a plurality of the component connections and is configured to transport the component communications using the component connections, and wherein the distribution table and composite connection are configured such that component communications associated with at least the same CCID of a component communication takes the same path from the first LP to the second LP as from the second LP to the first LP.

Abstract: A network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a message comprising a node's data value from the node, determining whether a local data value has been assigned, and adopting the node's data value as the local data value when the local data value has not been assigned. Also disclosed is a network component comprising a plurality of ports each configured to couple to a node via a link, a memory configured to store a port data value associated with at least some of the ports, and a processor coupled to the memory and the ports, wherein the processor is configured to access a node's data value in a message and adopt the node's data value as the port data value.

Abstract: A network comprising an ingress layer processor (LP) coupled to a connection carrying a composite communication comprising a plurality of component communications, a composite connection coupled to the ingress LP and comprising a plurality of parallel component connections, wherein the composite connection is configured to transport the component communications using the component connections, and an egress LP coupled to the composite connection and configured to transmit the composite communication at a connection point. Also disclosed is a network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a connection carrying a plurality of component communications, reading a communication distinguishing fixed point (CDFP) from at least some of the component communications, and accessing a table associating at least some of the CDFPs with at least one component connection.

Abstract: A network comprising a plurality of trees each comprising at least one ingress leaf node, at least one interior node, and at least one egress leaf node, wherein at least some of the ingress leaf nodes and the egress leaf nodes are common to the trees, and wherein the ingress leaf node is configured to transport data to the egress leaf node using any of the trees is disclosed. Also disclosed is a network component comprising a processor configured to implement a method comprising selecting one of a plurality of trees associated with information contained within a frame, directing the frame to the selected tree, and maintaining a filtering database (FDB) entry in an interior node in the unselected tree or trees.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a plurality of ingress ports, a routing logic coupled to the ingress ports, and a plurality of egress ports coupled to the routing logic, wherein the routing logic is configured to transport a plurality of data frames associated with a plurality of data flows from the ingress ports to the egress ports, and wherein the apparatus associates at least some of the data flows with a bandwidth. Included is a network component configured to implement a method comprising distributing a plurality of data flows to a plurality of links in a link aggregation group (LAG) using bandwidth information associated with the data flows.