Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080259784 | Failure notification in a network having serially connected nodes - Multicast capabilities of a link state protocol controlled network are used to accelerate the flooding advertisement of topology change notifications within portions of the network. This flooding mechanism may be particularly efficient in a network with a large number of two-connected nodes such as a ring network architecture. A control plane specific multicast group address is used when flooding topology change notifications, and a process such as reverse path forwarding check is used as an additional control on forwarding of the notification to prevent looping of control plane packets. Two-connected nodes insert a forwarding entry into their FIB to enable frames containing the control message to be forwarded via the data plane on to the downstream node so that propagation of the control message along a chain of two-connected nodes may occur at data plane speeds. | 10-23-2008 |
20080279196 | Differential Forwarding in Address-Based Carrier Networks - The invention relates to enabling differential forwarding in address-based carrier networks such as Ethernet networks. There is described a method of and connection controller for establishing connections ( | 11-13-2008 |
20080310417 | DIFFERENTIAL FORWARDING IN ADDRESS-BASED CARRIER NETWORKS - The invention relates to enabling differential forwarding in address-based carrier networks such as Ethernet networks. There is described a method of and connection controller for establishing connections ( | 12-18-2008 |
20090168768 | Tie-Breaking in Shortest Path Determination - A consistent tie-breaking decision between equal-cost shortest (lowest cost) paths is achieved by comparing an ordered set of node identifiers for each of a plurality of end-to-end paths. Alternatively, the same results can be achieved, on-the-fly, as a shortest path tree is constructed, by making a selection of an equal-cost path using the node identifiers of the diverging branches of the tree. Both variants allow a consistent selection to be made of equal-cost paths, regardless of where in the network the shortest paths are calculated. This ensures that traffic flow between any two nodes, in both the forward and reverse directions, will always follow the same path through the network. | 07-02-2009 |
20090201937 | RESILIENT PROVIDER LINK STATE BRIDGING (PLSB) VIRTUAL PRIVATE LAN SERVICE (VPLS) INTERWORKING - A method of peer interfacing a Link-State controlled network domain with an Ethernet Bridging controlled network domain. A pair of peer attachment points are provided between the Link-State controlled network domain and the Ethernet Bridging domain. The peer attachment points are respective endpoints of a set of one or more LAN segments defined within the Ethernet Bridging domain. The set of LAN segments are represented as a virtual node in the Link-State controlled network domain. The virtual node is represented in the Link-State controlled network domain as connected to each of the peer attachment points via a respective virtual link. The virtual links are configured such that frames to or from an address in the Link-State controlled network domain are forwarded over a tree passing through only one of the peer attachments points. | 08-13-2009 |
20090268739 | Transparent Bypass and Associated Mechanisms - A network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising transparently snooping a path control message comprising a first path identifier, wherein the path control message is sent between a plurality of routers and is not intended for the network component, analyzing a plurality of frames each comprising a second path identifier, and diverting at least some of the frames away from at least one of the routers, wherein the second path identifier in the diverted frames matches the first path identifier. Included is a method comprising configuring a bypass path by snooping a control frame comprising a label switched path (LSP) identifier, and routing a plurality of data frames associated with the LSP identifier to the bypass path without routing any subsequent control frames associated with the LSP identifier to the bypass path. | 10-29-2009 |
20100008351 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ROUTE SYNCHRONIZATION USING TIME SYNCHRONIZATION - A system, method and apparatus synchronize protocol events in a distributed communication network. The network includes a plurality of nodes. Each node in the network includes a time source which maintains a clock signal synchronized with each other node time source in the network. An announcement of a protocol event is sent to at least one node. The announcement includes a predetermined time for implementing the protocol event. The protocol event is acted upon at the predetermined time. | 01-14-2010 |
