Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for enabling network appliance monitoring is disclosed. The method includes establishing a remote execution channel for executing commands on a network element such as e.g. a switch. The method also includes using the remote execution channel to initiate execution of one or more commands on the network element. The method further includes receiving at least part of an output resulting from the execution of the one or more commands, wherein the received at least part of the output enables performing the network appliance monitoring.

Abstract: A method for setting up standby links on a link failure may be provided. The method comprises for a set of N link ports and M standby link ports, where N and M are integers and N is not equal to M, performing the following functions. Determining the status of a link from a first link port of the N ports. After the link from the first link port has failed, determining when a standby link port from the M standby link ports has been assigned to the first link port of the N ports. After the standby link port has been assigned, determining the health of the standby link port. After the standby link port has been assigned and is healthy, redirecting traffic from the first link port to the standby link port.

Abstract: In an example, there is disclosed a network switch or other computing apparatus comprising: an ingress interface; a plurality of egress interfaces; and one or more logic elements, including at least a content addressable memory (CAM), comprising a channel selection engine to provide persistent channel selection comprising: receive a packet on the ingress interface; inspect a layer 2 (L2) attribute of the packet; lookup the L2 attribute in the CAM; and assign the packet to an egress interface communicatively coupled to a network service.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing one-arm node clustering using a port channel are provided herein. An example application node may be communicatively connected to at least one application node, and the application node may be connected to a network through a port channel. The application node may include: a link included in the port channel for accommodating the network data being communicated between the remote client and server; and a processor configured to send/receive a cluster control packet to/from the at least one application node through the link included in the port channel.

Abstract: A method, service appliance, and non-transitory media for establishing connections to virtual device contexts (VDCs) whereby a communication channel for each of the VDCs is identified based on connection data corresponding to each of the VDCs. A service appliance receives, from each of one or more VDCs located on a switch, a message containing connection data that identifies at least one communication channel between the service appliance and a corresponding one of the one or more VDCs from which the message was received. The connection data is stored in a memory accessible to the service appliance. The service appliance identifies a communication channel for each of a plurality of VDCs based on the connection data and an identifier corresponding to each of the plurality of VDCs. The service appliance establishes a connection to each of the plurality of VDCs using the communication channel for each of the plurality of VDCs.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing service virtualization endpoint (SVE) redundancy in a two-node, active-standby form. An active-standby pair of SVEs register with a cloud-centric-network control point (CCN-CP) as a single service node (SN) using a virtual IP address for both a control-plane and a data-plane. At any given time, only the active SVE is a host for the control-plane and the data-plane. When a failover happens, the hosting operation is taken over by the standby SVE, therefore the failover will be transparent to CCN-CP and the SN.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for automating return traffic redirection to a service appliance by injecting forwarding policies in a packet-forwarding element are disclosed herein. An example method for automating return traffic redirection can include: establishing a communication channel between a service appliance and a packet-forwarding element; and transmitting an out-of-band message over the communication channel to the packet-forwarding element. The message can include a forwarding policy that requests the packet-forwarding element to forward predetermined packets to the service appliance.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing one-arm node clustering using a port channel are provided herein. An example application node may be communicatively connected to at least one application node, and the application node may be connected to a network through a port channel. The application node may include: a link included in the port channel for accommodating the network data being communicated between the remote client and server; and a processor configured to send/receive a cluster control packet to/from the at least one application node through the link included in the port channel.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing service virtualization endpoint (SVE) redundancy in a two-node, active-standby form. An active-standby pair of SVEs register with a cloud-centric-network control point (CCN-CP) as a single service node (SN) using a virtual IP address for both a control-plane and a data-plane. At any given time, only the active SVE is a host for the control-plane and the data-plane. When a failover happens, the hosting operation is taken over by the standby SVE, therefore the failover will be transparent to CCN-CP and the SN.

Abstract: In one embodiment a forwarding policy from a first network node coupled to a network element is received. The forwarding policy specifies an address of a second network node coupled to the network element. A plurality of ports of the network element are identified, wherein the second network node is accessible from the network element through each of the plurality of ports. The forwarding policy is applied to the plurality of ports of the network element. Network traffic received at a port of the plurality of ports from the second network node is forwarded to the first network node.

