Abstract: Methods and apparatus to utilize route parameter sets for exchanging routes in a communication network are disclosed. An example method to exchange routes in a communication network disclosed herein comprises receiving a route comprising a route identifier identifying the route and a plurality of route parameter values characterizing the route, and sending the route identifier and a pointer to forward the route to a recipient in the communication network, the pointer being associated with a route parameter set comprising the plurality of route parameter values.

Abstract: A method of operating a communication network comprises receiving loopback addresses from a plurality of edge networks at a provider router of a core backbone network, the edge networks and the core backbone network being logically distinct from each other, advertising the loopback addresses to a transport route reflector element, propagating the advertisement of the loopback addresses to other provider routers of the core backbone network using a protocol for communicating between autonomous systems, and using the transport route reflector element to advertise at least one of the loopback addresses to a service route reflector element in one of the plurality of edge networks.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to utilize route parameter sets for exchanging routes in a communication network are disclosed. An example method to exchange routes in a communication network disclosed herein comprises receiving a route comprising a route identifier identifying the route and a plurality of route parameter values characterizing the route, and sending the route identifier and a pointer to forward the route to a recipient in the communication network, the pointer being associated with a route parameter set comprising the plurality of route parameter values.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to determine an alternate route in a network are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein include processing a label stack of a data packet at a first node to determine whether the data packet is undergoing alternative routing to a destination. Such example methods also include, in response to determining that the data packet is undergoing alternative routing, processing the label stack to determine multiplicity values for neighbor nodes of the first node, respective ones of the multiplicity values representing respective numbers of times the data packet has been routed to respective ones of the neighbor nodes while undergoing alternative routing to the destination. Such example methods further include updating the label stack to increase a respective multiplicity value associated with the first node prior to routing the data packet from the first node to a first one of the neighbor nodes selected based on the multiplicity values.

Abstract: A method of operating a communication network comprises receiving loopback addresses from a plurality of edge networks at a provider router of a core backbone network, the edge networks and the core backbone network being logically distinct from each other, advertising the loopback addresses to a transport route reflector element, propagating the advertisement of the loopback addresses to other provider routers of the core backbone network using a protocol for communicating between autonomous systems, and using the transport route reflector element to advertise at least one of the loopback addresses to a service route reflector element in one of the plurality of edge networks.

Abstract: Methods, systems and apparatus are disclosed to route cloud-based service communications. An example method includes generating a default route address associated with a selected one of a plurality of candidate transit routers in response to an identification of a virtual private network addition to the cloud-computing network, and assigning the default route address to a cloud service access router to direct a routing request from the cloud service access router to the selected one of the candidate transit routers via the default route address.

Abstract: A method of operating a communication network comprises receiving loopback addresses from a plurality of edge networks at a provider router of a core backbone network, the edge networks and the core backbone network being logically distinct from each other, advertising the loopback addresses to a transport route reflector element, propagating the advertisement of the loopback addresses to other provider routers of the core backbone network using a protocol for communicating between autonomous systems, and using the transport route reflector element to advertise at least one of the loopback addresses to a service route reflector element in one of the plurality of edge networks.

Abstract: An inter-provider network architecture system is disclosed. In particular, the system may enable a service provider network and a partner network to take advantage of each other's network cores, such that the resources of the service provider network and the partner network may be more effectively utilized to service customers of both networks. By doing so, not only can the service provider network and the partner network take advantage of each other's network resources, but they can also give each other's customers broader network reach into regions that are not typically serviced by their own networks. The service provider network may effectively accomplish this by providing a limited view of the service provider network to the partner network, or vice versa, so that traffic and data can flow between the networks without each network having to be fully aware of each other's entire network topologies.

Abstract: A system includes a first regional network including a first network element; a second regional network including a virtualized control plane network element, the virtualized control plane network element supporting a routing protocol at the first regional network, the routing protocol employing a location-based cost model; and a network connection connecting the virtualized control plane network element to the first regional network, the network connection having a network connection cost, the network connection cost applied in the location-based cost model to support the routing protocol at the first regional network.

Abstract: A system and method for retaining routes in a control plane learned by an inter-domain routing protocol in the event of a connectivity failure between routers. Routers are classified as either route reflectors or originators. A determination is made whether the connectivity failure occurred between a route reflector and an originator, two originators, or two route reflectors. A determination is then made whether to propagate a withdrawal of learned routes based on whether the connectivity failure occurred between a route reflector and an originator, two originators, or two route reflectors. A withdrawal of learned routes is propagated to neighboring routers if the connectivity failure occurred between two originators, or between a route reflector and an originator that is inaccessible via an intra-domain routing protocol.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing a wide area network infrastructure for providing services on IP networks such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Service over Internet Protocol (SoIP) networks are disclosed. For example, an enterprise customer may subscribe to a service for obtaining a reliable wide area network infrastructure for communicating among two or more customer locations. The network service provider creates a virtual private network in the public domain and another virtual private network in the private domain to interconnect the customer locations. It then connects each customer edge router to two provider edge routers one in each domain and/or instances of provider edge functionality in each domain. Routes are then advertised via two control planes to both virtual private networks.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to utilize route aggregation for exchanging routes in a communication network are disclosed.