20100131635 | AGE BIASED DISTRIBUTED COLLISION RESOLUTION WITHOUT CLOCKS - A method resolves collisions in a networking system that includes a plurality of entities operable to transmit an intention to reserve a resource. A first request to reserve resources, which includes a listing of the resources along the first transmission path and a first intention priority value, is broadcast through the networking system. The first intention priority value is determined as a function of other intention priority values previously broadcast through the networking system. A second request is received. The second request includes a second intention priority value and at least one of the same resources included in the first request, thereby indicating a collision. The collision is resolved by comparing the first intention priority value to the second intention priority value. If the collision is resolved in favor of the first request, data is routed through the networking system using the resources along the first transmission path. | 05-27-2010 |
20100157844 | RESILIENT ATTACHMENT TO PROVIDER LINK STATE BRIDGING (PLSB) NETWORKS - A method system for interfacing a client system in a first network domain with a Provider Link State Bridging (PLSB) network domain. At least two Backbone Edge Bridges (BEBs) of the PLSB domain | 06-24-2010 |
20100281106 | Automatic Subnet Creation in Networks That Support Dynamic Ethernet-Local Area Network Services for Use by Operation, Administration, and Maintenance - A system comprising a plurality of nodes coupled to each other and configured to join a logical, dynamically created Ethernet-Local Area Network (E-LAN) service, and an operations, administration, and maintenance (OA&M) server coupled to a first node of the nodes via a port, wherein the nodes and the OA&M server exchange OA&M traffic over the E-LAN service. Also disclosed is a network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising advertising an E-LAN service identifier (SID) for an OA&M logical or physical port on an E-LAN, joining an E-LAN service that corresponds to the SID, and receiving an OA&M Internet Protocol (IP) address assigned for OA&M communications over the E-LAN service. Also disclosed is a method comprising establishing a default E-LAN service for an OA&M network, and exchanging OA&M communications with the OA&M network over the E-LAN service. | 11-04-2010 |
20100322244 | Utilizing Betweenness to Determine Forwarding State in a Routed Network - A set of critical nodes or links is identified on the network through which most of the shortest paths on the network occur. Each node compares their distance to end points on the network with a distance between the end points and each of the distinct critical nodes. Where the distance between the end points and the critical nodes is shorter than the distance between the end points and the node, the node is not on the shortest path and does not install forwarding state. Where the distance between the end points and the critical node is larger than or equal to the distance between the end points and the node, the node may be on the shortest path between the pair of end nodes and installs forwarding state. Installation of forwarding state may cause packet duplication, but determining forwarding state is dramatically simplified. The level of duplication may be reduced by selecting a larger number of critical nodes on the network. | 12-23-2010 |
20110128857 | TIE-BREAKING IN SHORTEST PATH DETERMINATION - A consistent tie-breaking decision between equal-cost shortest (lowest cost) paths is achieved by comparing an ordered set of node identifiers for each of a plurality of end-to-end paths. Alternatively, the same results can be achieved, on-the-fly, as a shortest path tree is constructed, by making a selection of an equal-cost path using the node identifiers of the diverging branches of the tree. Both variants allow a consistent selection to be made of equal-cost paths, regardless of where in the network the shortest paths are calculated. This ensures that traffic flow between any two nodes, in both the forward and reverse directions, will always follow the same path through the network. | 06-02-2011 |
20110170403 | Service Movement in Link State Controlled Layer Two Networks - An apparatus comprising a first edge node configured to populate a learned table using a first frame received from a remote node via a second edge node, wherein the learned table comprises a remote node address and a first forwarding address associated with the remote node address, and wherein the first forwarding address is for the second edge node, receive a second frame destined for the remote node, and determine that the second frame should be sent to the second edge node using the learned table, wherein the first edge node is further configured to replace the first forwarding address in the learned table with a second forwarding address when the second edge node fails, and wherein the second forwarding address is for a third edge node. | 07-14-2011 |
