Abstract: Multicast traffic in a virtual extensible local area network (VXLAN). In some embodiments, a method is provided. The method includes registering a network device as a virtual extensible local area network (VXLAN) tunnel endpoint (VTEP) of a VXLAN. The VXLAN includes an overlay network and the overlay network is implemented on an underlay network. The method also includes receiving multicast traffic from the multicast source. The method further includes transmitting the multicast traffic to one or more multicast receivers using the underlay network.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a method or processing a command line interface is provided. The method parses a definition file for extending a command line interface (CLI) with an extension. The definition file is processed through an external interface that is different from an internal interface used to develop the CLI. The method translates a definition from the definition file to an internal structure supported by the internal interface. The translated definition implements the extension in the CLI. The internal structure is added to a data structure for the CLI where a command set of the CLI is extended to perform a command that is defined by the definition.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes a system including a power supply unit that provides an output power and a supply status indicating whether the power supply unit is receiving input power. An electronic circuit is coupled to the power supply unit to receive the output power and a standby control circuit controls turning on and off the power supply unit. A power harvesting circuit generates standby power from the supply status and provides the standby power to power the standby control circuit.

Abstract: A method of managing communication services provided by a service provider, comprising obtaining a prediction of a portion of the quantity of the served devices that received substandard communication services from the service provider during a period of time, obtaining an acceptable deviation from the prediction of the portion of served devices, making a determination that a quantity of the served devices that received substandard communication services from the service provider during the period of time is outside of a range, and performing an action set to initiate remediation of the service provider. Specifically, the determination is based on the prediction of the portion of the quantity of served devices, and the acceptable deviation.

Abstract: A method for reassigning flows to cores in a multi-core network device includes receiving a packet flow and periodically determining a packet rate of the flow and the processing load on each of the worker cores. Unassigned flows are assigned to the least loaded core. If an assigned flow has a packet rate that exceeds a particular threshold proportion of the processing capacity of the currently assigned worker core, reassigning the flow to the lowest loaded worker core unless the resulting load would exceed the current load on the currently assigned worker core.

Abstract: Techniques for persistent crash logging. The techniques may include making, by a monitor, a first determination that an event information file exists in a volatile storage device location in a volatile storage device. The first determination may be made after an agent event occurs. The techniques may also include performing, by the monitor, an action on a portion of the event information file to obtain a uniquely identifiable filename portion and writing, by the monitor, an event information file copy to a non-volatile storage location in a non-volatile storage device. The techniques may also include, after writing the event information file copy to the non-volatile storage location is complete, renaming, by the monitor, the event information file copy to a uniquely identifiable filename comprising the uniquely identifiable filename portion.

Abstract: Various embodiments are described herein to track the state of components within a network element. One embodiment provides for a network element comprising a control plane including logic to transmit configuration and status of the network element during network element operation, the configuration including a configured state of one or more agents of the control plane and the status including operational status of one or more agents of the control plane; and a data plane to forward network data from an ingress interface to an egress interface, each of the ingress interface and egress interface including one or more counters, wherein the status of the continuously transmitted status of the network element additionally includes the one or more counters of each of the ingress interface and egress interface.

Abstract: A review and retry mechanism ensures a port channel can be configured to provide and maintain a minimum data speed. A timer-based review sequence reviews the constituent interfaces of a port channel to determine if a minimum speed requirement is met. If the minimum speed cannot be fulfilled, the port-channel member interfaces are un-programmed and removed from the port-channel, rendering the port-channel functionally inactive, thereby preventing network traffic loss. A timer-based retry sequence attempts to program the constituent interfaces. The minimum speed requirement of the interfaces is checked in the next review cycle. If the minimum speed requirement is met, then the review and retry mechanism halts and the port channel continues to remain active; otherwise, the interfaces are un-programmed and the process repeats.

Abstract: Techniques for determining a clock offset between monitoring devices in a network. Such techniques include: obtaining, by a first monitoring device, a first set of network traffic data units sent between a first endpoint and a second endpoint via a first tap on a network link between the first endpoint and second endpoint; obtaining, by a second monitoring device, a second set of network traffic data units sent between the first endpoint and the second endpoint via a second tap on the network link; calculating the clock offset between the first monitoring device and the second monitoring device using the first set of network traffic data units and the second set of network traffic data units; and performing an offset action based on the clock offset.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for improving communication efficiency in environments featuring both 802.11ax devices and legacy devices. Although 802.11ax introduces the ability for multiple devices to transmit simultaneously over a wireless channel, this feature is not used to its full potential because legacy devices transmit using turn-based communication (waiting for the channel to free up before transmitting). To create the illusion that the channel is free, in one method, an 802.11ax access point lowers the power for 802.11ax transmissions in a portion of a wireless channel being utilized by the legacy device. In another method, the 802.11ax access point blanks the portion of the wireless channel altogether (i.e., does not schedule transmissions over the portion). As a result of these methods, signal interference is reduced, and legacy devices do not halt transmissions to follow turn-based communication.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate to techniques for designated forwarder (DF) elections, which may include: obtaining DF candidates that are part of a supplementary broadcast domain (SBD), wherein the DF candidate is one of the plurality of DF candidates for the SBD; performing a SBD DF election process to determine an SBD DF winner from among the DF candidates; making a first determination that the DF candidate is not the SBD DF winner; making second determination that a first broadcast domain (BD) provisioned on the DF candidate is not provisioned on the SBD DF winner; excluding the first BD from a set of BDs that are also provisioned on the SBD DF winner; performing additional DF election processes for each BD of the set of BDs; and processing multicast traffic based at least in part on the SBD DF election process and the additional DF election processes.