Abstract: Examples of multi-protocol label switching networking using multiple network cores are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein to route data in a multi-protocol label switching network include providing an incoming data packet in parallel to a plurality of network cores of the multi-protocol label switching network to cause a respective plurality of alternative paths in the plurality of network cores to be determined for routing the incoming data packet, each alternative path being associated with a respective network core, each network core including a respective plurality of routers, obtaining a plurality of weights associated with the plurality of alternative paths, and selecting, based on the plurality of weights, a first alternative path in a first network core to route the incoming data packet in the multi-protocol label switching network, the first alternative path being selected from among the respective plurality of alternative paths in the plurality of network cores.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to determine an alternate route in a network are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein include processing a label stack of a data packet at a first node to determine whether the data packet is undergoing alternative routing to a destination. Such example methods also include, in response to determining that the data packet is undergoing alternative routing, processing the label stack to determine multiplicity values for neighbor nodes of the first node, respective ones of the multiplicity values representing respective numbers of times the data packet has been routed to respective ones of the neighbor nodes while undergoing alternative routing to the destination. Such example methods further include updating the label stack to increase a respective multiplicity value associated with the first node prior to routing the data packet from the first node to a first one of the neighbor nodes selected based on the multiplicity values.

Abstract: Example scalable multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) based networks, and methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to implement the same are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes determining at an area border router (ABR) an OSPF metric representing a cost associated with transporting data between a provider edge router (PER) and the ABR within a non-zero OSPF area, replacing at the ABR a first MPLS label included in a BGP message received from the PER with a second MPLS label associated with the PER and assigned by the ABR, replacing at the ABR a next-hop attribute included in the BGP message with a value representing a loopback address of the ABR, updating at the ABR a route cost attribute included in the BGP message to include the OSPF metric, and re-advertising from the ABR the modified BGP message into an OSPF area 0.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing a wide area network infrastructure for providing services on IP networks such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Service over Internet Protocol (SoIP) networks are disclosed. For example, an enterprise customer may subscribe to a service for obtaining a reliable wide area network infrastructure for communicating among two or more customer locations. The network service provider creates a virtual private network in the public domain and another virtual private network in the private domain to interconnect the customer locations. It then connects each customer edge router to two provider edge routers one in each domain and/or instances of provider edge functionality in each domain. Routes are then advertised via two control planes to both virtual private networks.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to determine an alternate route in a network are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein to route a data packet to a destination in a network comprises determining multiplicity values for a set of neighbor nodes, a multiplicity value representing a number of times the data packet has been routed to a respective neighbor node in the set of neighbor nodes, and selecting, based on the multiplicity values, a first neighbor node from the set of neighbor nodes to which to send the data packet to route the data packet to the destination.

Abstract: A system and method for retaining routes in a control plane learned by an inter-domain routing protocol in the event of a connectivity failure between routers. Routers are classified as either route reflectors or originators. A connectivity failure between two routers is determined. A determination is then made whether to propagate a withdrawal of learned routes based on whether the connectivity failure occurred between a route reflector and an originator, two originators, or two route reflectors. A withdrawal of learned routes is propagated to neighboring routers if the connectivity failure occurred between two originators, or between a route reflector and an originator that is inaccessible via an intra-domain routing protocol. No withdrawal of learned routes is propagated if the connectivity failure occurred between two route reflectors, or between a route reflector and an originator that is accessible via an intra-domain routing protocol.

Abstract: Methods, systems and apparatus are disclosed to route cloud-based service communications. An example method includes generating a default route address associated with a selected one of a plurality of candidate transit routers in response to an identification of a virtual private network addition to the cloud-computing network, and assigning the default route address to a cloud service access router to direct a routing request from the cloud service access router to the selected one of the candidate transit routers via the default route address.

Abstract: Examples of multi-protocol label switching networking using multiple network cores are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein to route data in a multi-protocol label switching network include providing an incoming data packet in parallel to a plurality of network cores of the multi-protocol label switching network to cause a respective plurality of alternative paths in the plurality of network cores to be determined for routing the incoming data packet, each alternative path being associated with a respective network core, each network core including a respective plurality of routers, obtaining a plurality of weights associated with the plurality of alternative paths, and selecting, based on the plurality of weights, a first alternative path in a first network core to route the incoming data packet in the multi-protocol label switching network, the first alternative path being selected from among the respective plurality of alternative paths in the plurality of network cores.