Abstract: A controller coordinates execution of a set of related processes executed by respective devices in the virtual network, wherein coordinating comprises causing the respective devices to execute the set of related processes; receiving a data set for the set of related processes from the respective devices, comprising receiving operational states of the related processes from the respective devices; reading a previous data set comprising previous operational states of the related processes from the respective devices; processing an update to the previous operational states from the received operational states of the received data set; and aggregating the received operational states of the data set with the previous operational states of the related processes to form aggregated data of updated operational states.

Abstract: The techniques may provide a hierarchical scheduler for dynamically computing rate credits when a plurality of queues share an intermediate node. For example, the hierarchical scheduler may group respective sets of queues with respective virtual subscribers to be associated with a shared intermediate node. The weight used by the shared intermediate node may be computed as a function of the number of virtual subscriber child members of the shared intermediate node and their respective weights to correctly proportion the services to the queues. The techniques may also provide a hierarchical scheduler for dynamically computing rate credits allocated to queues associated with a shared intermediate node. For example, the number of rate credits allocated to a queue for a virtual subscriber is based on the product of the virtual subscriber weight and a queue weighted fraction of the queues for the virtual subscriber.

Abstract: In some examples, a switching system includes a plurality of fabric endpoints and a multi-stage switching fabric having a plurality of fabric planes each having a plurality of stages to switch data units between any of the plurality of fabric endpoints. A fabric endpoint of the fabric endpoints is configured to send, to a switch of a first one of the stages and within a first fabric plane of the plurality of fabric planes, a self-ping message destined for the fabric endpoint. The fabric endpoint is configured to send, in response to determining the fabric endpoint has not received the self-ping message after a predetermined time, an indication of a connectivity fault for the first fabric plane.

Abstract: In general, techniques provide a mapping of host devices to different virtual router identifiers used to identify the source MAC address used for forwarding packets to the participating host devices. For example, a method may include receiving an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) request for a first Internet protocol (IP) address from a host device, the first IP address comprising a virtual IP address of the virtual router. The method may also include determining a virtual router redundancy protocol (VRRP) virtual router identifier (VRID) associated with the first IP address. The method may further include generating a mapping between the host device and the determined VRID. The method may also include determining a virtual source MAC address of the virtual router based on the mapping and forwarding a second packet to the host device that specifies a virtual source MAC address for the second packet.

Abstract: A power sourcing equipment may provide fault detection, fault recovery, and redundancy in a Power over Ethernet system. The power sourcing equipment may apply voltage to an data port to transmit at least an amount of power requested by a powered device to the powered device over each of a plurality of pairs of wires of an data cable operably coupled to the data port. The power sourcing equipment may identify an occurrence of a fault in one or more pairs of wires out of the plurality of pairs of wires making up the data cable. The power sourcing equipment may, in response to identifying the occurrence of the fault, perform power recovery to supply the amount of power requested by the powered device to the powered device over a remaining one or more pairs of wires.

Abstract: The disclosed apparatus may include a processing unit that (1) identifies an initial forwarding key that corresponds to a forwarding feature of a network device, (2) identifies an initial hash value that represents the initial forwarding key and is derived from the initial forwarding key, (3) identifies an additional forwarding key that corresponds to the forwarding feature of the network device, (4) determines that the initial forwarding key and the additional forwarding key exceed a threshold level of similarity relative to one another, (5) derives an additional hash value that represents the additional forwarding key by applying the initial forwarding key and the initial hash value as inputs to a hash function, and then (6) implements the additional hash value in connection with the forwarding feature of the network device and the forwarding information stored in the storage device. Various other apparatuses, systems, and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus includes an optical transceiver having a photo diode and a processor configured to be operatively coupled to the photo diode. The photo diode is configured to measure a set of receiver optical power (ROP) values at a set of baud rate values. The processor is configured to measure a set of bit error rate (BER) values of a digital modulated signal at the set of baud rate values. The processor is configured to determine an estimated optical signal noise ratio (OSNR) value at a baud rate value from the set of baud rate values based on the set of ROP values and the set of BER values. The processor is configured to send a signal indicating the estimated OSNR value at the baud rate value such that a planned route is selected to send data signals based on the estimated OSNR value.

