Abstract: Apparatuses and methods are provided in which a CE protocol communication session is established, at a first provider edge network device (PE), for customer equipment device (CE) multi-homed to the first PE and one or more second PEs. The first PE is an owner of the CE protocol communication session. The first PE signals to the one or more second PEs an ownership message indicating that the first PE is the owner of the CE protocol communication session. The ownership message includes parameters that enable one or more second PEs to install in their respective forwarding tables a redirect policy to instruct the respective PE to forward packets of this session to the first PE via an overlay segment. The first PE receives the packets of the session via the overlay segment based on the ownership message.

Abstract: A communication pathway between a plurality of network nodes within a network is established. A DIS election operation is executed to determine a first network node among the plurality of network nodes as the DIS for the network and creating a first pseudo node for the first network node, and with each network node of the plurality of network nodes, determining whether the connectivity between the first network node and the other network nodes of the plurality of network nodes within the network is in a synchronous state with the adjacencies with the other network nodes of the plurality of network nodes within the network.

Abstract: An aircraft having distributed fans for boundary layer ingestion is provided. In one aspect, an aircraft includes a fuselage extending between a forward end and an aft end. The aircraft includes a plurality of boundary layer ingestion fans arranged in an array. Each fan of the array is mounted to and arranged circumferentially around the aft end of the fuselage. The fans are positioned so as to ingest boundary layer airflow flowing along the fuselage. At least two fans of the array are different sizes. Each fan of the fan array is operatively coupled with an electric machine. The electric machines are operable to drive their respective fans to produce thrust. The fans of the array are independently controlled in accordance with the boundary layer suction requirements of the aircraft.

Abstract: A communication pathway between a plurality of network nodes within a network is established. A DIS election operation is executed to determine a first network node among the plurality of network nodes as the DIS for the network and creating a first pseudo node for the first network node, and with each network node of the plurality of network nodes, determining whether the connectivity between the first network node and the other network nodes of the plurality of network nodes within the network is in a synchronous state with the adjacencies with the other network nodes of the plurality of network nodes within the network.

Abstract: A method is performed by a network controller. The method includes receiving information that defines a topology of a network having Ethernet Segments configured with virtual local area networks (VLANs) and including provider edges that are multi-homed to customer edges. The method further comprises, based on the topology, determining for the VLANs particular provider edges among the provider edges that are to operate as designated forwarders of traffic for the VLANs, such that the VLANs are load balanced across the particular provider edges. The method also includes programming the particular provider edges as the designated forwarders of traffic for the VLANs.

Abstract: A communication pathway between a plurality of network nodes within a network is established. A DIS election operation is executed to determine a first network node among the plurality of network nodes as the DIS for the network and creating a first pseudo node for the first network node, and with each network node of the plurality of network nodes, monitoring connectivity between the first network node and the other network nodes of the plurality of network nodes within the network, and monitoring adjacencies with the other network nodes of the plurality of network nodes within the network. Whether the connectivity between the first network node and the other network nodes of the plurality of network nodes within the network is in a synchronous state with the adjacencies with the other network nodes of the plurality of network nodes may be determined.

Abstract: A method is performed by a network controller. The method includes receiving information that defines a topology of a network having Ethernet Segments configured with virtual local area networks (VLANs) and including provider edges that are multi-homed to customer edges. The method further comprises, based on the topology, determining for the VLANs particular provider edges among the provider edges that are to operate as designated forwarders of traffic for the VLANs, such that the VLANs are load balanced across the particular provider edges. The method also includes programming the particular provider edges as the designated forwarders of traffic for the VLANs.

