Method and apparatus for virtual circuit routes

1. A network element comprising:

a control card having a virtual circuit data structure and a next hop data structure, wherein the virtual circuit data structure includes a virtual circuit element that represents a layer 2 virtual circuit and indicates a layer 2 protocol specific logical circuit associated with the layer 2 virtual circuit and the virtual circuit element references a next hop element of the next hop data structure, wherein the next hop element indicates a layer 3 next hop; and

a line card coupled with the control card, the line card having a forwarding information base (FIB) and a virtual circuit table, the virtual circuit table including a virtual circuit table element that indicates a represented layer 2 virtual circuit and that references a layer 3 next hop in the FIB.

2. The network element of claim 1 , wherein the virtual circuit element and the virtual circuit table element also reference a logical circuit ID and a virtual circuit ID.

3. The network element of claim 1 , wherein a packet is forwarded to a set of one or more alternate layer 3 next hops if the layer 3 next hop is unavailable.

4. The network element of claim 1 , wherein the virtual circuit element includes a delete timer and a free timer.

5. The network element of claim 4 , wherein the delete timer operates to delete the virtual circuit element if a configuration command is not received before a time limit within the delete timer expires.

6. The network element of claim 4 , wherein the free timer operates to delete the virtual circuit element if a delete command is received and a time limit within the free timer expires.

7. A network comprising:

a first network element configured to transmit a packet that includes a layer 2 header and a layer 3 header;

a second network element configured to:

receive the packet,

process the layer 2 header,

determine a layer 2 protocol specific logical circuit from the layer 2 header,

select a layer 2 virtual circuit that is associated with the layer 2 protocol specific logical circuit from a virtual circuit table, and

forward the packet to a layer 3 next hop indicated by the layer 2 virtual circuit without processing the layer 3 header; and

a third network element configured to receive the packet from the second network element.

8. The network element of claim 7 , wherein the virtual circuit table includes a logical circuit ID field, a virtual circuit ID field, and a next hop pointer field.

9. The network element of claim 7 , wherein the layer 2 virtual circuit also indicates a set of one or more alternate layer 3 next hops if the layer 3 next hop is unavailable.

10. The network element of claim 7 , wherein the layer 2 virtual circuit is also associated with a delete timer and a free timer.

11. The network element of claim 10 , wherein the delete timer operates to delete the layer 2 virtual circuit if a configuration command is not received before a time limit within the delete timer expires.

12. The network element of claim 10 , wherein the free timer operates to delete the layer 2 virtual circuit if a delete command is received and a time limit within the free timer expires.

13. A set of one or more non-transitory machine-readable medium that provides instructions, which when executed by a set of one or more processors, cause said set of processors to perform operations comprising:

associating a virtual circuit to a layer 3 next hop, the virtual circuit being associated with a layer 2 protocol specific logical circuit;

receiving a packet on the logical circuit;

processing the packet with configuration information indicated by the virtual circuit; and

forwarding the packet to the layer 3 next hop associated with the virtual circuit without processing the packet's layer 3 header.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein said associating includes defining the virtual circuit within a VC table having a logical circuit ID field, a virtual circuit ID field, and a next hop pointer field.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14 , further comprising processing a second packet according to the second packet's layer 3 header if a second virtual circuit is not defined within the VC table that associates a second layer 2 protocol specific logical circuit with the second packet and a second layer 3 next hop.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the forwarding includes forwarding the packet to a set of one or more alternate layer 3 next hops if the layer 3 next hop is unavailable.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , further comprising operating a delete timer and a free timer for the virtual circuit.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein said operating includes operating the delete timer to delete the virtual circuit if a configuration command is not received before a time limit within the delete timer expires.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein said operating includes operating the free timer to delete the virtual circuit if a delete command is received and a time limit within the free timer expires.