Interworking oam between ethernet and atm/frame relay networks

Abstract

The present invention provides a network system that interworks OA&M (Operations, Administration and Maintenance) failure notification data from the ATM Domain to the Ethernet Domain and vice versa. Failure indications or notifications are typically routed from one domain to another within 1-2 seconds; providing service providers and customers the ability to react quickly to network faults. This enhances the overall quality of the Ethernet-to-ATM Interworking service and provides a similar level of reliability across the Ethernet/ATM/FR domains.

1 . A network system for notifying/communicating at least one failure message from at least one source to at least one destination, said system comprising:
 a first network associated with the source, generates a first frame, said first frame includes a failure notification message and a first destination address in a first format compatible with the first network;   a second network associated with the destination having a second destination address; and   an interworking facility for receiving the first frame, forming a second frame of a second format compatible with the second network, and mapping the first destination address to a second destination address specifying in the second format the destination address in the second network, so that the second network upon receipt of the second destination address routes the second frame to the destination, wherein the second frame includes the failure notification message;   wherein the first frame has an Ethernet format;   wherein the first destination address includes a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tag with the Ethernet formatted first frame;   wherein the second frame has an Asynchronous Transport (ATM) format;   wherein said second destination address comprises an ATM Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC) tag;   wherein said failure notification message includes a Remote Defect Indication for sending a message back to a transmitting terminal that a failure has been indicated; and   wherein the interworking facility interworks the ATM format frames with the Ethernet format frames by the steps of
 receiving at the interworking facility an Ethernet formatted first frame with the corresponding VLAN tags; 
 matching the VLAN tag of the first destination with the corresponding PVC values of the second destination address using a mapping table; 
 converting the Ethernet format frame to the ATM format frame; and 
 sending the ATM format frame with the corresponding PVC tag to the destination served by the second network. 
   
   
   
       2 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said failure notification message includes automated Operations, Administration and Management traffic. 
   
   
       3 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein the second frame has an Asynchronous Transport (ATM) format and wherein the second destination address comprises an ATM Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC) VPI/VCI value. 
   
   
       4 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein the first frame has an Asynchronous Transport (ATM) format and wherein the first destination address comprises an ATM PVC VPI/VCI value. 
   
   
       5 . The system according to  claim 4  wherein the second frame has an Ethernet format and wherein the second destination address comprises a VLAN tag within the Ethernet formatted first frame. 
   
   
       6 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said source includes at least one Ethernet router. 
   
   
       7 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said destination includes at least one ATM router. 
   
   
       8 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said destination includes at least one frame relay router. 
   
   
       9 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said interworking facility includes Ethernet Interworking Switch. 
   
   
       10 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said second network includes Frame Relay Edge Switch. 
   
   
       11 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein said failure notification message includes failure in a link between the source and the first network. 
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 11  wherein said link failure is detected by the source. 
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said link failure is detected by the first network. 
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 11  wherein said source is an Ethernet router and said first network is an Ethernet network. 
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said failure notification message includes multiple failures in links between the sources and the first network. 
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said source is an ATM router and first network is an ATM network. 
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein said multiple link failures are detected by the first network. 
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein said first network is an Ethernet network. 
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein said first network is an ATM network 
   
   
       20 . A network system for notifying/communicating at least one failure message from at least one source to at least one destination, said system comprising:
 a first network associated with the source, generates a first frame, said first frame includes a failure notification message and a first destination address in a first format compatible with the first network;   a second network associated with the destination having a second destination address; and   an interworking facility for receiving the first frame, forming a second frame of a second format compatible with the second network, and mapping the first destination address to a second destination address specifying in the second format the destination address in the second network, so that the second network upon receipt of the second destination address routes the second frame to the destination, wherein the second frame includes the failure notification message;   wherein the first frame has an Asynchronous Transport (ATM) format;   wherein the first destination address includes an ATM PVC Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tag with the Ethernet formatted first frame;   wherein the second frame has an Ethernet format;   wherein said second destination address comprises a (VLAN) tag with the Ethernet formatted first frame;   wherein the mapping of the first destination address to the second destination address comprises the step of mapping the ATM PVC VPI/VCI to the VLAN tag; and   wherein the interworking facility interworks the ATM formal frames with the Ethernet format frames by the steps of:
 receiving at the interworking facility an ATM formatted first frame with the corresponding PVC VPI/VCI value; 
 matching the VPI/VCI of the first destination with the corresponding VLAN values of the second destination address using a mapping table; 
 converting the ATM format frame to the Ethernet format frame; and 
 sending the Ethernet format frame with the corresponding VLAN tag to the destination served by the second network.