Abstract: First and second egress nodes are each multi-homed to a customer edge (CE) that participates in virtual routing and forwarding (VRF). First forwarding information is configured on the first egress node. The first information includes VRF labels and defines forwarding of traffic based on the VRF labels and a status of a primary path to the CE. The VRF labels include a per-VRF label for the VRF and a per-CE label for the CE. Second forwarding information is configured on the second egress node. The second forwarding information includes the per-VRF label and the per-CE label, and defines traffic forwarding based on the VRF labels. Upon receiving traffic for the CE that carries the per-VRF label, the first egress node determines the status of the primary path, and forwards the traffic to either the CE over the primary path or to the second egress node, depending on the status.

Abstract: First and second egress nodes are each multi-homed to a customer edge (CE) that participates in virtual routing and forwarding (VRF). First forwarding information is configured on the first egress node. The first information includes VRF labels and defines forwarding of traffic based on the VRF labels and a status of a primary path to the CE. The VRF labels include a per-VRF label for the VRF and a per-CE label for the CE. Second forwarding information is configured on the second egress node. The second forwarding information includes the per-VRF label and the per-CE label, and defines traffic forwarding based on the VRF labels. Upon receiving traffic for the CE that carries the per-VRF label, the first egress node determines the status of the primary path, and forwards the traffic to either the CE over the primary path or to the second egress node, depending on the status.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes activating a first network apparatus within a network and determining, by the first network apparatus, that a Scalable Group Tag (SGT) Exchange Protocol (SXP) is configured on the first network apparatus. The method also includes costing out the first network apparatus in response to determining that the SXP is configured on the first network apparatus. Costing out the first network apparatus prevents Internet Protocol (IP) traffic from flowing through the first network apparatus. The method further includes receiving, by the first network apparatus, IP-to-SGT bindings from an SXP speaker, receiving an end-of-exchange message from the SXP speaker, and costing in the first network apparatus in response to receiving the end-of-exchange message. Costing in the first network apparatus allows the IP traffic to flow through the first network apparatus.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an authoritative edge device (AED)-server in a computer network maintains assignment of an active AED for a particular virtual local area network (VLAN), and in response to a triggered re-assignment, sends an AED change request identifying an old active AED for the particular VLAN and a new active AED for the particular VLAN (e.g., and/or corresponding backups). In response to receiving the change request, the old active AED ceases forwarding of traffic for the particular VLAN and transmits a relinquishment confirmation into the network. Also, in response to receiving the change request and the relinquishment confirmation from the old active AED, the new active AED assumes responsibility for traffic forwarding for the particular VLAN and transmits an activation confirmation into the network. The change request is then deemed completed by the AED-sever upon receipt of both the relinquishment confirmation and the activation confirmation.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods are provided in which a CE protocol communication session is established, at a first provider edge network device (PE), for customer equipment device (CE) multi-homed to the first PE and one or more second PEs. The first PE is an owner of the CE protocol communication session. The first PE signals to the one or more second PEs an ownership message indicating that the first PE is the owner of the CE protocol communication session. The ownership message includes parameters that enable one or more second PEs to install in their respective forwarding tables a redirect policy to instruct the respective PE to forward packets of this session to the first PE via an overlay segment. The first PE receives the packets of the session via the overlay segment based on the ownership message.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods are provided in which a CE protocol communication session is established, at a first provider edge network device (PE), for customer equipment device (CE) multi-homed to the first PE and one or more second PEs. The first PE is an owner of the CE protocol communication session. The first PE signals to the one or more second PEs an ownership message indicating that the first PE is the owner of the CE protocol communication session. The ownership message includes parameters that enable one or more second PEs to install in their respective forwarding tables a redirect policy to instruct the respective PE to forward packets of this session to the first PE via an overlay segment. The first PE receives the packets of the session via the overlay segment based on the ownership message.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods are provided in which a CE protocol communication session is established, at a first provider edge network device (PE), for customer equipment device (CE) multi-homed to the first PE and one or more second PEs. The first PE is an owner of the CE protocol communication session. The first PE signals to the one or more second PEs an ownership message indicating that the first PE is the owner of the CE protocol communication session. The ownership message includes parameters that enable one or more second PEs to install in their respective forwarding tables a redirect policy to instruct the respective PE to forward packets of this session to the first PE via an overlay segment. The first PE receives the packets of the session via the overlay segment based on the ownership message.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a network controller identifies a first sign of life for an edge device in a communication network (e.g., when the network controller receives an encapsulated workflow request for the edge device over a control plane of the communication network). The network controller further imports the encapsulated workflow request from the edge device over the control plane, determines configuration parameters for a tenant and a tenant network from the encapsulated workflow request, and transmits the configuration parameters to the edge device to provision the edge device for the tenant according to the configuration parameters.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an authoritative edge device (AED)-server in a computer network maintains assignment of an active AED for a particular virtual local area network (VLAN), and in response to a triggered re-assignment, sends an AED change request identifying an old active AED for the particular VLAN and a new active AED for the particular VLAN (e.g., and/or corresponding backups). In response to receiving the change request, the old active AED ceases forwarding of traffic for the particular VLAN and transmits a relinquishment confirmation into the network. Also, in response to receiving the change request and the relinquishment confirmation from the old active AED, the new active AED assumes responsibility for traffic forwarding for the particular VLAN and transmits an activation confirmation into the network. The change request is then deemed completed by the AED-sever upon receipt of both the relinquishment confirmation and the activation confirmation.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an authoritative edge device (AED)-server in a computer network maintains assignment of an active AED for a particular virtual local area network (VLAN), and in response to a triggered re-assignment, sends an AED change request identifying an old active AED for the particular VLAN and a new active AED for the particular VLAN (e.g., and/or corresponding backups). In response to receiving the change request, the old active AED ceases forwarding of traffic for the particular VLAN and transmits a relinquishment confirmation into the network. Also, in response to receiving the change request and the relinquishment confirmation from the old active AED, the new active AED assumes responsibility for traffic forwarding for the particular VLAN and transmits an activation confirmation into the network. The change request is then deemed completed by the AED-sever upon receipt of both the relinquishment confirmation and the activation confirmation.

