Abstract: Described are programmable IO devices installed on a host device and configured to execute instructions that cause the programmable IO device to perform operations to establish a virtual link between another programmable IO device installed on the host device and provide a data plane using the virtual link. These operations comprise: establishing the virtual link with the other programmable IO device installed on the host device, wherein the virtual link provides a communication channel between the programmable IO devices; providing the data plane by establishing, with the other programmable IO device via the virtual link, a data path associated with the data plane; receiving a packet in the data plane destined for the other programmable IO device; and forwarding the packet to the other programmable IO device via the virtual link.

Abstract: Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) snooping includes flooding an IGMP query received at a border leaf switch from a multicast router connected to the multicast router to all host devices in a given bridge domain through leaf switches in the bridge domain, and receiving multiple join requests from the connected host devices at the leaf switches. The IGMP snooping also includes consolidating the multiple join requests received at the leaf switches into a multicast groups membership repository to indicate for each leaf switch the multicast group membership of interest in the given bridge domain, and sending the repository to the border leaf switch to enable the border leaf switch to send a consolidated IGMP proxy report on behalf of the leaf switches to the multicast router based on the repository and that indicates the multicast membership of interest in the given bridge domain.