Abstract: A network device may receive packets, wherein the network device includes a first routing component, a second routing component, a first forwarding component, a second forwarding component, and a physical interface card concentrator with multiple physical interface cards. The first routing component may provide, to the physical interface card concentrator, a signal indicating that the second forwarding component is to be an active forwarding component. The physical interface card concentrator may cause, based on the signal, a data path for the multiple physical interface cards to be switched from the first forwarding component to the second forwarding component. The first routing component may provide the packets to the second forwarding component. The second forwarding component may provide the packets to the multiple physical interface cards via the data path. The multiple physical interface cards may forward the packets toward destinations associated with the packets.

Abstract: A network device may receive packets, wherein the network device includes a first routing component, a second routing component, a first forwarding component, a second forwarding component, and a physical interface card concentrator with multiple physical interface cards. The first routing component may provide, to the physical interface card concentrator, a signal indicating that the second forwarding component is to be an active forwarding component. The physical interface card concentrator may cause, based on the signal, a data path for the multiple physical interface cards to be switched from the first forwarding component to the second forwarding component. The first routing component may provide the packets to the second forwarding component. The second forwarding component may provide the packets to the multiple physical interface cards via the data path. The multiple physical interface cards may forward the packets toward destinations associated with the packets.

Abstract: An example network device includes one or more hardware resources; a physical interface for receiving a hardware component; a memory; and one or more processors implemented in circuitry and configured to: receive the hardware component that has been coupled to the physical interface of the network device; receive data for an application programming interface (API) for the hardware component; store the data for the API to the memory; and execute the data for the API to grant the hardware component secure access to the hardware resources of the network device via the API. The hardware component may be an optical network interface. The resources may be raw registers of the network device. The processors may further tune the hardware component according to configuration for the network device, such as power management configuration for the network device, or the network device itself.

Abstract: A device may receive, from a set of network devices, telemetry information associated with a first set of flows. The device may process, using a machine learning technique, the telemetry information to determine information that permits the set of network devices to identify a set of expected bandwidth values associated with a second set of flows. The device may provide, to a network device of the set of network devices, at least a portion of the information, that permits the set of network devices to identify the set of expected bandwidth values associated with the second set of flows, to permit the network device to determine an expected bandwidth value associated with a flow of the second set of flows and select a link to use when providing network traffic associated with the flow based on the expected bandwidth value.