Abstract: In one example, a network management system (NMS) device manages a plurality of network devices. The NMS device includes a processor configured to determine a first set of differences between an existing high-level configuration for the plurality of network devices and a first received high-level configuration for the plurality of network devices, determine a second set of differences between the existing high-level configuration and a second received high-level configuration, wherein the second received high-level configuration is received separately from the first received high-level configuration, translate the first set of differences to a first low-level configuration modification, translate the second set of differences to a second low-level configuration modification, merge the first low-level configuration modification and the second low-level configuration modification, and apply the merged low-level configuration modification to low-level configuration of the plurality of network devices.

Abstract: In some examples, a controller for a network includes a path computation module configured for execution by one or more processors to obtain configuration information for at least one point-to-multipoint label switched path (P2MP LSP); obtain, from the network via at least one protocol, network topology information defining a network topology for the network; determine, based on the network topology, a first solution comprising first respective paths through the network for the at least one P2MP LSP; determine, after generating a modified network topology based on the network topology, a second solution comprising second respective paths through the network for the at least one P2MP LSP. The controller also includes a path provisioning module configured for execution by the one or more processors to configure the network with the solution of the first solution and the second solution having the lowest total cost.

Abstract: Techniques are described to reduce false alarms in network devices utilizing keepalive messaging schemes. In order to potentially avoid false alarms, a transmitting network device adjusts quality of service QOS/TOS settings in keep-alive probe packets that are sent later in a current detection interval such that the keep-alive probe packets have escalating priorities. In addition, for keep-alive probe packets that are sent later in the current detection interval, the network device may also insert host-level preferential indicator within each of the packets to request preferential treatment at both itself and the peer network device.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a system includes a super-channel multiplexer (SCM) and an optical cross connect (OXC) switch. The SCM is configured to multiplex a set of optical signals into a super-channel optical signal with a wavelength band. The OXC switch is configured to be operatively coupled to the SCM and a reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM) degree. The OXC switch is configured to be located between the SCM and the ROADM degree and the OXC switch, the SCM, and the ROADM degree are configured to be included in a colorless, directionless, and contentionless (CDC) optical network. The OXC switch is configured to switch, based on the wavelength band, the super-channel optical signal to an output port from a set of output ports of the OXC switch. The OXC switch is configured to transmit the super-channel optical signal from the output port to the ROADM degree.

Abstract: Techniques are described for a method for detecting a fault. The method includes receiving, by a receiving electronic device, via a differential pair transmission line, from a transmitting electronic device, an electrical signal. The method further includes converting, by a receiving (Rx) serializer/deserializer (SerDes) operating at the receiving electronic device, the received electrical signal into a received digital electrical signal. The method further includes, determining, by one or more processors, an electrical signature of the received electrical signal from the received digital electrical signal when the received electrical signal is received by the receiving electronic device. The method further includes determining, by the one or more processors, based on the electrical signature, a position of a fault between the receiving electronic device and the transmitting electronic device. The fault causes the received electrical signal to be different than the transmitted electrical signal.

Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) optical modulator which includes a first phase modulator (PM), a second PM, a tunable optical coupler (TOC), and an optical combiner (OC). The TOC is configured to split a light wave at an adjustable power splitting ratio to produce a first split light wave and a second split light wave. The first PM is configured to modulate the first split light wave in response to a first multi-level electrical signal to produce a first modulated light wave. The second PM is configured to modulate the second split light wave in response to a second multi-level electrical signal to produce a second modulated light wave. The OC is then configured to combine the first modulated light wave and the second modulated light wave to generate a QAM optical signal.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a system includes a first router and a second router both configured to be included within an OTN. The first router is configured to send to the second router a first signal having an ODU with a path delay measurement (DMp) bit set. The first router is configured to, in response to not receiving within a path-length-dependent time period from the second router a second signal having the DMp bit set, (1) trigger a protection action at the first router, and (2) send to the second router a signal configured to notify the second router to trigger the protection action at the second router. The second router is configured to, in response to receiving the signal configured to notify, trigger the protection action at the second router.