Abstract: Embodiments include receiving configuration information including a match criterion for packets received at a network device in a network and a pool of layer 3 addresses associated with a set of servers in the network, resolving layer 2 destination addresses based on the layer 3 addresses of the servers, and programming a hardware layer of the network device based, at least in part, on the match criterion, the pool of layer 3 addresses, and the layer 2 destination addresses. Specific embodiments include configuring a policy to indicate that packets from an external source are to be forwarded to a server of the set of servers. Further embodiments include receiving a packet at the network device, and matching the packet to the pool of layer 3 addresses and the resolved layer 2 addresses based, at least in part, on the match criterion programmed in the hardware layer.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to providing shared resources to virtual devices on a network switch. In one example, a switch comprises a plurality of virtual device contexts (VDCs) and a default virtual device context (DVDC). The DVDC stores configuration data that identifies a network resource. The DVDC transmits a reference to the configuration data to each of the plurality of VDCs. Each of plurality of VDCs receives the reference from the DVDC. When the DVDC receive, from the at least one of the plurality of VDCs, a request to access the configuration data via the reference, the DVDC transmits at least a portion of the configuration data to the at least one of the plurality of VDCs. The at least the portion of the configuration data is operable to initiate a connection between the at least one of the plurality of VDCs and the network resource.

Abstract: In an example, there is disclosed a network apparatus, comprising: one or more logic elements, including at least one hardware logic element, to provide a network manager engine to: provide a switched fabric management function; communicatively couple to at least one network switch, the network switch configured to provide optional native hardware-based load balancing; monitor one or more load balancing factors; and at least partly responsive to the one or more load balancing factors, configure native hardware-based load balancing on the at least one network switch.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example and includes receiving a data stream that includes IPv6 traffic, communicating the IPv6 traffic to a network element that does not support IPv6 probing, and probing the network element using IPv4.

Abstract: In an example, there is provided a network apparatus for providing native load balancing within a switch, including a first network interface operable to communicatively couple to a first network; a plurality of second network interfaces operable to communicatively couple to a second network, the second network comprising a service pool of service nodes; one or more logic elements providing a switching engine operable for providing network switching; and one or more logic elements comprising a load balancing engine operable for: load balancing incoming network traffic to the service pool via native hardware according to a load balancing configuration; detecting a new service node added to the service pool; and adjusting the load balancing configuration to account for the new service node; wherein the switching engine and load balancing engine are configured to be provided on the same hardware as each other and as the first network interface and plurality of second network interfaces.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an indication of a plurality of network nodes, load balancing criteria, and one or more access control list (ACL) entries are received. A plurality of forwarding entries are created, a forwarding entry of the plurality of forwarding entries based upon an ACL entry and the load balancing criteria and corresponding to a network node of the plurality of network nodes. A network element applies the plurality of forwarding entries to network traffic to selectively load balance the network traffic, wherein network traffic meeting the load balancing criteria and permitted by the one or more ACL entries is load balanced among the plurality of network nodes.

Abstract: In one embodiment a packet of data is received at a network element. At least one field is parsed from the packet of data. A forwarding entry is identified from a plurality of forwarding entries based on the at least one field. The forwarding entry of the plurality of forwarding entries is formed by merging information from at least one load balancing entry and at least one access control list (ACL) entry. The data packet is forwarded through a port of the network element in accordance with the identified forwarding entry.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes transmitting from an appliance connected to a first virtual device context (“VDC”) instantiated on a network device a request for statistics associated with selected ones of a plurality of VDCs implemented on the network device, wherein the plurality of VDCs includes the first VDC and wherein the appliance is connected to the first VDC via a management link; and receiving at the appliance the requested statistics associated with the plurality of VDCs. The method may further comprise receiving at the appliance a configuration message, wherein the configuration message identifies at least one of the selected ones of the plurality of VDCs for which statistics are to be provided, at least one type of statistic to be provided for the selected ones of the VDCs, and a polling interval at which statistics are to be collected from the selected VDCs.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for enabling network appliance monitoring is disclosed. The method includes establishing a remote execution channel for executing commands on a network element such as e.g. a switch. The method also includes using the remote execution channel to initiate execution of one or more commands on the network element. The method further includes receiving at least part of an output resulting from the execution of the one or more commands, wherein the received at least part of the output enables performing the network appliance monitoring.

Abstract: Techniques and a network edge device are provided herein to extend local area networks (LANs) and storage area networks (SANs) beyond a data center while converging the associated local area network and storage area network host layers. A packet is received at a device in a network. It is determined if the packet is routed to a local or remote storage area network or local area network. In response to determining that the packet routed to a remote storage area network, storage area network extension services are performed with respect to the packet in order to extend the storage area network on behalf of a remote location. In response to determining that the packet is routed to a local local area network traffic, local area network extension services are performed with respect to the packet in order to extend the local area network on behalf of the remote location.