Abstract: In one embodiment, operations analysis of packet groups identified based on timestamps is performed. One embodiment includes sending a plurality of sent timeframe groups of a plurality of time-stamped packets from a first packet network node towards a second packet network node in a network and recording first information associated with each of the plurality of said sent timeframe groups of the plurality of time-stamped packets. The second network node receives a plurality of received timeframe groups of a received plurality of time-stamped packets of said sent plurality of time-stamped packets and recording second information associated with each of the plurality of said received timeframe groups of the received plurality of time-stamped packets. Operations analysis based on one or more operations characteristics of said first information and said second information to produce analysis results.

Abstract: In one embodiment, packet memory and resource memory of a memory are independently managed, with regions of packet memory being freed of packets and temporarily made available to resource memory. In one embodiment, packet memory regions are dynamically made available to resource memory so that in-service system upgrade (ISSU) of a packet switching device can be performed without having to statically allocate (as per prior systems) twice the memory space required by resource memory during normal packet processing operations. One embodiment dynamically collects fragments of packet memory stored in packet memory to form a contiguous region of memory that can be used by resource memory in a memory system that is shared between many clients in a routing complex. One embodiment assigns a contiguous region no longer used by packet memory to resource memory, and from resource memory to packet memory, dynamically without packet loss or pause.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an autonomous system (AS) policy-adaptive confederation selectively manipulates the ordered list of traversed AS's using AS's of members of the policy-adaptive confederation and/or the AS of the policy-adaptive confederation itself when advertising to routers of AS's outside the policy-adaptive confederation. In one embodiment, a first member router of a first autonomous system (AS) within a policy-adaptive confederation identified by a confederation AS receives from a second member router of a second AS within the policy-adaptive confederation a route advertisement for a first route associated with a first ordered AS list identifying one or more AS's within the policy-adaptive confederation. The first member advertises the first route associated with the first ordered AS list not including the confederation AS to a first external router external to the policy-adaptive confederation.

Abstract: In one embodiment, micro-loops are avoided in ring topologies of packet switching devices by changing the order of propagation of link state information concerning failed communications between a particular packet switching device and a neighbor packet switching device. In one embodiment, the particular packet switching device communicates link state information of a high cost of the particular communications (e.g., in the direction from particular to neighbor packet switching devices) such that this link state information will propagate towards the particular packet switching device from at least from the furthest packet switching device in the ring topology that is currently configured to forward packets having a destination address of the neighbor packet switching device through the particular packet switching device.

Abstract: In one embodiment, non-eligible distance vector protocol paths are used as backup paths. In one embodiment, the distance vector protocol is Enhanced Interior Gateway Protocol (EIGRP) and unless a path is a feasible successor for a destination, the path is not eligible as a backup path. Therefore, if there is no feasible successor, there is no eligible backup path. One embodiment avoids an initial delay in finding a replacement path for traffic by determining and installing a non-eligible backup path (e.g., a path that is not a feasible successor) in one or more forwarding tables. In this manner, the router can immediately forward packets over this non-eligible backup path until, for example, forwarding in the network can converge in light of the primary path being no longer available.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a network server layer provides disjoint channels in response to client-layer disjoint path requests. For example, the network layer can be an optical network, and the client layer may be a packet switching layer (e.g., label switching, Internet Protocol). In one embodiment, a server-layer node receives a client-layer disjoint path request to provide a server-layer channel through a server-layer network. The client-layer disjoint path request includes an identifier corresponding to an existing client-layer path that traverses a current channel through the server-layer network that does not include the server-layer node. The server-layer network determines a particular channel through the server-layer network that is disjoint to the current channel based on route information of the current channel, and then signaling is performed within the server-layer network to establish the particular channel.

