Method and system for providing fault detection and notification for composite transport groups

1. A computer-implemented method comprising the following steps:

monitoring, by one or more processors, a component link of a composite transport group associated with a label switched path established with an upstream label switched node;

detecting a fault in the component link internally within the composite transport group without notifying the upstream label switched node, wherein the composite transport group provides a bundling of physical and/or logical component links representing a single logical interface; and

determining whether traffic of the label switched path can be transparently rerouted to another component link of the composite transport group based on resource availability of the other component link and without externally notifying the upstream label switched node,

wherein, if resources are available, the traffic is transparently rerouted to the other component link without externally notifying the upstream label switched node; and

if resources are unavailable, the upstream label switched node is notified and reroutes the traffic from the composite transport group.

2. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the upstream label switched node is an upstream label switched node closest to the fault or an ingress label switched node of the label switched path.

3. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein monitoring includes

tracking liveliness of the component link, the liveliness corresponding to operational two-way communication between ingress and egress of the component link.

4. A computer-implemented method according to claim 3 , wherein liveliness is tracked via a bidirectional forwarding detection session.

5. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein monitoring includes determining a type and form for the component link, the type specifying technology utilized and the form specifying either a logical link or a physical link.

6. A computer-implemented method according to claim 5 , wherein the type of component link relates to a synchronous optical networking component link or an ethernet component link.

7. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the fault is either a loss of signal or a signal failure.

8. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the composite transport group is treated as a single traffic engineering pathway by the upstream label switched node.

9. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the composite transport group provide individual operations administration maintenance (OAM) functionality for each of the component links.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a monitoring module configured to monitor a component link of a composite transport group associated with a label switched path established with an upstream label switched node;

a fault detection module configured to detect a fault in the component link internally within the composite transport without notifying the upstream label switched node, wherein the composite transport group provides a bundling of physical and/or logical component links representing a single logical interface; and

a routing module configured to determine whether traffic of the label switched path can be transparently rerouted to another component link of the composite transport group based on resource availability of the other component link and without externally notifying the upstream label switched node,

wherein, if resources are available, the routing module transparently reroutes the traffic to the other component link without externally notifying the upstream label switched node; and

if resources are unavailable, the upstream label switched node is notified and reroutes the traffic from the composite transport group.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the upstream label switched node is an upstream label switched node closest to the fault or an ingress label switched node of the label switched path.

12. An apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein monitoring the component link includes:

tracking liveliness of the component link, the liveliness corresponding to operational two-way communication between ingress and egress of the component link.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein liveliness is tracked via a bidirectional forwarding detection session.

14. An apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein detection is based on a type and form of the component link, the type specifying technology utilized and the form specifying either a logical link or a physical link.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the type of component link relates to a synchronous optical networking component link or an ethernet component link.

16. An apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the fault is either a loss of signal or a signal failure.

17. A system comprising:

one or more optical nodes configured to monitor a component link of a composite transport group associated with a label switched path, to detect a fault in the component link internally within the composite transport without notifying the upstream label switched node, wherein the composite transport group provides a bundling of physical and/or logical component links representing a single logical interface,

wherein the one or more optical nodes are further configured to determine whether traffic of the label switched path can be transparently rerouted to another component link of the composite transport group based on resource availability of the other component link and without externally notifying the upstream label switched node,

wherein, if resources are available, the traffic is transparently rerouted to the other component link without externally notifying the upstream label switched node; and

if resources are unavailable, the upstream label switched node is notified and reroutes the traffic from the composite transport group.

18. A system according to claim 17 , wherein monitoring the component link includes:

tracking liveliness of the component link via a bidirectional forwarding detection session established along the component link, the liveliness corresponding to operational two-way communication between ingress and egress of the component link.

19. A system according to claim 17 , wherein the fault is either a loss of signal or a signal failure.

20. A system according to claim 17 , wherein the optical node includes an optical add/drop multiplexer.