Abstract: In general, the disclosure describes techniques for evaluating application quality of experience metrics over a software-defined wide area network. For instance, a network device may receive an application data packet of a data flow for an application. In response to receiving the application data packet, the network device may assign the data flow to a first link of a plurality of links and initiate a probing process for the data flow on the first link to determine one or more quality of experience (QoE) metrics for the first link. The network device may, at a later time, detect that the data flow is no longer being received. In response to detecting that the data flow is no longer being received, the network device may cease the probing process for the data flow on the first link.

Abstract: According to various aspects of the present disclosure, an apparatus is provided. In an aspect, the apparatus includes an optical transceiver having a first port, a second port and an optical switch coupled to the first port and the second port. The optical switch is switchable between a unidirectional port operation mode and a bidirectional port operation mode. When the optical switch is in the unidirectional port operation mode, the first port is configured to send a first optical signal, and the second port configured to receive a second optical signal. When the optical switch is in the bidirectional port operation mode, the first port configured to send the first optical signal and receive the second optical signal, and the second port configured to receive a third optical signal and not send the first signal.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a tail-end optical switch configured to be coupled to a broadcast star network that couples the tail-end optical switch to a head-end optical switch by a primary bidirectional optical path and a second bidirectional optical path. The tail-end optical switch having a first optical switch and a second optical switch configured to provide active switching.

Abstract: A method includes receiving, by a first network device, messages from a plurality of network devices in a network, each of the messages indicating a level value of a respective sending network device in a network topology, determining, by the first network device and based on the respective levels indicated by the messages, a level value of the first network device in the network topology, determining, by the first network device and based on the determined level value, a mechanism by which to forward network traffic to one or more of the plurality of network devices, and forwarding the network traffic according to the determined mechanism.

Abstract: In one example, a network device external to a services complex injects a plurality of probe packets along service chains provided by the services complex, wherein each of the plurality of probe packets includes a first timestamp indicating a time at which the network device sent the respective probe packet. Each of a plurality of service nodes in the services complex modifies each of the plurality of probe packets by inserting a respective second timestamp indicating a respective time at which the respective service node processed the respective one of the plurality of probe packets. An analytics device aggregates probe report information received from each of the plurality of service nodes to determine one or more path monitoring metrics.

Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a network node configured to be included in a set of network nodes operatively coupled to a core network node. The network node is configured to receive a first packet and a second packet from a host device operatively coupled to the network node. The network node is configured to send the first packet to the core network node via a first path of a tunnel between the network node and the core network node. The first path of the tunnel has a first cost. The network node is configured to send the second packet to the core network node via a second path of the tunnel. The second path has a second cost different than the first cost.

Abstract: A controller device manages a plurality of network devices. The controller device includes one or more processing units implemented in circuitry and configured to determine that one or more stateful intents used to manage the plurality of network devices and represented by a graph model are degraded due to assigned resources for the stateful intents having become degraded; in response to determining that the one or more stateful intents are degraded, determine resources for the stateful intents, the resources corresponding to vertices of the graph model; provision the stateful intents using the determined resources; determine whether the provisioning of the stateful intents was successful; compile at least one of the stateful intents that was successful into low-level configuration data for at least one network device of the plurality of network devices; and configure the at least one network device using the low-level configuration data.

Abstract: A bit indexed explicit replication (BIER) network device may receive information indicating that a BIER proxy device is a BIER proxy for a first network device, and may transmit, to the BIER proxy device and based on receiving the information, a BIER-encapsulated multicast packet via a first tunnel between the BIER network device and the BIER proxy device. The BIER proxy device may be to transmit, via a second tunnel through the first network device, a first copy of the BIER-encapsulated multicast packet to a second network device.

Abstract: Techniques are described for specifying a backend virtual network for a service load balancer. An example orchestrator of this disclosure is configured to receive a service definition for a service implemented by load balancing service traffic for the service among a plurality of backend virtual execution elements, wherein the service definition specifies a first virtual network to use as a backend virtual network for the service, to instantiate, in a selected one of the computing devices, a backend virtual execution element for the service, and to configure, based on the service definition specifying the first virtual network to use as the backend virtual network for the service, a network controller for the virtualized computing infrastructure to configure a load balancer to load balance service traffic to a first virtual network interface, of the backend virtual element, for the first virtual network.

Abstract: A mixed pitch method of placing pads in a ball grid array (BGA) package having a. BGA substrate and a plurality of connectors arranged in an array and connected via the pads to the BGA substrate. Selected pairs of the pads are placed on the BGA substrate at a distance defined by a first pitch PT. Ground pads are placed on the BGA substrate at a distance from the selected pairs of pads defined by a second pitch P2, wherein P2=M*P1 and M is greater than one. The selected pairs of the pads on the BGA substrate are also placed at a distance from other selected pairs of the pads defined by the second pitch P2.