Abstract: In one embodiment, packet labels are used to identify synchronization groups of packets, such as for, but not limited to, performing processing of packets based on their corresponding synchronization group, as the synchronization label of a packet may define a current characteristic of the packet stream which is taken into account performing processing related to the packet. A plurality of synchronization groups of packets are generated and sent, by a first packet switching device, to a second packet switching device, with each particular packet of the plurality of synchronization groups of packets including a same synchronization label in a label stack of said particular packet that is different than a synchronization label used with another of the plurality of synchronization groups of packets, and with each synchronization group of the plurality of synchronization groups of packets including a plurality of packets.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a lower protocol layer in a network device filters packets based on a class and a particular of a destination address prior to sending information from the received packet to a higher protocol layer. For example, certain constrained networks include network nodes that do not have the ability to maintain a multicast distribution entry for each multicast address used in the network. By only forwarding on a portion of a multicast address, packets are often delivered to nodes in addition to the actual multicast subscribers. By filtering these incorrectly delivered packets at a lower protocol layer (e.g., layer-2 or layer-3), processing cycles at higher protocol layers are avoided. Additionally in one embodiment, class and particulars are deterministically determined (e.g., using a same hashing function) such that services can be discovered and used by subscribing to a corresponding multicast group.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an initial path is established in a wireless deterministic network between a source and a destination through one or more intermediate nodes, which are typically informed of a required metric between the source and the destination for communicating a packet. The initial path is locally (e.g., without contacting a path computation engine) reconfigured to bypass at least one of the intermediate nodes creating a new path, with the new path meeting the requirement(s) of the metric. Note, “locally reconfiguring” refers to the network nodes themselves determining a replacement path without reliance on a path computation engine or other entity (e.g., network management system, operating support system) in determining the replacement path. In one embodiment, a network node not on the initial path replaces a node on the initial path while using the same receive and send timeslots used in the initial path.

Abstract: In one embodiment, sensor data is transported in a network to a rendezvous point network node, which consolidates the information into a consolidated result which is communicated to the destination. Such consolidation by a network node reduces the number of paths required in the network between the sensors and the destination. One embodiment includes acquiring, by each of a plurality of originating nodes in a wireless deterministic network, external data related to a same physical event; communicating through the network said external data from each of the plurality of originating nodes to a rendezvous point network node (RP) within the network; processing, by the RP, said external data from each of the plurality of originating nodes to produce a consolidated result; and communicating the consolidated result to a destination node of the network. In one embodiment, the network is a low power lossy network (LLN).

Abstract: In one embodiment, a packet switching device includes one or more host devices and a cascade of aggregation nodes. The aggregation nodes aggregate customer traffic and communicate it with the host device. Typically the aggregation nodes are remotely located from the host device. The host device may be connected to one or both ends of the cascaded topology of aggregation nodes. In one embodiment, the cascaded topology of aggregation nodes automatically configures itself using initiation packets. In one embodiment, the cascaded topology of aggregation nodes reacts to detected faults, such as by changing direction packet traffic is sent through the cascaded topology. By cascading aggregation nodes, in contrast to having each aggregation node connected to the host device via one or more point-to-point links, communications costs are decreased in one embodiment.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a packet switching device receives a notification that a link has a diminished packet transport capacity. In response, the packet switching devices changes forwarding information for a portion of the packet traffic being sent over the diminished packet transport capacity link to traverse one or more reroute paths not including the diminished link, while some packet traffic continues to use the diminished packet transport capacity link. This notification can be received directly from a communications device, or via a routing protocol such as for a remote link that sent packet traffic may traverse. These rerouted paths may be precomputed and installed in forwarding data structures for fast rerouting, or computed and installed in response to receiving the notification. In one embodiment, quality of service (QoS) is adjusted in response to receiving the notification.

Abstract: In one embodiment, network address translated (NAT) mapped addresses are selectively used based on their prior network reachability. One embodiment maintains for each particular mapped address (e.g., NAT public address pool member), a reachability status level based on prior usage of the particular mapped address to communicate with external destinations. By continuously monitoring the reachability “health” of mapped addresses, problem-experiencing mapped addresses can be avoided. One embodiment monitors the success and/or failure rates of connection attempts over a rolling time period to provide an up-to-date current view of the reachability status level of corresponding mapped addresses. In one embodiment, a network address translation device assigns, based on their reachability status level, these mapped addresses.

