Abstract: Implementations are provided for building a service function chain in a network that can remove the requirement to encapsulate packet level metadata or other packet levels in a service function chain. The approach allows for implementing service function chains while separating chain metadata from the service function so that service functions are not required to support handling service function chaining metadata. The approach can map a tunnel identifier of an encapsulated data packet to an attachment circuit of a service function and can rewrite the destination media access control (MAC) address of the data packet to the MAC address of the service function.

Abstract: A multi-protocol software-defined networking (SDN) controller receives receiving from one or more applications one or more requests for services to be performed by one or more of a plurality of network devices that communicate with the SDN controller by a plurality of different of SDN protocols. The requests are mapped to appropriate ones of the plurality of different SDN protocols to fulfill the services of the requests. The SDN controller sends to the respective one or more of the plurality of network devices, control messages according to appropriate ones of the plurality of different SDN protocols. Responses are received at the SDN controller from the one or more of the plurality of network devices, each response indicating a failure or a success for a corresponding request. Failures and successes of the responses are associated with appropriate ones of the requests.

Abstract: A Service Abstraction Layer (SAL) provides network level abstraction enabling applications to interface via multiple software-defined networking (SDN) protocols with network devices in a heterogeneous network (devices in the network support a variety of SDN protocols) and in an opaque fashion in order to fulfill desired services by one or more of the protocols. Abstraction is not limited or mapped to any particular protocol. Protocols can change and applications can vary. Support for new protocols can be added later as plug-ins.