Abstract: A system for facilitating efficient port reconfiguration at a switch is provided. During operation, the system can identify a target port of the switch for reconfiguration based on one or more reconfiguration parameters indicating how a set of logical ports are generated from the target port. The system can disable the target port at the control plane of the switch, which disables features provided to the target port from the control plane. The control plane can provide a set of features supported by the switch at a port-level granularity for facilitating operations of the switch. The system can then configure the forwarding hardware based on the reconfiguration parameters to accommodate the set of logical ports. When the reconfiguration of the target port is complete, the system can enable a respective logical port at the control plane, which enables one or more features for the logical port from the control plane.

Abstract: A system for facilitating efficient port reconfiguration at a switch is provided. During operation, the system can identify a target port of the switch for reconfiguration based on one or more reconfiguration parameters indicating how a set of logical ports are generated from the target port. The system can disable the target port at the control plane of the switch, which disables features provided to the target port from the control plane. The control plane can provide a set of features supported by the switch at a port-level granularity for facilitating operations of the switch. The system can then configure the forwarding hardware based on the reconfiguration parameters to accommodate the set of logical ports. When the reconfiguration of the target port is complete, the system can enable a respective logical port at the control plane, which enables one or more features for the logical port from the control plane.

Abstract: A system for facilitating efficient port reconfiguration at a switch is provided. During operation, the system can identify a target port of the switch for reconfiguration based on one or more reconfiguration parameters indicating how a set of logical ports are generated from the target port. The system can disable the target port at the control plane of the switch, which disables features provided to the target port from the control plane. The control plane can provide a set of features supported by the switch at a port-level granularity for facilitating operations of the switch. The system can then configure the forwarding hardware based on the reconfiguration parameters to accommodate the set of logical ports. When the reconfiguration of the target port is complete, the system can enable a respective logical port at the control plane, which enables one or more features for the logical port from the control plane.

Abstract: A system for performing in-service software upgrade on a network device is provided. In response to a software-upgrade command, the system generates an upgrade database based on a state database storing both a data-plane state and a control-plane state associated with the network device. The network device is managed by a management unit comprising a data-plane-management sub-unit and a control-plane sub-unit, and the upgrade database stores at least the data-plane state to allow the data-plane-management sub-unit to operate based on the upgrade database. The system separately upgrades the data-plane-management sub-unit and the control-plane sub-unit, without interrupting services provided by the network device. The system monitors the state database and the upgrade database to detect an event associated with the network device. In response to determining a triggering condition being met, the system performs an action to prevent a network outage or error.