Abstract: Techniques for implementing multi-table OpenFlow using a parallel hardware table lookup architecture are provided. In certain embodiments, these techniques include receiving, at a network device from a software-defined networking (SDN) controller, flow entries for installation into flow tables of the network device, where the flow entries are structured in a manner that assumes the flow tables can be looked-up serially by a packet processor of the network device, but where the flow tables are implemented using hardware lookup tables (e.g., TCAMs) that can only be looked-up in parallel by the packet processor. The techniques further include converting, by the network device, the received flow entries into a format that enables the packet processor to process ingress network traffic correctly using the flow entries, despite the packet processor's parallel lookup architecture, and installing the converted flow entries into the flow tables/hardware lookup tables.

Abstract: Network devices are securely provisioned through authenticated ZTP servers. In some approaches, a storage device local to the network device includes information for connecting with and authenticating a local or remote ZTP server. This information may include a root of trust to use when connecting with a designated ZTP server. The ZTP server may be identified using either a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server or a network address specified in the local memory storage. In an approach, the local memory storage is a removable USB flash memory device inserted into the network device when the device is booted up. In another approach, the ZTP authentication information is stored within memory integrated within the network device. Once a ZTP server is connected to the network device, a secure connection may be established such as a secure transport layer session (TLS) utilizing the root of trust.

Abstract: A packet forwarding network may include spine and leaf switches that forward network traffic between end hosts. The packet forwarding network may be implemented on multiple network racks in a rack-based system. A controller may control the underlying spine and leaf switches to form on-premise virtual private cloud (VPC) resources. In particular, the controller may form enterprise VPC (EVPC) tenants, each having a virtual router that performs routing between different segments within the corresponding EVPC tenant. The different segments may separately include web, application, and database servers, as end hosts. The controller may form a system VPC tenant having a virtual system router that performs routing between different EVPC tenants. A segment in an internal VPC tenant formed by the controller and/or an external VPC tenant formed by the controller may provide external network access for one or more of the EVPC tenants.

Abstract: Incoming packets in a switch are associated with one or more group identifiers based on content contained in the incoming packets. Rules for processing the corresponding outgoing packets are identified based at least on the group identifiers associated with the incoming packets. Actions associated with matched rules are applied to the outgoing packets.

Abstract: A method and system for processing network traffic is disclosed. The method includes receiving one or more service policies from a control plane service. For each of service policies, a value pattern is generated using at least one of a source group data item and a destination group data item, and a pattern mask is generated on subset of bit locations in the value pattern. The method includes updating a lookup table to incorporate each of the one or more service policies that entails allocating memory for consolidating a new entry in a portion of the lookup table designated for control plane policies. The new entry includes a binding relating the value pattern and the pattern mask to a lookup table result, and the lookup table result specifies a traffic flow instruction and a priority level included in a service policy of the one or more service policies.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a method receives a first acknowledgement message that acknowledges receipt of a first packet and determines whether the first acknowledgement message is a duplicate of a previous acknowledgement message that was sent previous to the first acknowledgement message. When the first acknowledgement message is the duplicate of the previous acknowledgement message, the method detects when a second acknowledge message is received that acknowledges receipt of a second packet. Then, the method determines that the second acknowledgement message is not the duplicate of the previous acknowledgement message and measures a metric based on the detecting of the first acknowledgement message and the second acknowledgement message.

Abstract: Egress mirroring packets to a CPU includes processing ingress packets in a forwarding pipeline; egressing one or more packets from the forwarding pipeline to a first physical port of the switch; mirroring the one or more packets on the first physical port to a second physical port of the switch; recirculating the one or more packets on the second physical port to the forwarding pipeline, wherein the one or more packets on the second physical port become ingress packets on the second physical port and processing the recirculated one or more packets in the forwarding pipeline includes identifying packets that ingress on the second physical port; and sending the identified packets to a central processing unit (CPU) in the switch.

Abstract: Techniques disclosed herein provide a method for configuring a network in DCI environment. An EVPN session is established between a first gateway device of a first network, and a second gateway device of a second network that are linked by L2 DCI link. An ESI is allocated for that EVPN session. A label is created for every combination of the ESI and media access control virtual routing and forwarding table (MAC VRF) that is locally configured at the first gateway device. An EVPN path is received for a host in the first network that is associated with MAC VRF. The path in imported the first MAC VRF by the first gateway device and exported via the inter-DCI EVPN session. The second gateway device identifies a label for MAC and re-exports it in local EVPN session with the identified label.

Abstract: A network device includes a first agent programmed to provide a functionality of the network device. The network device also includes a message bus, distinct from the first agent, that identifies an update associated with the first agent, the update includes differential state information based, at least in part, on a state of the first agent, the state of the first agent is stored in a data structure exclusively managed by the first agent; in response to identifying the update: identifies a second agent that is subscribed to the first agent; and performs an action set to provide the second agent with access to the update.