Abstract: A first map request message is sent from a source network device to a mapping network device to determine a destination network device associated with a destination endpoint device and a security association between the source network device and the destination network device. A first response message is received at the source network device that includes data indicating a mapping between the destination network device and the destination endpoint device and data indicating a security association between the source network device and the destination network device. The data is stored at the source network device. A second map request message is sent from the source network device to the mapping network device to update the data indicative of the mapping or the security association. A second response message is received at the source network device from the mapping network device.

Abstract: A reactive mechanism for in-situ operation, administration, and maintenance (IOAM) traffic is provided. In one embodiment, a method is provided that includes assigning a plurality of discriminator identifiers associated with a plurality of discriminators. Each discriminator is mapped to a specified action. The method includes receiving a data packet that includes an IOAM header comprising telemetry data associated with the data packet and a bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) field that includes a specified discriminator identifier.

Abstract: A system and method for advertising out-of-resources (OOR) conditions for entities, such as nodes, line cards and data links, in a manner that does not involve using a maximum cost to indicate the entity is “out-of-resources.” According to the technique, an OOR condition for an entity is advertised in one or more type-length-value (TLV) objects contained in an advertisement message. The advertisement message is flooded to nodes on a data network to inform them of the entity's OOR condition. Head-end nodes that process the advertisement message may use information contained in the TLV object to determine a path for a new label switched path (LSP) that does not include the entity associated with the OOR condition.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a plurality of links between a network node and another network node are configured as a link bundle. The network node establishes one or more standby bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) sessions. Each standby BFD session is associated with one or more links of the link bundle. The network node establishes an active BFD session. The active BFD session is associated with one or more links of the link bundle. In response to non-receipt of returned BFD messages for the active BFD session, one or more new active BFD sessions are selected from the one or more standby BFD sessions. In response to non-receipt of returned BFD messages for the one or more new active BFD sessions, it is determined that the link bundle has failed.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a local network device transmits a connectivity verification protocol control message over a link to a remote network device to attempt to establish a connectivity verification protocol session with the remote network device. In response to non-receipt of a returned connectivity verification protocol control message from the remote network device, the local network device determines that there is an inability to establish a connectivity verification protocol session with the remote network device. The local network device then sends a connectivity verification protocol echo message over the link to the remote network device without establishment of a connectivity verification protocol session. The echo message is sent using a forwarding protocol.

Abstract: In one embodiment, line cards of packet switching or other network devices are configured for terminating pseudowires. Typically, this includes multiple line cards being configured for terminating a same pseudowire, which allows the corresponding pseudowire traffic to be received by any one of these multiple line cards. Each of these pseudowire-terminating line cards is typically configured to apply one or more features to a pseudowire packet. Examples of these features include, but are not limited to: Access Control List, Quality of Service, Netflow, and Lawful Intercept. For a received packet to be sent out one of these pseudowires, a two-stage lookup operation can be used to first identify the pseudowire over which to forward the packet; and a second lookup operation based on the pseudowire to identify forwarding information corresponding to a path through a network over which a corresponding pseudowire is configured.

Abstract: A system and method for advertising out-of-resources (OOR) conditions for entities, such as nodes, line cards and data links, in a manner that does not involve using a maximum cost to indicate the entity is “out-of-resources.” According to the technique, an OOR condition for an entity is advertised in one or more type-length-value (TLV) objects contained in an advertisement message. The advertisement message is flooded to nodes on a data network to inform them of the entity's OOR condition. Head-end nodes that process the advertisement message may use information contained in the TLV object to determine a path for a new label switched path (LSP) that does not include the entity associated with the OOR condition.

Abstract: A system and method for advertising out-of-resources (OOR) conditions for entities, such as nodes, line cards and data links, in a manner that does not involve using a maximum cost to indicate the entity is “out-of-resources.” According to the technique, an OOR condition for an entity is advertised in one or more type-length-value (TLV) objects contained in an advertisement message. The advertisement message is flooded to nodes on a data network to inform them of the entity's OOR condition. Head-end nodes that process the advertisement message may use information contained in the TLV object to determine a path for a new label switched path (LSP) that does not include the entity associated with the OOR condition.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a plurality of links between a network node and another network node are configured as a link bundle. The network node establishes one or more standby bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) sessions. Each standby BFD session is associated with one or more links of the link bundle. The network node establishes an active BFD session. The active BFD session is associated with one or more links of the link bundle. In response to non-receipt of returned BFD messages for the active BFD session, one or more new active BFD sessions are selected from the one or more standby BFD sessions. In response to non-receipt of returned BFD messages for the one or more new active BFD sessions, it is determined that the link bundle has failed.

