Adjacency server for virtual private networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9288067-B2
Application number	US-201213424569-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2012
Priority date	Mar 20, 2012
Publication date	Mar 15, 2016
Grant date	Mar 15, 2016

Abstract

Devices, methods and instructions encoded on computer readable medium are provided herein for creation of an overlay network on a non-multicast or source specific multicast (SSM) core. In one example, virtual private network (VPN) adjacencies are established between an adjacency server and one or more edge devices each located at different network sites. A unicast replication list is then generated at the adjacency server. The unicast replication list includes the Internet Protocol addresses for each of the edge devices having VPN adjacencies with the adjacency server. The unicast replication list is then advertised to each of the edge devices for use in establishing VPN adjacencies with one another.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, at an adjacency server, a first adjacency initialization packet from a first edge device, the first edge device being connected to the adjacency server by a non-any source multicast (non-ASM) core network and the first adjacency initialization packet including a first Internet Protocol (IP) address for the first edge device;
sending a first response adjacency initialization packet back to the first edge device to establish a virtual private network (VPN) adjacency between the adjacency server and the first edge device;
adding the first IP address to a unicast replication list that stores IP addresses for edge devices each having a VPN adjacency with the adjacency server;
receiving, at the adjacency server, a second adjacency initialization packet from a second edge device, the second edge device being connected to the adjacency server by the non-ASM core network and the second adjacency initialization packet including a second IP address for the second edge device;
sending a second response adjacency initialization packet back to the second edge device to establish a VPN adjacency between the adjacency server and the second edge device;
adding the second IP address to the unicast replication list; and
advertising, by the adjacency server, the unicast replication list to each of the edge devices that has an IP address in the unicast replication list for the edge devices to establish VPN adjacencies with one another over the non-ASM core network.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein advertising the unicast replication list comprises:
encapsulating the unicast replication list in a packet that is sent via individual unicast messages to each of the edge devices.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
periodically advertising the unicast replication list to the edge devices.

4. The method of claim 1 , and further comprising:
receiving from a subset of the edge devices that has an IP address in the unicast replication list one or more packets indicating that the edge devices in the subset are each members of a multicast group;
generating a subset-unicast replication list that identifies the subset of the edge devices as members of the multicast group; and
advertising the subset-unicast replication list to each of the subset of the edge devices.

5. A method comprising:
sending an adjacency initialization packet from an edge device to an adjacency server, the edge device being connected to the adjacency server by a non-any source multicast (non-ASM) core network and the adjacency initialization packet including an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the edge device;
receiving a response adjacency initialization packet from the adjacency server indicating a virtual private network (VPN) adjacency having been established between the edge device and the adjacency server over the non-ASM core network;
receiving, from the adjacency server at the edge device, a unicast replication list that includes Internet Protocol addresses for edge devices each having a VPN adjacency with the adjacency server;
storing the unicast replication list in memory of the edge device; and
establishing, based on the unicast replication list, VPN adjacencies with each of other edge devices identified in the unicast replication list over the non-ASM core network.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the non-ASM core network is a source specific multicast core network, further comprising:
joining a multicast channel and one or more source specific trees associated with the multicast channel.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the non-ASM core network is a unicast-only core network, further comprising:
determining that a multicast packet is to be sent to each of the other edge devices identified in the unicast replication list via the VPN adjacencies;
unicast replicating the multicast packet to form multiple packets; and
transmitting the multiple packets to each of the other edge devices identified in the unicast replication list in individual unicast messages via the VPN adjacencies.

8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
periodically receiving the unicast replication list from the adjacency server.

9. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
retaining, for a predetermined period of time, the Internet Protocol address corresponding to a timed out VPN adjacency in the unicast replication list stored in memory; and
removing the Internet Protocol address corresponding to the timed out VPN adjacency from the unicast replication list after expiration of the predetermined period of time.

10. An apparatus comprising:
one or more network interfaces; and
a processor coupled to the one or more network interfaces, wherein the processor is configured to:
receive a first adjacency initialization packet from a first edge device, the first edge device being connected to the apparatus by a non-any source multicast (non-ASM) core network and the first adjacency initialization packet including a first Internet Protocol (IP) address for the first edge device;
send a first response adjacency initialization packet back to the first edge device to establish a virtual private network (VPN) adjacency between the apparatus and the first edge device;
add the first IP address to a unicast replication list that stores IP addresses for edge devices each having a VPN adjacency with the apparatus;
receive a second adjacency initialization packet from a second edge device, the second edge device being connected to the apparatus by the non-ASM core network and the second adjacency initialization packet including a second IP address for the second edge device;
send a second response adjacency initialization packet back to the second edge device to establish a VPN adjacency between the apparatus and the second edge device;
add the second IP address to the unicast replication list; and
advertise the unicast replication list to each of the edge devices that has an IP address in the unicast replication list for the edge devices to establish VPN adjacencies with one another over the non-ASM core network.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein to advertise the unicast replication list the processor is configured to encapsulate the unicast replication list in a packet that is sent via individual unicast messages to each of the edge devices.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive from a subset of the edge devices that has an IP address in the unicast replication list one or more packets indicating that the edge devices in the subset are each members of a multicast group, generate a subset-unicast replication list that identifies the subset of the edge devices as members of the multicast group, and advertise the subset-unicast replication list to each of the subset of the edge devices.

13. An apparatus comprising:
one or more network interfaces;
a memory; and
a processor coupled to the one or more network interfaces and the memory, wherein the processor is configured to:
send an adjacency initialization packet from the apparatus to an adjacency server, the apparatus being an edge device connected to the adjacency server by a non-any source multicast (non-ASM) core network and the adjacency initialization packet including an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the apparatus;
receive a response adjacency initialization packet from the adjacency server indicating a virtual private network (VPN) adjacency having been established between the edge device and the adjacency server over the non-ASM core network,
receive, from the adjacency server, a unicast replication list that

Assignees

• Farinacci Dino
• Badoni Gaurav
• Grover Hasmit
• Rao Dhananjaya
• Bacthu Nataraj
• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Farinacci Dino
• Badoni Gaurav
• Grover Hasmit
• Rao Dhananjaya
• Bacthu Nataraj

Classifications

• H04L45/66

  Layer 2 routing, e.g. in Ethernet based MAN's · CPC title

• H04L12/1836 Primary

  with heterogeneous network architecture · CPC title

• H04L45/16

  Multipoint routing · CPC title