Abstract: A computer-implemented method for improving clock synchronization between master and slave devices may include receiving at least one clock-synchronization packet transferred from a master device to a slave device via a network that supports an IP. The method may also include identifying at least one item of IP information added to the clock-synchronization packet during the transfer from the master device to the slave device. The method may further include determining that the clock-synchronization packet experienced a delay that exceeds a predetermined threshold during the transfer based at least in part on the item of IP information. Finally, the method may include discarding the clock-synchronization packet from a set of clock-synchronization packets used to synchronize the slave device with the master device in response to the determination. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus comprises an optical transponder which includes a processor, an electrical interface and an optical interface. The processor is operatively coupled to the electrical interface and the optical interface. The optical interface is configured to be operatively coupled to a plurality of optical links and the electrical interface is configured to be operatively coupled to a router such that the optical transponder is configured to be operatively coupled between the plurality of optical links and the router. The processor is configured to perform pre-forward error correction (FEC) bit error rate (BER) detection to identify a degradation of an optical link from the plurality of optical links. The processor is configured to make modifications to packets designated to be transmitted via the optical link in response to the degradation being identified such that the router is notified of the degradation of the optical link.

Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method may include (1) receiving, at a network device, a route update for one or more routes that direct traffic within a network that supports BGP, (2) identifying, within the route update, a BGP prefix and a plurality of protocol next-hop addresses that (A) identify a plurality of neighbors of the network device and (B) each correspond to the BGP prefix, (3) maintaining a single copy of the BGP prefix and each of the protocol next-hop addresses, (4) receiving a packet destined for a computing device that is reachable via at least one of the neighbors of the network device, and then (5) forwarding the packet to the one of the neighbors of the network device in accordance with the BGP prefix and the protocol next-hop address that identifies the one of the neighbors. Various other methods, systems, and apparatuses are also disclosed.

Abstract: The challenge of isolating a protocol peer(s) from routing information churn caused by to a peering protocol (e.g., due to updating the peering protocol, due to a bug in the peering protocol, due to a crash in the peering protocol, etc.) is solved by using a separate data store to isolate the protocol peer(s) from the peering protocol. The separate data store may: (a) receive, from at least one of the outside peering devices, incoming routing information; (b) store the incoming routing information received in a first storage system; (c) provide a copy of at least some of the stored incoming routing information received to a second storage system used by a process for selecting routes using the routing information, the process generating state information to be distributed (e.g.

Abstract: In general, techniques are described for monitoring memory usage in computing devices. A computing device comprising a memory and a control unit that executes a kernel of an operating system having kernel sub-systems may implement the techniques. A memory manager kernel subsystem, in response to requests for amounts of the memory from other one kernel sub-systems, allocates memory blocks from the memory. The memory manager, in response to requests to de-allocate one or more of the allocated memory blocks, determines the corresponding requested amounts of memory and sizes of the de-allocated blocks. The memory manager then generates memory usage information based on the determined requested amounts of memory and the determined ones of the two or more different sizes. The memory usage information specifies usage of the memory in terms of the two or more different sizes of the allocated plurality of memory blocks.

Abstract: The disclosed apparatus may include (1) forwarding, along a network path, a test packet that is (A) destined for an invalid port on a destination device and (B) fragmented by an intermediary device within the network path according to an MTU value of a network interface on the intermediary device, (2) receiving an error packet sent by the destination device in response to having determined that the test packet is destined for the invalid port, (3) determining a PMTU value of the network path by identifying, within the error packet, a size of the largest fragmented segment of the test packet received by the destination device, and then (4) forwarding, along the network path, at least one packet sized to comply with the PMTU value such that the packet remains unfragmented upon reaching the destination device. Various other apparatuses, systems, and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: A disclosed method may include (1) providing a network stack that includes both a native stack and a proprietary stack, (2) implementing at least one socket that represents an endpoint of a communication channel between a network device and a computing device, (3) identifying at least one packet to be forwarded from the network device to the computing device via the socket, (4) configuring the network stack such that (A) the native stack discovers a maximum transmission unit of a network path between the network device and the computing device in connection with the socket and (B) the proprietary stack fragments the packet into a plurality of segments that each comply with the maximum transmission unit of the network path, and then (5) forwarding, along the network path, the segments to the computing device. Various other systems and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: A network device that includes a plurality of packet processing components may receive traffic associated with one or more services. The network device may store state information for each of the plurality of packet processing components, while the plurality of packet processing components are receiving the traffic. The state information may include state configuration information and/or internal storage information. The state information may be stored using a data structure that is internal to the network device and external to the packet processing component. The network device may detect an error that prevents the packet processing component from processing at least a portion of the traffic. The network device may execute, based on detecting the error that prevents the packet processing component from processing at least the portion of the traffic, a recovery procedure that uses the state information to reset the packet processing component to an operational state.

Abstract: A network device may include multiple line cards and a switch fabric assembly electrically connected to the line cards. The switch fabric assembly includes: for each of the line cards, a line card connector providing electrical connectivity between the line card and one or more cables; a cable mesh assembly including the cables, the cables providing electrical connectivity between each line card connector and multiple switch connector groups; and multiple switch application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), each of the switch ASICs being electrically connected to one of the switch connector groups.

