Border Gateway Protocol Procedures for Multi-Protocol Label Switching and Layer-2 Virtual Private Networks Using Ethernet-Based Tunnels

1 . A method of operating a first provider edge (PE) router to support virtual private network (VPN) applications through a packet-switched network (PSN), the method comprising:

obtaining routing information 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 being at a source end of the Ethernet switched path and the second PE router being at a destination end of the Ethernet switched path;

associating the VPN route with the Ethernet switched path; and

sending a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) message from the first PE router to the second PE router, the BGP message containing routing information for the VPN route.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the VPN applications include an application selected from the group consisting of:

BGP/Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) Internet Protocol (IP) VPNs;

Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) BGP VPNs;

VPLS Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) VPNs using BGP;

Layer 2 VPNs using BGP; and multi-segment pseudowire using BGP.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the VPN application is a BGP/MPLS IP VPN that is compliant with at least one of RFC-2547 and RFC-4364.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the Ethernet switched path is one of a point-to-point tunnel based on one of:

Provider Backbone Transport (PBT);

Provider Backbone Bridge (PBB);

Transport Multi-Protocol Label Switching (T-MPLS);

Provider Virtual LAN Transport (PVT); and

Virtual LAN Cross Connection (VXC).

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the Ethernet switched path is a point-to-multipoint tunnel based on one of:

Provider Backbone Transport (PBT);

Provider Backbone Bridge (PBB);

Transport Multi-Protocol Label Switching (T-MPLS);

Provider Virtual LAN Transport (PVT); and

Virtual LAN Cross Connection (VXC).

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the routing information comprises a media access control (MAC) address of the first PE router.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein:

a next hop field of the BGP message comprises the MAC address of the first PE router; and

another field of the BGP message indicates that the next hop field is carrying the MAC address of the first PE router.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the routing information comprises an indicator associated with the media access control (MAC) address of the first PE router.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein:

a next hop field of the BGP message comprises the indicator associated with the MAC address of the first PE router; and

another field of the BGP message indicates that the next hop field is carrying the indicator associated with the MAC address of the first PE router.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein:

the indicator associated with the MAC address of the first PE router is a cookie; and

the field indicating that the next hop field is carrying the indicator associated with the MAC address of the first PE router is a subsequent address family indicator (SAFI) field.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a BGP message from another PE router, the BGP message containing routing information for another VPN route to be routed through an Ethernet switched path between the other PE router and the first PE router, the other PE router being at a source end of the Ethernet switched path and the first PE router being at a destination end of the Ethernet switched path; and

determining from the routing information in the received BGP message an association between the VPN route and the Ethernet switched path.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the other PE router is the second PE router.