Abstract: A system and a method are disclosed for synchronizing network convergence and virtual host migration in a network environment. An exemplary method includes upon receiving a message indicating that a mobile host manger will migrate a virtual host from a source node to a destination node in a network, pre-calculating a route for the virtual host at the destination node; and upon receiving a message indicating that the mobile host manager will freeze the virtual host, activating the pre-calculated route at a switch to minimize packet loss while the network converges. The pre-calculated route may be activated at a switch through which the virtual host at the source node connected to the network.

Abstract: An example method for instantiating a network using a network function virtualization infrastructure (NVFI) pod in a network environment is provided and includes receiving a request to instantiate a logical network topology in the NFVI pod that includes a pre-selected set of interconnected pre-configured hardware resources, the abstract network topology including a virtual network function (VNF) forwarding graph (FG), distilling the VNF FG into various interconnected VNFs, deploying various VNFs of the VNF FG to a plurality of virtual machines, and instantiating the network topology on appropriate hardware resources in the NFVI pod. In specific embodiments, the pre-selected set of interconnected pre-configured hardware resources includes a plurality of compute servers, a plurality of controller servers, a set of network resources, and a plurality of storage resources. It may also include a high performance virtual switch operating in a user space of respective memory elements of a plurality of servers.

Abstract: Devices, methods and instructions encoded on computer readable medium for implementation of a dual-adjacency between edge devices of a network site. A first edge device comprises one or more local interfaces configured for communication, via a local network, with one or more network devices co-located in a first network site. The first edge device also comprises one or more overlay interfaces configured for communication, via a core network, with one or more network devices located in one or more other network sites connected to the core network. The first edge device comprises a processor configured to establish, via at least one of the local interfaces, a site communication channel with a second edge device co-located in the first network site. The processor is further configured to establish an overlay communication channel, via at least one of the overlay interfaces, with the second edge device.