Abstract: A device may monitor a communication between network devices for an error associated with the communication. The device may detect the error associated with the communication between the network devices. The device may perform a comparison of an error metric and a threshold error metric. The error metric may be associated with the error. The device may determine whether the comparison indicates that the error metric satisfies the threshold error metric. The device may identify a source of the error using a loopback test based on determining whether the comparison indicates that the error metric satisfies the threshold error metric. The device may provide error source information based on identifying the source of the error. The error source information may identify the source of the error.

Abstract: The disclosed apparatus may include an encryption device that signs information exchanged between network devices to ensure the integrity of the information. The disclosed apparatus may also include a network device communicatively coupled to the encryption device, wherein the network device (1) obtains geo-location information that identifies the location of the network device, (2) directs the encryption device to sign the geo-location information to ensure the integrity of the geo-location information, (3) provides the signed geo-location information to a remote management system that manages the configuration of the network device based at least in part on the geo-location information, and (4) receives a configuration profile that modifies the configuration of the network device to account for the current location of the network device from the remote management system. Various other apparatuses, systems, and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: In an example of this disclosure, a method may include receiving, by a first network device, a plurality of heartbeat response messages from one or more network devices of a plurality of network devices. Each heartbeat response message of the plurality of heartbeat response messages may respectively correspond to one network device of the plurality of network devices. The method may include processing, by the first network device, the plurality of heartbeat response messages in a kernel space of the first network device. The method may include updating, by the first network device in the kernel space, one or more values corresponding to a data structure based on processing the plurality of heartbeat response messages in the kernel space. The method may include processing, by the first network device, the one or more values in a user space of the first network device.

Abstract: A device may include one or more processors to identify a first bandwidth of a first link and a second bandwidth of a second link that include a first plurality of interfaces and a second plurality of interfaces, respectively. The one or more processors may store a first and a second link bandwidth extended community value identifying the first bandwidth and the second bandwidth, respectively. The one or more processors may determine that the first bandwidth has increased or decreased. The one or more processors may store a modified first link bandwidth extended community value identifying the first bandwidth as increased or decreased. The one or more processors may perform load balancing of network traffic on the first link and the second link based on the modified first link bandwidth extended community value and the second link bandwidth extended community value.

Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus comprises an optical transponder which includes a processor, an electrical interface and an optical interface. The processor is operatively coupled to the electrical interface and the optical interface. The optical interface is configured to be operatively coupled to a plurality of optical links and the electrical interface is configured to be operatively coupled to a router such that the optical transponder is configured to be operatively coupled between the plurality of optical links and the router. The processor is configured to perform pre-forward error correction (FEC) bit error rate (BER) detection to identify a degradation of an optical link from the plurality of optical links. The processor is configured to make modifications to packets designated to be transmitted via the optical link in response to the degradation being identified such that the router is notified of the degradation of the optical link.

Abstract: A device may include one or more processors to detect an issue in a universal customer premises equipment (uCPE) platform; select a traffic flow to migrate from the uCPE platform to a virtual customer premises equipment (vCPE) platform, the traffic flow may be selected based on a characteristic of the traffic flow; determine a traffic path of the traffic flow through the vCPE platform; select a point of presence (PoP) of the vCPE platform to host a virtual network function (VNF) associated with the traffic flow based on the PoP being situated along the traffic path; and perform an action associated with the PoP or the traffic flow to resolve the issue.

Abstract: In some examples, a method includes selecting, by a first virtual routing node of a single-chassis network device having a plurality of forwarding components and a plurality of fabric links coupling respective pairs of the plurality of forwarding components at respective fabric interfaces of the plurality of forwarding components, a fabric interface of a forwarding component having an egress interface toward a network destination and that is associated with the first virtual routing node; advertising, to the second virtual routing node, the fabric interface as a next hop for the network destination; storing, by the second virtual routing node to a context data structure of the second virtual node, the fabric interface as a next hop for the network destination; selecting the fabric interface from among a plurality of fabric interfaces as a next hop for the network destination; and forwarding network traffic destined for the network destination to the selected fabric interface.

Abstract: A device may receive a trigger to determine whether a malicious file is operating on a client device. The device may determine a network activity profile associated with the malicious file based on receiving the trigger to determine whether the malicious file is operating on the client device. The network activity profile may include information regarding network activity associated with the malicious file when the malicious file is executed in a testing environment. The device may monitor network activity associated with the client device. The device may determine that the network activity associated with the client device matches the network activity profile associated with the malicious file based on monitoring the network activity associated with the client device. The device may provide information indicating that the network activity associated with the client device matches the network activity profile associated with the malicious file.

Abstract: A first processing device may receive, from a first network device, a tunneling protocol message associated with a tunnel to be established between the first network device and a second network device. The first processing device may determine, based on the tunneling protocol message, a device identifier of the second network device. The first processing device may determine that a second processing device is to process a flow associated with the first network device and the second network device based on the device identifier of the second network device. The first processing device may provide information that identifies that the second processing device is to process the flow to permit the second processing device to process the flow associated with the first network device and the second network device.

Abstract: A device receives a new rule construct that includes a source address or a destination address, and at least one parameter, where the new rule construct includes a new rule to be provided to a network. The device identifies network devices, of the network, to which the new rule is to be provided based on the new rule construct, and determines a proper position for the new rule, in a list of existing rules provided in each network device, based on the new rule construct and information associated with the network devices. The device causes the new rule to be provided to and stored in the network devices, at the proper position, in the list of existing rules, determined for each network device.

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.