IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,388,084
Granted Patent B2
US 11,388,084 · App. 16/514,942 · Granted Jul 12, 2022

Ethernet virtual private network attachment circuit aware virtual local area network bundle service

Inventors: Ali Sajassi (San Ramon, CA); Mankamana P. Mishra (Dublin, CA); Samir Thoria (Saratoga, CA); Patrice Brissette (Gatineau, CA); Mei Zhang (Cary, NC); Tapraj Singh (Danville, CA)
Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
H04L45/04H04L12/4641H04L45/16H04L45/66H04L61/6077
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,388,084
App. No.
16/514,942
Granted
Jul 12, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

Techniques for routing traffic across different virtual local area networks (VLANs) within a single bridge domain are described. One technique includes receiving at a first network device a packet from a second network device on a first interface of multiple interfaces within a bridge domain at the first network device. Attachment circuit information associated with the packet is determined. An information element that includes an indication of the attachment circuit information is generated. The information element is transmitted to the third network device.

Claims (56)

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, at a first network device, a multicast packet from a second network device, wherein:

the first network device comprises an integrated routing and bridging (IRB) interface comprising a bridge domain comprising a plurality of subnets;

the multicast packet is received on a first subnet of the plurality of subnets within the bridge domain of the IRB interface at the first network device; and

each subnet of the plurality of subnets within the bridge domain is associated with a different virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier;

determining, by the first network device, attachment circuit (AC) information associated with the multicast packet;

generating, by the first network device, an information element that includes an advertisement route that includes an Ethernet tag field, wherein the Ethernet tag field includes an indication of the AC information, wherein the AC information comprises the VLAN identifier associated with the first subnet of the plurality of subnets within the bridge domain at the first network device;

generating, by the first network device, an extended community comprising a predefined value that indicates that the Ethernet tag field comprises the indication of the AC information, wherein the information element further comprises the extended community; and

transmitting, by the first network device, the information element to a third network device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, at the first network device, a unicast packet from the second network device; and

determining, by the first network device, a media access control (MAC) address of the unicast packet.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , further comprising:

determining, by the first network device, AC information associated with the unicast packet;

generating, by the first network device, another information element comprising an indication of the AC information; and

generating, by the first network device, another advertisement route comprising at least the MAC address of the unicast packet and an indication of the bridge domain, wherein the other information element comprises the other advertisement route.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the other information element comprises an extended community that includes the indication of the AC information.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:

the first network device and the third network device are provider edge (PE) devices;

the second network device is a customer edge (CE) device; and

the second network device is multi-homed to the first network device and the third network device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the information element is processed by network devices that are multi-homed with respect to the second network device and discarded by network devices that are non-multi-homed with respect to the second network device.

7. A first network device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory containing a program that, when executed by the processor, performs an operation comprising:

receiving a multicast packet from a second network device, wherein:

the first network device comprises an integrated routing and bridging (IRB) interface comprising a bridge domain comprising a plurality of subnets;

the multicast packet is received on a first subnet of the plurality of subnets within the bridge domain of the IRB interface at the first network device; and

each subnet of the plurality of subnets within the bridge domain is associated with a different virtual local area (VLAN) identifier;

determining attachment circuit (AC) information associated with the multicast packet;

generating an information element that includes an advertisement route that includes an Ethernet tag field, wherein the Ethernet tag field includes an indication of the AC information, wherein the AC information comprises the VLAN identifier associated with the first subnet of the plurality of subnets within the bridge domain at the first network device;

generating an extended community comprising a predefined value that indicates that the Ethernet tag field comprises the indication of the AC information, wherein the information element further comprises the extended community; and

transmitting the information element to a third network device.

8. The first network device of claim 7 , wherein the information element is processed by network devices that are multi-homed with respect to the second network device and discarded by network devices that are non-multi-homed with respect to the second network device.

9. The first network device of claim 7 , wherein:

the first network device and the third network device are provider edge (PE) devices;

the second network device is a customer edge (CE) device; and

the second network device is multi-homed to the first network device and the third network device.

10. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, at a first network device, a first packet from a second network device, wherein:

the first packet comprises an information element that includes (i) an advertisement route that includes an Ethernet tag field and (ii) an extended community;

the first network device comprises a plurality of bridge domains;

each of the plurality of bridge domains comprises a plurality of subnets; and

for each of the plurality of bridge domains, each of the plurality of subnets within the bridge domain is associated with a different virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier;

upon determining, by the first network device, that a first field in the extended community includes a predefined value:

determining, by the first network device, that the Ethernet tag field in the advertisement route includes attachment circuit (AC) information associated with the first packet, wherein the predefined value indicates that the Ethernet tag field comprises an indication of the AC information; and

updating, by the first network device, a forwarding table at the first network device with the AC information, wherein the AC information comprises an indication of the VLAN identifier associated with a first subnet of the plurality of subnets within a first bridge domain associated with the first packet.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein the first network device and the second network device are provider edge (PE) devices.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , further comprising:

receiving, at the first network device, a second packet from a remote network device, wherein the second packet indicates a MAC address but does not include an indication of a subnet associated with the MAC address; and

forwarding, by the first network device, the second packet to a customer edge (CE) device, based on the updated forwarding table, comprising:

determining, based on the updated forwarding table, that the first subnet is associated with the MAC address; and

transmitting the second packet to the CE device over the first subnet.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein:

the first network device and the remote network device are provider edge (PE) devices; and

the CE device is multi-homed to the first network device and the second network device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 17, 2019
From: SAJASSI, ALI; MISHRA, MANKAMANA P.; THORIA, SAMIR; BRISSETTE, PATRICE; ZHANG, MEI; SINGH, TAPRAJ
To: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 049783/0507 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210021509A1 · Jan 21, 2021
Cited By (1)
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