System and method for using label distribution protocol (LDP) in IPv6 networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9306855-B2
Application number	US-201313857137-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2013
Priority date	Apr 4, 2012
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

A method and apparatus for generating an IPv6 compliant label distribution protocol (LDP) control plane packet at a Label Switched Router (LSR).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for generating an IPv6 compliant label distribution protocol (LDP) control plane packet at a Label Switched Router (LSR), said method comprising:
storing, in a memory of said LSR, at least a header portion of a LDP Protocol Data Unit (PDU);
modifying an LDP Identifier in said stored PDU header to include therein a LSR Identifier associated with said LSR;
modifying a source address field of a header portion of an IPv6 packet to include as a source address said LSR Identifier associated with said LSR;
modifying a payload portion of said IPv6 packet to include said LDP PDU; and
forwarding said IPv6 packet toward a destination LSR.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said LSR Identifier comprises an IPv6 compliant routable long address.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said IPv6 compliant routable long address comprises a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) next-hop routable IPv6 address advertised by an IPv6 BGP peer.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein said IPv6 compliant routable long address comprises a 128-bit LSR ID derived using Unique Local IPv6 Unicast Addresses from a private IPv6 space of a network operator.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said LSR Identifier is adapted for identifying the LSR in Loop Detection Path Vectors.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising modifying a Version Identifier in said stored PDU header to include a version number greater than one.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said steps are performed by each of a plurality of LSRs in an MPLS network.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said MPLS network comprises an IPv6 network.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said LSR comprises one of a plurality of LSRs instantiated at a network element.

10. A telecom network element comprising a processor configured for generating an IPv6 compliant label distribution protocol (LDP) control plane packet at a Label Switched Router (LSR), the processor configured for:
storing, in a memory of said LSR, at least a header portion of a LDP Protocol Data Unit (PDU);
modifying an LDP Identifier in said stored PDU header to include therein a LSR Identifier associated with said LSR;
modifying a source address field of a header portion of an IPv6 packet to include as a source address said LSR Identifier associated with said LSR;
modifying a payload portion of said IPv6 packet to include said LDP PDU; and
forwarding said IPv6 packet toward a destination LSR.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a computer, adapt the operation of the computer to provide a method for generating an IPv6 compliant label distribution protocol (LDP) control plane packet at a Label Switched Router (LSR), the method comprising:
storing, in a memory of said LSR, at least a header portion of a LDP Protocol Data Unit (PDU);
modifying an LDP Identifier in said stored PDU header to include therein a LSR Identifier associated with said LSR;
modifying a source address field of a header portion of an IPv6 packet to include as a source address said LSR Identifier associated with said LSR;
modifying a payload portion of said IPv6 packet to include said LDP PDU; and
forwarding said IPv6 packet toward a destination LSR.

12. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions which, when executed by a processor in a telecom network element, adapt the operation of the telecom network element to provide a method for generating an IPv6 compliant label distribution protocol (LDP) control plane packet at a Label Switched Router (LSR), the method comprising:
storing, in a memory of said LSR, at least a header portion of a LDP Protocol Data Unit (PDU);
modifying an LDP Identifier in said stored PDU header to include therein a LSR Identifier associated with said LSR;
modifying a source address field of a header portion of an IPv6 packet to include as a source address said LSR Identifier associated with said LSR;
modifying a payload portion of said IPv6 packet to include said LDP PDU; and
forwarding said IPv6 packet toward a destination LSR.

Assignees

• Dutta Pranjal K
• Aissaoui Mustapha
• Alcatel Lucent

Inventors

• Dutta Pranjal K
• Aissaoui Mustapha

Classifications

• H04L45/50

  using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS] · CPC title

• H04L45/28 Primary

  using route fault recovery · CPC title

• H04L47/12 Primary

  Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion · CPC title

• H04L45/507 Primary

  Label distribution · CPC title

• H04L49/501

  Overload detection · CPC title