Abstract: The disclosed method may include (1) receiving a synchronize message from a computing device to initiate synchronization between the computing device and a server with respect to a communication protocol, (2) notifying an application in user space on the server of the synchronize message such that the application in user space selects at least one attribute to be applied to a communication session resulting from the synchronization between the computing device and the server, (3) sending a synchronize acknowledgment that identifies the attribute selected by the application in user space to the computing device to further the synchronization between the computing device and the server, and then (4) establishing the communication session with the attribute selected by the application in user space upon receiving an acknowledgment message from the computing device to complete the synchronization. Various other methods, systems, and apparatuses are also disclosed.

Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method may include (1) receiving, at a network node within a network, a packet from another network node within the network, (2) identifying, within the packet, a label stack that includes a plurality of labels that collectively represent at least a portion of an LSP within the network, (3) popping, from the label stack, a label that corresponds to a specific link to a further network node, and then upon popping the label from the label stack, (4) forwarding the packet to the further network node by way of the specific link. Various other methods, systems, and apparatuses are also disclosed.

Abstract: In one example, a method comprises receiving, by a forwarding manager for an internal forwarding path executed by at least one packet processor of a forwarding unit of a network device, one or more packet processing operations from a control unit of the network device; generating, by the forwarding manager based on the one or more packet processing operations, a plurality of nodes each comprising a unique token, wherein a first node of the plurality of nodes includes a token reference set to a value for the token of a second node of the plurality of nodes; configuring, by the forwarding manager based on the nodes, the forwarding path to include respective forwarding path elements for the plurality of nodes; and processing, by the packet processor, a packet received by the forwarding unit by executing the forwarding path elements.

Abstract: In one example, a method includes receiving, by a network device, first data defining a group of LSPs, receiving second data defining one or more constraints for one or more bypass LSPs, and receiving third data defining a mapping between the group of LSPs and the one or more bypass LSPs. The method also includes, in response to receiving the third data, automatically signaling, by the network device, a bypass LSP in accordance with the one or more constraints, selecting, by the network device and based on the mapping, a respective alternate next hop for rerouting network traffic received on each LSP of the group of LSPs to the signaled bypass LSP, and programming a forwarding component of the network device to install each of the respective alternate next hops as alternate next hops to primary next hops for the LSPs of the group of LSPs.

Abstract: The disclosed apparatus may include (1) a plurality of SerDes devices that each facilitate transmitting and receiving communications in connection with a network device and (2) at least one phase-adjustment device communicatively coupled to a first SerDes device included in the SerDes devices, wherein the phase-adjustment device mitigates crosstalk among the SerDes devices by (A) receiving at least one reference clock signal, (B) generating at least one phase-adjusted clock signal based at least in part on the reference clock signal such that the phase-adjusted clock signal and the reference clock signal are out of phase with respect to one another, and (C) delivering the phase-adjusted clock signal to the first SerDes device to ensure that the SerDes devices are switching out of phase with respect to one another. Various other apparatuses, systems and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method may include (1) identifying, in kernel space on a network device, a packet that is destined for a remote device, (2) passing, along with the packet, metadata for the packet to a packet buffer in kernel space on the network device, (3) framing, by the kernel module in kernel space, the packet such that the packet egresses via a tunnel interface driver on the network device, (4) encapsulating, by the tunnel interface driver, the packet with the metadata, and then (5) forwarding, by the tunnel interface driver, the packet to the remote device based at least in part on the metadata with which the packet was encapsulated. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.