20110199941 | Rate-Varying Multicast Transmission for Clock Distribution in Packet Networks - In at least some embodiments, the disclosure includes an apparatus a root node in a packet based network that multicasts a plurality of packets. The apparatus also includes an intermediary node coupled to the root node and a plurality of leaf nodes coupled to the intermediary node. The root node, the intermediary node, and the plurality of leaf nodes are arranged in a tree topology. The packets are received at the intermediary node from the root node at a data rate equal to the data rate of the leaf node having the maximum data rate. The packets are multicast from the intermediary node to each of the plurality of leaf nodes at a plurality of different data rates such that each particular one of the plurality of leaf nodes receives the packets at a data rate corresponding to the data rate for the particular one of the plurality of leaf nodes. | 08-18-2011 |
20110228780 | Service Prioritization in Link State Controlled Layer Two Networks - An apparatus comprising a node configured to maintain a plurality of downloaded forwarding states for a plurality of link state based services that are associated with the node and a plurality of other nodes in a network comprising the node, and a plurality of advertised service identifiers (IDs) that correspond to the link state based services, wherein the service IDs are ordered in sequence from higher priority to lower priority link state based services, and wherein work is instantiated at the node according to the ordered sequence from higher priority to lower priority link state based services. | 09-22-2011 |
20120008528 | Layer Two Over Multiple Sites - An apparatus comprising a service network, and a plurality of Layer 2 sites connected by the service network via a plurality of gateways, wherein the gateways are configured to map a plurality of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of a plurality of hosts under a plurality of virtual local area networks (VLANs) in a plurality of Layer 2 sites to a plurality of addresses (e.g. MAC or others) of the corresponding gateways inform the other gateways in the other Layer 2 sites of the mapped IP addresses under each of the VLANs in the local Layer 2 sites, and forward data frames originated from the hosts in the local Layer 2 sites to the other gateways in the other Layer 2 sites when the data frames' destinations are residing in the other Layer 2 sites. | 01-12-2012 |
20120014387 | Virtual Layer 2 and Mechanism to Make it Scalable - An apparatus comprising a service network and a plurality of Layer 2 networks at a plurality of different physical locations coupled to the service network via a plurality of edge nodes at the Layer 2 networks, wherein the edge nodes are configured to maintain a plurality of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of a plurality of hosts across the Layer 2 networks, and wherein the IP addresses of the hosts in each of the Layer 2 networks are mapped by the other Layer 2 networks to a Media Access Control (MAC) address of each of the edge nodes in the same Layer 2 networks of the hosts. | 01-19-2012 |
20120033552 | Utilizing Betweenness to Determine Forwarding State in a Routed Network - A set of critical nodes or links is identified on the network through which most of the shortest paths on the network occur. Each node compares their distance to end points on the network with a distance between the end points and each of the distinct critical nodes. Where the distance between the end points and the critical nodes is shorter than the distance between the end points and the node, the node is not on the shortest path and does not install forwarding state. Where the distance between the end points and the critical node is larger than or equal to the distance between the end points and the node, the node may be on the shortest path between the pair of end nodes and installs forwarding state. Installation of forwarding state may cause packet duplication, but determining forwarding state is dramatically simplified. | 02-09-2012 |
20120224579 | Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Virtual Private Network (VPN) Over Routed Ethernet Backbone - In at least some embodiments, a network includes a plurality of switches and/or routers configured to implement a native Ethernet routing protocol that encapsulates virtual private network (VPN) traffic with an encapsulation attachment point Ethernet source address, with a de-encapsulation attachment point Ethernet destination address, and with a service label that uniquely identifies the VPN within the network. A single link state protocol such as IS-IS is used to carry network topology and service attachment point information. | 09-06-2012 |
20120257514 | Failure Notification in a Network Having Serially Connected Nodes - Multicast capabilities of a link state protocol controlled network are used to accelerate the flooding advertisement of topology change notifications within portions of the network. This flooding mechanism may be particularly efficient in a network with a large number of two-connected nodes such as a ring network architecture. A control plane specific multicast group address is used when flooding topology change notifications, and a process such as reverse path forwarding check is used as an additional control on forwarding of the notification to prevent looping of control plane packets. Two-connected nodes insert a forwarding entry into their FIB to enable frames containing the control message to be forwarded via the data plane on to the downstream node so that propagation of the control message along a chain of two-connected nodes may occur at data plane speeds. | 10-11-2012 |
