IP Library Granted Patent US 8,659,993
Granted Patent B2
US 8,659,993 · App. 13/464,418 · Granted Feb 25, 2014

Priority domains for protection switching processes

Inventors: Arnel Lim (San Jose, CA); Hanno Viehweger (Berlin, DE)
Assignee: Extreme Networks, Inc.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,659,993
App. No.
13/464,418
Granted
Feb 25, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

Embodiments of the invention describe apparatus, systems and methods for creating a protection switching domain having a control virtual local area network (vlan), a first set of high priority protected data vlans, and a second set of lower priority protected data vlans. When a fault is detected at a ring network, indicating a failed link between adjacent nodes, said fault is communicated to a master node of the ring network via the control vlan. Embodiments of the invention allow a user to specify a priority for each of its domains on a given set of ring ports. The higher priority protected data domains are serviced to completion prior to servicing the lower priority protected data domains, ensuring that data traffic convergence time does not increase across these vlans.

Claims (47)

1. A method comprising:

creating a protection switching domain having a control virtual local area network (vlan), a first set of one or more protected data vlans, and a second set of one or more protected data vlans;

detecting a fault in a ring network, the ring network having a master node connected to at least one transit node, each node linked to an adjacent node by at least one of a primary port or a secondary port, the fault indicating a failed link between adjacent nodes;

communicating the fault to the master node via the control vlan;

for the one or more protected data vlans of the first set:

unblocking the master node's secondary port to traffic of at least one data vlan of the first set;

setting a state of the ring network for the first set of data vlans to failed;

flushing a forwarding database on the master node and on the at least one transit node; and

setting the state of the ring network for the first set of data vlans to complete; and

for the one or more protected data vlans of the second set, queuing domain events of the data vlans(s) of the second set until the state of the ring network for the first set of data vlans is set to complete.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first set of protected data vlan(s) includes priority data indicating a higher priority that the second set of protected data vlan(s).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first set of protected data vlan(s) comprises less data vlans than the second set of protected data vlan(s).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the protection switching domain comprises an Ethernet Automatic Protection Switching (EAPS) domain.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein detecting the fault comprises the master node polling the ring network to determine whether the ring network is complete.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the protection switching domain comprises an Ethernet Ring Protection Switching (ERPS) domain.

7. A system comprising:

a memory to store a forwarding database; and

a network controller to:

create a protection switching domain having a control virtual local area network (vlan), a first set of one or more protected data vlans, and a second set of one or more protected data vlans;

detect a fault in a ring network, the ring network having a master node connected to at least one transit node, each node linked to an adjacent node by at least one of a primary port or a secondary port, the fault indicating a failed link between adjacent nodes;

communicate the fault to the master node via the control vlan;

for the one or more protected data vlans of the first set:

unblock the master node's secondary port to traffic of at least one data vlan of the first set;

set a state of the ring network for the first set of data vlans to failed;

flush the forwarding database on the master node and on the at least one transit node; and

set the state of the ring network for the first set of data vlans to complete; and

for the one or more protected data vlans of the second set, queue domain events of the data vlans(s) of the second set until the state of the ring network for the first set of data vlans is set to complete.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the first set of protected data vlan(s) includes priority data indicating a higher priority that the second set of protected data vlan(s).

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the first set of protected data vlan(s) comprises less data vlans than the second set of protected data vlan(s).

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the protection switching domain comprises an Ethernet Automatic Protection Switching (EAPS) domain.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein detecting the fault comprises the master node polling the ring network to determine whether the ring network is complete.

12. The system of claim 7 , wherein the protection switching domain comprises an Ethernet Ring Protection Switching (ERPS) domain.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a processor to perform a method comprising:

creating a protection switching domain having a control virtual local area network (vlan), a first set of one or more protected data vlans, and a second set of one or more protected data vlans;

detecting a fault in a ring network, the ring network having a master node connected to at least one transit node, each node linked to an adjacent node by at least one of a primary port or a secondary port, the fault indicating a failed link between adjacent nodes;

communicating the fault to the master node via the control vlan;

for the one or more protected data vlans of the first set:

unblocking the master node's secondary port to traffic of at least one data vlan of the first set;

setting a state of the ring network for the first set of data vlans to failed;

flushing a forwarding database on the master node and on the at least one transit node; and

setting the state of the ring network for the first set of data vlans to complete; and

for the one or more protected data vlans of the second set, queuing domain events of the data vlans(s) of the second set until the state of the ring network for the first set of data vlans is set to complete.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the first set of protected data vlan(s) includes priority data indicating a higher priority that the second set of protected data vlan(s).

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the first set of protected data vlan(s) comprises less data vlans than the second set of protected data vlan(s).

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the protection switching domain comprises an Ethernet Automatic Protection Switching (EAPS) domain.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein detecting the fault comprises the master node polling the ring network to determine whether the ring network is complete.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the protection switching domain comprises an Ethernet Ring Protection Switching (ERPS) domain.

Assignments (10)
RELEASE OF PATENT AND TRADEMARK SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL/FRAME NO. 46050/0546 Recorded Jul 30, 2026
From: BANK OF MONTREAL, AS AGENT
To: EXTREME NETWORKS, INC.
Reel/Frame 076081/0088 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 29, 2026
From: EXTREME NETWORKS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 076078/0590 →
AMENDED SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 18, 2023
From: EXTREME NETWORKS, INC.; AEROHIVE NETWORKS, INC.
To: BANK OF MONTREAL
Reel/Frame 064782/0971 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 1, 2018
From: EXTREME NETWORKS, INC.
To: BANK OF MONTREAL
Reel/Frame 046050/0546 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 1, 2018
From: SILICON VALLEY BANK
To: EXTREME NETWORKS, INC.
Reel/Frame 046051/0775 →
THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED PATENT AND TRADEMARK SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 31, 2017
From: EXTREME NETWORKS, INC.
To: SILICON VALLEY BANK
Reel/Frame 044639/0300 →
SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED PATENT AND TRADEMARK SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jul 14, 2017
From: EXTREME NETWORKS, INC.
To: SILICON VALLEY BANK
Reel/Frame 043200/0614 →
AMENDED AND RESTATED PATENT AND TRADEMARK SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 31, 2016
From: EXTREME NETWORKS, INC.
To: SILICON VALLEY BANK
Reel/Frame 040521/0762 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jul 27, 2015
From: EXTREME NETWORKS, INC.
To: SILICON VALLEY BANK
Reel/Frame 036189/0284 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 21, 2012
From: LIM, ARNEL; VIEHWEGER, HANNO
To: EXTREME NETWORKS, INC.
Reel/Frame 029006/0631 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20130294226A1 · Nov 7, 2013