Abstract: In general, techniques are described for forwarding L2 BUM traffic within an Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) by implementing a forwarding preference for local interfaces of a PE device for broadcast domains in the EVPN. For example, a method includes receiving, by a first provider edge (PE) device of a plurality of PE devices configured with an EVPN instance comprising one or more broadcast domains reachable by a plurality of Ethernet segments connecting the plurality of PE devices to a plurality of customer edge (CE) devices, first EVPN routes; and configuring, by the first PE device in response to determining the first EVPN routes indicate the first PE device has a local interface for each of the plurality of Ethernet segments, forwarding information of the first PE device to cause the first PE device to perform local-bias forwarding of layer 2 (L2) packets for the EVPN instance.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a first communication interface configured to be communicatively coupled, via an optical line, to a network device that is disposed in an optical network using wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). The apparatus also includes a second communication interface configured to be communicatively coupled to a router via an Ethernet connection. The apparatus also includes a signal generator operatively coupled to the first communication interface and the second communication interface. The signal generator is configured to generate an Ethernet signal representing at least one attribute of the optical line between the first communication interface and the network device. The second communication interface is configured to transmit the Ethernet signal to the router.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for performing secure remote bootstrapping operations of a network device such that sensitive configuration resides in volatile memory or is inaccessible upon power loss. In one example, a network device performs a first request for onboarding information. In response to determining that a first initialization of the network device has not occurred, the network device performs the first initialization by configuring, with the onboarding information, the network device to mount a portion of a file system to a volatile memory and not a non-volatile memory. After rebooting, the network device performs a second request for the onboarding information. In response to determining that the first initialization of the network device has occurred, the network device performs a bootstrapping operation of the network device. The bootstrapping operation may configure the network device for remote management such that any subsequent configuration obtained remotely is not retained on power loss.

Abstract: A system and method for service discovery. A network management system constructs, based on configuration data associated with a first network device and a second network device, respectively, a first partial service instance associated with a service executing on a first network device and a second partial service instance associated with the service executing on a second network device. The network management system merges the first partial service instance and a second partial service instance to form a merged partial service instance. The network management system promotes the merged partial service instance as a service instance.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention describe apparatuses, optical systems, and methods related to utilizing optical cladding layers. According to one embodiment, a hybrid optical device includes a silicon semiconductor layer and a III-V semiconductor layer having an overlapping region, wherein a majority of a field of an optical mode in the overlapping region is to be contained in the III-V semiconductor layer. A cladding region between the silicon semiconductor layer and the III-V semiconductor layer has a spatial property to substantially confine the optical mode to the III-V semiconductor layer and enable heat dissipation through the silicon semiconductor layer.

Abstract: A security platform may determine mapped attribute information associated with a plurality of host identifiers. The mapped attribute information may include information that identifies a set of related attributes. The security platform may determine, based on the mapped attribute information, that a host device is associated with at least two host identifiers of the plurality of host identifiers. The security platform may aggregate, based on the at two least host identifiers, threat information as aggregated threat information associated with the host device. The security platform may classify the host device as an infected device or a suspicious device based on the aggregated threat information.

Abstract: A network device receives an attribute identifying paths associated with an open shortest path first (OSPF) domain of a network and an intermediate system to intermediate system (ISIS) domain of the network, and provides the attribute to other network devices of the network. The network device receives traffic destined for one of the other network devices of the network, and determines that a primary path is unavailable for routing the traffic to the one of the other network devices. The network device selects a secondary path from the paths identified by the attribute. The secondary path is selected based on determining that the primary path is unavailable, and the secondary path is associated with the OSPF domain or the ISIS domain of the network. The network device provides the traffic to the one of the other network devices via the secondary path.

Abstract: A disclosed method may include (1) identifying a set of field-replaceable units installed on a network device, (2) monitoring the set of FRUs for flapping that renders any of the FRUs temporarily inoperable, (3) detecting at least one flap in which an FRU within the set (A) experiences a fault that renders the FRU temporarily inoperable and (B) subsequently overcomes the fault to resume operability, (4) determining that the FRU is deficient based at least in part on at least one characteristic of the flap detected in connection with the FRU, and (5) performing at least one corrective action that addresses the deficiency of the FRU. Various other systems and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: A security platform may determine, during receipt of a file, metadata associated with the file. The file may be intended for a client device. The security platform may compute, based on the metadata and during the receipt of the file, a hash associated with the file. The security platform may identify, during the receipt of the file, a stored hash that matches the hash associated with the file. The security platform may determine a security classification of the file based on information associated with a security classification corresponding to the stored hash. The security classification of the file may be determined before the receipt of the file is complete. The security platform may selectively permit, based on the security classification of the file, the client device to complete a receipt of the file.