20130107883 | Forwarding ASIC General Egress Multicast Filter Method | 05-02-2013 |
20130208624 | Link State Fast Flood with Computed Multi-Protocol-Label-Switching (MPLS) Broadcast Tree - A link state network comprising a plurality of interconnected nodes, and a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) tree established amongst at least some of the interconnected nodes, wherein the MPLS tree is associated with an MPLS label, and wherein the interconnected nodes are configured to deterministically forward a plurality of link state update (LSU) packets comprising the MPLS label over the MPLS tree. | 08-15-2013 |
20130208718 | Virtual Local Area Network Identifier Substitution as Time To Live Method - An apparatus comprising a node that uses a set of determined virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier (VIDs) to provide a hop limit for a packet forwarded by the node in a network. Also disclosed is a network component comprising a receiver that receives a packet comprising a VID that belongs to a determined set of ordered VIDs, a processor that substitutes the VID in the packet from the set of ordered VIDs and maps the VID to a next hop or instead drops the VID if the VID is a last ordered VID of the ordered VIDs, and a transmitter that forwards the packet comprising the substituted VID to the mapped next hop. | 08-15-2013 |
20130215749 | RESILIENT ATTACHMENT TO PROVIDER LINK STATE BRIDGING (PLSB) NETWORKS - A system for interfacing a client system in a first network domain with a Provider Link State Bridging (PLSB) domain includes at least two Backbone Edge Bridges (BEBs) of the PLSB domain. Each BEB is an end-point of a connection in the first network domain to the client system and an end-point of at least a unicast path in the PLSB domain. An inter-node trunk is provided in the PLSB domain for interconnecting the BEBs. A phantom node is defined in the PLSB domain and is notionally located on the inter-node trunk. Each of the BEBs is configured such that: an ingress packet received from the client system via the connection in the first network domain is forwarded through a path notionally rooted at the phantom node; and an egress packet destined for the client system is forwarded to the client system through the connection in the first network domain. | 08-22-2013 |
20130287028 | NVGRE Biomodal Tunnel Mesh - A method implemented by a hypervisor located in a first network device (ND), the method comprising sending to and receiving from a second ND a first type of packet, wherein each packet of the first type of packet comprises media access control (MAC) layer information of a client; and sending to and receiving from a third ND a second type of packet, wherein each packet of the second type of packet contains no client MAC layer information. | 10-31-2013 |
20140029424 | Higher Layer Compression with Lower Layer Signaling - Methods and devices for reducing traffic over a wireless link through the compression or suppression of high layer packets carrying predictable background data prior to transportation over a wireless link. The methods include intercepting application layer protocol packets carrying the predictable background data. In embodiments where the background data is periodic in nature, the high layer packets may be compressed into low-layer signaling indicators for communication over a low-layer control channel (e.g., an on off keying (OOK) channel). Alternatively, the high layer packets may be suppressed entirely (not transported over the wireless link) when a receiver side daemon is configured to autonomously replicate the periodic background nature according to a projected interval. In other embodiments, compression techniques may be used to reduce overhead attributable to non-periodic background data that is predictable in context. | 01-30-2014 |
20140064273 | Utilizing Betweenness to Determine Forwarding State in a Routed Network - A set of critical nodes or links is identified on the network through which most of the shortest paths on the network occur. Each node compares their distance to end points on the network with a distance between the end points and each of the distinct critical nodes. Where the distance between the end points and the critical nodes is shorter than the distance between the end points and the node, the node is not on the shortest path and does not install forwarding state. Where the distance between the end points and the critical node is larger than or equal to the distance between the end points and the node, the node may be on the shortest path between the pair of end nodes and installs forwarding state. Installation of forwarding state may cause packet duplication, but determining forwarding state is dramatically simplified. | 03-06-2014 |