Abstract: A technique efficiently and dynamically maintains bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) on a bundle of links in a computer network. According to the novel technique, one or more “standby” BFD sessions may be established on one or more corresponding line cards (LCs), the LCs having one or more links of the bundle (bundle links). Once established, one of the standby BFD sessions may be selected as an “active” BFD session based on activity of one of the bundle links of the corresponding LC. Also, BFD messages may be transmitted from one of the bundle links of the active BFD session, e.g., the link receiving BFD messages. In response to inactivity of the transmitting link (e.g., failure, removal, etc.), the active BFD session may switch to another available active bundle link, and if no other active bundle links are available to the active BFD session, one of the standby BFD sessions is selected as the new active BFD session.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a local network device transmits a connectivity verification protocol control message over a link to a remote network device to attempt to establish a connectivity verification protocol session with the remote network device. In response to non-receipt of a returned connectivity verification protocol control message from the remote network device, the local network device determines that there is an inability to establish a connectivity verification protocol session with the remote network device. The local network device then sends a connectivity verification protocol echo message over the link to the remote network device without establishment of a connectivity verification protocol session. The echo message is sent using a forwarding protocol.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a local network device may determine an inability to establish a connectivity verification protocol (e.g., Bidirectional Forwarding Detection, “BFD”) session to a remote network device, such as from unreturned control messages. In response, the local network device may send at least one connectivity verification protocol echo message to the remote network device destined to be returned to the local network device and forwarded using a forwarding protocol. In response to receiving or not receiving the echo message, the local network device may thus determine whether the forwarding protocol is functioning between the local and remote network devices. In this manner, the local network device may determine whether an inability to establish a connectivity verification protocol session is due to an inability to forward packets between the devices, or due to the connectivity verification protocol not working (or not being configured) on the remote network device.

Abstract: Improved detection of specific BFD LSP path failures is herein disclosed. The improved detection described herein allow for faster fault isolation of a failure along a LSP path, which in turn may allow for faster repair of the failure. When opening a BFD session with a LSP egress node, the LSP ingress node provides the LSP egress node a path descriptor along with the BFD Discriminator. If a BFD failure is detected at the LSP egress node, the LSP egress node can signal an alarm that includes a full description of the path.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a physical port and a plurality of logical sub-interfaces under the physical port. The physical port and the logical sub-interfaces are configured as a Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) neighbor group. The physical port being configured to run BFD sessions to detect failures at a first rate that is substantially faster as compared to a second rate of BFD sessions to detect failures on the logical sub-interfaces. The physical port notifies the logical sub-interfaces of a BFD failure at the physical port, with the logical sub-interfaces shutting down responsive to the notification.

Abstract: In one embodiment, line cards of packet switching or other network devices are configured for terminating pseudowires. Typically, this includes multiple line cards being configured for terminating a same pseudowire, which allows the corresponding pseudowire traffic to be received by any one of these multiple line cards. Each of these pseudowire-terminating line cards is typically configured to apply one or more features to a pseudowire packet. Examples of these features include, but are not limited to: Access Control List, Quality of Service, Netflow, and Lawful Intercept. For a received packet to be sent out one of these pseudowires, a two-stage lookup operation can be used to first identify the pseudowire over which to forward the packet; and a second lookup operation based on the pseudowire to identify forwarding information corresponding to a path through a network over which a corresponding pseudowire is configured.

Abstract: A system and method for bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) rate-limiting and automatic BFD session activation includes tracking a total bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) packet rate for a line card (LC) of the node, and rejecting operations associated with creation of a new BFD session that would cause the total BFD packet rate to exceed a predetermined maximum rate. The new BFD session is stored in a state on the node and the operations of the new BFD session are automatically retried at a time when doing so would not exceed the predetermined maximum rate.

Abstract: A system and method for bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) rate-limiting and automatic BFD session activation includes tracking a total bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) packet rate for a line card (LC) of the node, and rejecting operations associated with creation of a new BFD session that would cause the total BFD packet rate to exceed a predetermined maximum rate. The new BFD session is stored in a state on the node and the operations of the new BFD session are automatically retried at a time when doing so would not exceed the predetermined maximum rate. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).

Abstract: An RSVP node that has crashed and restarted sends a non-zero Recovery Time value in a Restart_Cap object of a Hello message. Other nodes receiving such messages can detect, based on the non-zero Recovery Time value, that the sending node is restarting. In particular, a first RSVP node can detect whether a second, neighbor node has restarted regardless of the order of restart with respect to the first and second nodes. As a result, the first node can determine whether to forward PATH messages with Recovery Label or Suggested Label, as appropriate or necessary to rebuild label-switched paths with crashed and restarted nodes. Therefore, when multiple RSVP nodes crash relatively concurrently, the multiple nodes can restart gracefully and automatically detect what kind of communication to use in order to rebuild label-switched paths among themselves.

Abstract: A system and method for bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) rate-limiting and automatic BFD session activation includes tracking a total bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) packet rate for a line card (LC) of the node, and rejecting operations associated with creation of a new BFD session that would cause the total BFD packet rate to exceed a predetermined maximum rate. The new BFD session is stored in a state on the node and the operations of the new BFD session are automatically retried at a time when doing so would not exceed the predetermined maximum rate. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a local network device may determine an inability to establish a connectivity verification protocol (e.g., Bidirectional Forwarding Detection, “BFD”) session to a remote network device, such as from unreturned control messages. In response, the local network device may send at least one connectivity verification protocol echo message to the remote network device destined to be returned to the local network device and forwarded using a forwarding protocol. In response to receiving or not receiving the echo message, the local network device may thus determine whether the forwarding protocol is functioning between the local and remote network devices. In this manner, the local network device may determine whether an inability to establish a connectivity verification protocol session is due to an inability to forward packets between the devices, or due to the connectivity verification protocol not working (or not being configured) on the remote network device.