Abstract: One embodiment includes signaling, by a first network node to a transmission unit owner node, identifying one or more remaining wireless time slot-frequency pairings of a current transmission unit assigned to the first network node that will not be used by the first network node during the current transmission unit. The transmission unit owner node reassigns one or more of the remaining wireless time slot-frequency pairings to a second network node in the network to use during the current transmission unit. One embodiment includes communicating information between a first network node and a second network node using a particular time slot-frequency pairing, including a particular frame time from the second network node to the first network node, a particular acknowledgement time from the first network node to the second network node, and a particular acknowledgment of the acknowledgment time from the second network node to the first network node.

Abstract: One embodiment includes: determining, by a particular networked device, sending and receiving time slots for progressively communicating a particular packet among nodes of an arc of an Available Routing Construct (ARC) chain topology network in both directions on the arc to reach each edge node of the arc; and determining, by the particular networked device, for each edge node of the arc a predetermined respective time slot for communicating the particular packet to a respective child node on a second arc of the ARC chain topology network. One embodiment includes respectively installing said determined time slots in said nodes of the arc. In one embodiment, the network is a wireless deterministic network. In one embodiment, the predetermined respective time slot for each particular edge node is after all time slots in which the particular packet could be received by said particular edge node.

Abstract: One embodiment allocates and uses exclusive and overlapping transmission units in a network. One embodiment includes sending information, from a first network node in a network, during an exclusive transmission unit, wherein the exclusive transmission unit includes one or more wireless time slot-frequency pairings assigned to the first network node to send info nation without another assigned network transmission unit providing overlapping time slot-frequency interference from another network node communicating in the network. One embodiment includes sending information, from the first network node, during an overlapping transmission unit, wherein the overlapping transmission unit includes one or more wireless time slot-frequency pairings assigned to the first network node to send information, with the overlapping transmission unit overlapping in time slot-frequency with one or more other assigned network transmission units that will cause interference if simultaneously used.

Abstract: One embodiment includes: forwarding a particular packet through an Available Routing Construct (ARC) chain topology network. In one embodiment, this forwarding includes: sending the particular packet by each particular non-edge node on an arc of the plurality of arcs receiving the particular packet to each sibling on the arc that did not send the particular packet to said particular non-edge node, while not sending the particular packet if it was received from both siblings of said particular edge node; and sending the particular packet to a respective child node on a second arc of the plurality of arcs by each particular edge node of two edge nodes on the arc after receiving the particular packet. In one embodiment, the network is a wireless deterministic network with pre-assigned time slots for receiving and subsequently sending a same particular packet by each node of the network.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a first node in a wireless deterministic network communicates to a second node configuration information identifying a destination-facing path portion of a particular one-way path traversing from a source node to a destination node within the wireless deterministic network. The destination-facing portion includes a path traversing from the second node over one or more additional nodes to the destination node over which to forward packets received over a first portion of the particular one-way path from the source node to the second node. The configuration information includes a particular time slot for the second node to receive packets being sent over the particular one-way path. In one embodiment, the first node receives from the second node an acknowledgement message in the particular time slot that the destination-facing portion of the particular one-way path was configured and activated.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a network of nodes is configured to communicate according to a configuration of Available Routing Construct (ARC) chains as well as monitoring communication in the network, and/or selectively controls whether or not provisioned particular links will be used. One embodiment colors nodes of the network (e.g., a wireless deterministic network) along different paths through the network and marks packets with the color of each traversed node to track a path taken by a packet. One embodiment sends a particular packet through the network and marks over which links the packet traverses and aggregates these traversed links of other copies of the particular packet. One embodiment controls whether or not the provisioned time slots are used based on flooding a control packet through the network with enable or disable information for each of these links.

Abstract: One embodiment includes, inter alia, methods, apparatus, computer-storage media, mechanisms, and/or means associated with automated transitioning between different communication protocols in a network. In one embodiment, automatic transition routers are automatically discovered along with the knowledge of what non-native protocols need to be transported across a network. Communication pathways are automatically established as needed to transport these non-native protocols. One embodiment is particularly useful in transitioning a network from one protocol to another, such as from Internet Protocol version 4 to version 6.