20140092748 | RESILIENT PROVIDER LINK STATE BRIDGING (PLSB) VIRTUAL PRIVATE LAN SERVICE (VPLS) INTERWORKING - A method of peer interfacing a Link-State controlled network domain with an Ethernet Bridging controlled network domain. A pair of peer attachment points are provided between the Link-State controlled network domain and the Ethernet Bridging domain. The peer attachment points are respective endpoints of a set of one or more LAN segments defined within the Ethernet Bridging domain. The set of LAN segments are represented as a virtual node in the Link-State controlled network domain. The virtual node is represented in the Link-State controlled network domain as connected to each of the peer attachment points via a respective virtual link. The virtual links are configured such that frames to or from an address in the Link-State controlled network domain are forwarded over a tree passing through only one of the peer attachments points. | 04-03-2014 |
20140140347 | TIE-BREAKING IN SHORTEST PATH DETERMINATION - A consistent tie-breaking decision between equal-cost shortest (lowest cost) paths is achieved by comparing an ordered set of node identifiers for each of a plurality of end-to-end paths. Alternatively, the same results can be achieved, on-the-fly, as a shortest path tree is constructed, by making a selection of an equal-cost path using the node identifiers of the diverging branches of the tree. Both variants allow a consistent selection to be made of equal-cost paths, regardless of where in the network the shortest paths are calculated. This ensures that traffic flow between any two nodes, in both the forward and reverse directions, will always follow the same path through the network. | 05-22-2014 |
20140161450 | System and Method for Accelerating and Decelerating Packets - In one embodiment, a system for accelerating a packet stream includes a first accelerator configured to re-clock the packet stream from a first clock rate to a second clock rate to produce an accelerated packet stream, where the first clock rate is less than the second clock rate, where the packet stream has a first inter-packet gap, where the accelerated packet stream has a second inter-packet gap, and where the second inter-packet gap is greater than the first inter-packet gap. The system also includes a switch coupled to the first accelerator, where the switch is configured to switch the accelerated packet stream at the second clock rate to produce a switched packet stream. | 06-12-2014 |
20140161451 | System and Method for Multi-Wavelength Encoding - In one embodiment, a method for multi-wavelength encoding includes receiving an input optical packet stream having an address and data and encoding the address of the input optical packet stream producing an encoded address including a first group of symbols including a first selected symbol, where the first group of symbols has more than two symbols. The method also includes generating a first wavelength in accordance with the first selected symbol and generating an output optical packet stream having the data of the input optical packet and the first wavelength, where the first wavelength corresponds to the first selected symbol. Additionally, the method includes modulating the first wavelength with the input optical packet stream. | 06-12-2014 |
20140177433 | RESILIENT ATTACHMENT TO PROVIDER LINK STATE BRIDGING (PLSB) NETWORKS - A system for interfacing a client system in a first network domain with a Provider Link State Bridging (PLSB) domain includes at least two Backbone Edge Bridges (BEBs) of the PLSB domain. Each BEB is an end-point of a connection in the first network domain to the client system and an end-point of at least a unicast path in the PLSB domain. An inter-node trunk is provided in the PLSB domain for interconnecting the BEBs. A phantom node is defined in the PLSB domain and is notionally located on the inter-node trunk. Each of the BEBs is configured such that: an ingress packet received from the client system via the connection in the first network domain is forwarded through a path notionally rooted at the phantom node; and an egress packet destined for the client system is forwarded to the client system through the connection in the first network domain. | 06-26-2014 |
20140201374 | Network Function Virtualization for a Network Device - An apparatus for performing network function virtualization (NFV), comprising: a memory, a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the memory includes instructions that when executed by the processor cause the apparatus to perform the following: receive an instruction to virtualize a network device within a network, divide, according to the instruction, the network device into a plurality of network functions (NFs) used to form a virtualized network node that corresponds to the network device, launch the NFs within one or more virtual containers, and group the virtual containers together using a group identifier (ID) that corresponds to the virtualized network node, wherein each of the NFs correspond to a network function performed by the network device prior to virtualization. | 07-17-2014 |
