Network connectivity management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9521055-B2
Application number	US-61823409-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2009
Priority date	Nov 13, 2009
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

Network connectivity management includes monitoring a circuit, wherein the circuit is a virtual connection between multiple networks via a provider core network. A device receives a plurality of network management messages associated with the circuit, and a determination is made regarding whether the circuit is experiencing a connectivity issue based on the network management messages. When it is determined that the circuit is experiencing a connectivity issue, then certain actions can be initiated.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
identifying a circuit to monitor, the circuit including a virtual connection between multiple networks via a provider network and a physical connection between an access device and a provider edge device configured to provide an entry point to the provider network;
configuring a maintenance entity association between the access device and the provider edge device such that at least one of the access device and provider edge device is configured to perform a fault determination and initiate a corrective action in response to a network management message of a first protocol, the association including at least one criterion for determining presence of connectivity issues;
receiving, using at least one of the provider edge device and the access device, the network management message associated with the circuit;
determining, by the provider edge device according to the at least one criterion of the association, if the physical connection portion of the circuit is experiencing a connectivity issue based on the network management message; and
automatically in response to determining that the physical connection portion of the circuit is experiencing a connectivity issue, translating the network management message of the first protocol to an interface status of a second protocol to identify a pseudowire pathway associated with the physical connection portion experiencing the connectivity issue, placing the interface status of the identified pseudowire pathway in a failed state, and sending a release message thereby initiating a takedown of the identified pseudowire pathway to withdraw at least a portion of the virtual connection.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pathway is a data link layer pathway.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the circuit is at least one of an Ethernet Virtual Connection (EVC), an Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL), a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN), and a Virtual Private Network (VPN) Tunnel.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the circuit is a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tunnel and identified by a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tag.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network management message is an Ethernet OAM message in accordance with IEEE 802.1ag.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the provider edge device is a MultiProtocol Label Switching (MPLS) label edge router.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the connectivity issue with the physical connection portion is determined based on a timing between network management messages reaching a multiplication factor of a continuity check message interval and
further comprising initiating an alert when it is determined that the circuit is experiencing the connectivity issue based on the at least one criterion.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
configuring the provider edge device to detect an Ethernet 802.1ag continuity check message;
determining, in the provider edge device, a number of missed Ethernet 802.1ag continuity check messages; and
determining that the circuit is experiencing a connectivity issue when the number of missed Ethernet 802.1ag continuity check messages exceeds a predetermined threshold based on a predetermined time period.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
checking a domain of the network management message;
determining whether the provider edge device is within the domain of the network management message and accordingly whether the network management message should be handled by the provider edge device.

10. A system, comprising:
a provider network configured to facilitate data communications between a plurality of networks using a data link layer communications protocol;
a provider edge device communicatively coupled to an access device, the access device communicatively coupled to at least one of the plurality of networks, the provider edge device configured to provide an entry point to the provider network to hand off network traffic from the at least one of the plurality of networks to the provider network;
a circuit configured to include a logical communications pathway between at least two of the plurality of networks via the provider network and a physical connection between the access device and the provider edge device;
a pseudowire pathway configured to support the logical communications pathway of the circuit, wherein the pseudowire pathway is associated with the data link layer communications protocol; and
wherein the provider edge device is configured to:
configure a maintenance entity association between the access device and the provider edge device such that at least one of the access device and provider edge device is configured to perform a fault determination and initiate a corrective action in response to a network management message of a first protocol, the association including at least one criterion for determining presence of connectivity issue;
receive from the access device the network management message associated with the circuit;
determine according to the at least one criterion of the association if the physical connection portion of the circuit is experiencing a connectivity issue based on the network management message; and
automatically in response to determining that the physical connection portion of the circuit is experiencing a connectivity issue, translate the network management message of the first protocol to an interface status of a second protocol to identify a pseudowire pathway associated with the physical connection portion experiencing the connectivity issue, initiate placement of the interface status of the identified pseudowire pathway in a failed state, and initiate a takedown of the identified pseudowire pathway.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the data link layer communications protocol is at least one of MultiProtocol Label Switching (MPLS), Frame Relay, and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM).

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the network communicatively coupled to the access device utilizes Ethernet, and the access device is configured to facilitate communication between the Ethernet network and the provider network.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the circuit is at least one of an Ethernet Virtual Connection (EVC), an Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL), a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN), and a Virtual Private Network (VPN) Tunnel.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the circuit is a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tunnel and identified by a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tag.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the network management message is an Ethernet OAM message in accordance with IEEE 802.1ag.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the provider edge device is a MultiProtocol Label Switching (MPLS) label edge router.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the connectivity issue with the physical connection portion is determined based on a timing between network management messages reaching a multiplication factor of a continuity check message interval and
wherein at least one of the provider edge device and the access device is further configured to initiate an alert when it is determined that the circuit is experiencing the connectivity issue based on the at least one criterion.

18. The system of claim 10 , wherein the provider edge device is further configured to:
detect an Ethernet 802.1ag continuity check message;
determine a number of missed Ethernet 802.1ag continuity check messages; and
determine that the circuit has experienced a fault when the number of missed Et

Assignees

• Turlington Matthew W
• Bencheck Michael U
• Kotrla Scott R
• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Turlington Matthew W
• Bencheck Michael U
• Kotrla Scott R

Classifications

• H04L41/0681

  Configuration of triggering conditions · CPC title

• H04L12/4633

  Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling · CPC title

• H04L12/4641

  Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] (LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272) · CPC title

• H04L43/0811 Primary

  by checking connectivity · CPC title

• H04L43/20

  the monitoring system or the monitored elements being virtualised, abstracted or software-defined entities, e.g. SDN or NFV · CPC title