EVPN tenant domain transit network for multicast traffic

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12355590-B2
Application number	US-202318396180-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 26, 2023
Priority date	Jun 29, 2021
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

Techniques for operating a network device are provided. In some embodiments, a method may comprise: forwarding multicast data packets from a source in a first customer network to a receiver in a second customer network; detecting that another PE device is forwarding the multicast data packets, wherein: Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) is enabled on supplemental bridge domain (SBD) logical interfaces of the PE device and the another PE device, the PE device and the another PE device are PIM neighbors, and the PE device and the another PE device communicate with each other and with the receiver using the PIM protocol through an Ethernet virtual private network (EVPN). The method may further comprise determining the another PE device is an assert winner from among the PE device and the another PE device based on at least one PIM assert message, the another PE device forwarding the multicast data packets.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method in a first network edge device in a first network, the method comprising:
the first network edge device forwarding multicast traffic received from a source in a second network to at least one receiver in a third network;
the first network edge device detecting that a second network edge device in the first network is forwarding the multicast traffic received from the source to the receiver concurrently with the first network edge device;
the first network edge device, in response to the detecting, performing an election among a plurality of network edge devices in the first network including the first network edge device and the second network edge device, wherein the second network edge device is elected as an assert winner;
the first network edge device ceasing forwarding of the multicast traffic received from the source to the receiver in response to the second network edge device becoming the assert winner, wherein the second network edge device continues to forward the multicast traffic received from the source to the receiver by virtue of being the assert winner;
at a time subsequent to the second network edge device becoming the assert winner, the first network edge device performing a subsequent election among the plurality of network edge devices in the first network, wherein the first network edge device is elected as the assert winner; and
the first network edge device resuming forwarding of multicast traffic received from the source to the receiver by virtue of being the assert winner,
wherein the plurality of network edge devices are in an Ethernet virtual private network (EVPN), wherein Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) is enabled on supplemental bridge domain (SBD) logical interfaces of the first and second network edge devices, wherein the first and second network edge devices communicate with each other using a PIM protocol across the EVPN.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first network edge device performs the subsequent election in response to detecting that the second network edge device is no longer forwarding multicast traffic received from the source to the receiver.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein detecting that the second network edge device is no longer forwarding multicast traffic received from the source to the receiver is based on exchanging Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) Hello messages among the plurality of network edge devices in the first network.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising converting PIM messages received from the source to SMET messages for transmission over the first network and converting EVPN messages received from the first network to PIM message for transmission to the source.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a SMET message from a third network edge device in the first network, the SMET message comprising a PIM join message sent from the receiver to the third network edge device that is converted to the SMET message by the third network edge device; and
in response to receiving the SMET message from the third network edge device, commence forwarding the multicast traffic received from a source to the receiver.

6. A first network device comprising:
one or more computer processors; and
a computer-readable storage device comprising instructions for controlling the one or more computer processors to:
forward multicast traffic received from a source to at least one receiver;
detect that a second network device is forwarding the multicast traffic received from the source to the receiver concurrently with the first network device and, in response thereto, perform an election among a plurality of network devices including the first network device and the second network device, wherein the second network device is elected as an assert winner;
cease forwarding of the multicast traffic received from the source to the receiver in response to the second network device becoming the assert winner, wherein the second network device continues to forward the multicast traffic received from the source to the receiver by virtue of being the assert winner;
at a time subsequent to the second network edge device becoming the assert winner, perform a subsequent election among the plurality of network devices in the first network, wherein the first network device is elected as the assert winner; and
resume forwarding of multicast traffic received from the source to the receiver by virtue of being the assert winner,
wherein the plurality of network devices are in an Ethernet virtual private network (EVPN), wherein Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) is enabled on supplemental bridge domain (SBD) logical interfaces of the first and second network devices, wherein the first and second network devices communicate with each other using a PIM protocol across the EVPN.

7. The first network device of claim 6 , wherein the subsequent election is performed in response to detecting that the second network edge device is no longer forwarding multicast traffic received from the source to the receiver.

8. The first network device of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of network devices are in a core network.

9. The first network device of claim 7 , wherein the source is in a first customer network separate from the core network, wherein the receiver is in a second customer network separate from the core network.

10. The first network device of claim 6 , wherein detection that the second network device is no longer forwarding multicast traffic received from the source to the receiver is based on exchanging Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) Hello messages among the plurality of network devices.

11. The first network device of claim 10 , wherein the PIM Hello messages are periodically exchanged among the plurality of network devices.

12. The first network device of claim 6 , wherein the first device communicates with devices using selective multicast ethernet tag (SMET) messaging and with the source using Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) messaging.

13. The first network device of claim 12 , wherein the computer-readable storage device further comprises instructions for controlling the one or more computer processors to:
convert PIM messages received from the source to SMET messages for transmission among the plurality of network devices; and
convert EVPN messages received from among the plurality of network devices to PIM message for transmission to the source.

14. The first network device of claim 6 , wherein PIM is enabled on supplemental bridge domain (SBD) logical interfaces of the first and second network devices.

15. The first network device of claim 6 , wherein the computer-readable storage device further comprises instructions for controlling the one or more computer processors to:
receive, prior to the first network device forwarding the multicast traffic received from a source to the receiver, a SMET message from a third network device among the plurality of network devices, the SMET message comprising a PIM join message sent from the receiver to the third network device that is converted to the SMET message by the third network device; and
begin forwarding the multicast traffic received from a source to the receiver in response to receiving the SMET message from the third network device.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device in a first network device, the non-transitory computer-readable storage device having stored thereon computer executable instructions, which when executed, cause the first network device to:
forward multicast traffic received from a source

Assignees

• Arista Networks Inc

Inventors

• Nalagatla Suresh
• Balasubramanian Saravanan
• Srinivas Prashant
• Pattabhiraman Bharathram

Classifications

• H04L12/1886

  with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains · CPC title

• H04L12/462

  LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone · CPC title

• H04L12/44

  Star or tree networks · CPC title

• H04L12/1877

  Measures taken prior to transmission · CPC title

• H04L12/185

  with management of multicast group membership · CPC title