20140269351 | System and Method for Steering Packet Streams - In one embodiment, a system for steering an input packet stream includes a traffic splitter configured to split an input packet stream into a first packet stream and a second packet stream, and a photonic switching fabric coupled to the traffic splitter, where the photonic switching fabric is configured to switch the first packet stream. The system may also include an electrical packet switching fabric coupled to the traffic splitter, where the electrical packet switching fabric is configured to switch the second packet stream, and a traffic combiner coupled to the photonic switching fabric and to the electrical packet switching fabric, where the traffic combiner is configured to merge the first switched packet stream and the second switched packet stream to produce a first packet flow. | 09-18-2014 |
20140269433 | Failure Notification in a Network having Serially Connected Nodes - Multicast capabilities of a link state protocol controlled network are used to accelerate the flooding advertisement of topology change notifications within portions of the network. This flooding mechanism may be particularly efficient in a network with a large number of two-connected nodes such as a ring network architecture. A control plane specific multicast group address is used when flooding topology change notifications, and a process such as reverse path forwarding check is used as an additional control on forwarding of the notification to prevent looping of control plane packets. Two-connected nodes insert a forwarding entry into their FIB to enable frames containing the control message to be forwarded via the data plane on to the downstream node so that propagation of the control message along a chain of two-connected nodes may occur at data plane speeds. | 09-18-2014 |
20140286344 | DISTRIBUTED CONNECTION ESTABLISHMENT AND RESTORATION - Connection constraints are flooded using an extension to a routing protocol being used to control forwarding on network. Nodes maintain topology and connection database and calculate routes for connections based on the constraints. If a node is on a calculated route for a connection it will install forwarding state for the connection. Since each node has a consistent view of the network topology and has been provided with the constraints associated with the connection, each node on the network will calculate the same route for the connection. When a failure occurs, the nodes will calculate restoration paths for the connections on a network-wide priority basis to enable restoration paths to be created for the affected connections without requiring the restoration paths to be signaled. Time-stamps are used to allow events to be applied by nodes in a consistent order regardless of the order in which they arrive. | 09-25-2014 |
20140376383 | Systems and Methods for Traffic Engineering in Software Defined Networks - Traffic engineering vector operations that are capable of being independently solved can provide near-linear scalability through the exploitation of massively parallel processing. Optimization can be performed simultaneously on different paths in a data plane, as well as on different links within the same path (or within the same set of paths). In some embodiments, the traffic engineering vector operations include an adjustable alpha-fairness variable that allows managers to achieve different levels of fairness/throughput. Hence, embodiment alpha fairness techniques provide flexible policy execution, while maintaining excellent scalability for large network implementations. | 12-25-2014 |
20150029837 | Protection Switched Source Routing - A network element configured to operate in a source routing network, wherein the network element comprises a receiver, a transmitter, and a processor coupled to the receiver and the transmitter. The processor may be configured to cause the network element to receive from an upstream network element, a liveness protection probe comprising a header that comprises a list of one or more ordered connection identifiers that indicate a network path traversing the source routing network through which the liveness protection probe should be forwarded, transmit the liveness protection probe toward a downstream network element according to the connection identifiers, receive the liveness protection probe from the downstream network element, and transmit the liveness protection probe to the upstream network element according to a second list of one or more ordered connection identifiers contained within the header. | 01-29-2015 |
20150043905 | System and Method for Photonic Switching and Controlling Photonic Switching in a Data Center - In one embodiment, data center includes a packet switching core and a photonic switch. The photonic switch includes a first plurality of ports optically coupled to the packet switching core and a second plurality of ports configured to be optically coupled to a plurality of peripherals, where the photonic switch is configured to link packets between the plurality of peripherals and the packet switching core. The data center also includes a photonic switch controller coupled to the photonic switch and an operations and management center coupled between the packet switching core and the photonic switch controller. | 02-12-2015 |