Abstract: Network operating methods provide a first packet switch coupled to a second packet switch via a primary packet tunnel having an active status and one or more inactive backup packet tunnels having an inactive status. The methods access data describing at least one performance characteristic of the primary packet tunnel and, based at least on the data, deactivate the primary packet tunnel while still operational and activate one of the backup packet tunnels. Network operating methods provide a first device coupled to a second device via an active primary packet tunnel and one or more inactive backup packet tunnels, access data describing performance characteristics of the one or more backup packet tunnels, and, based at least on the data, deactivate the primary packet tunnel and activate one of the backup packet tunnels.

Abstract: This document describes tools that withhold a data packet from a switch port despite its destination address. In one embodiment, the tools may receive a port description identifying a set of switch ports. The tools configure the set of ports so that data packets exchanged through the switch by interested entities that would otherwise be forwarded to uninterested entities are instead withheld from the uninterested entities. In another embodiment, the tools may configure a data-packet switch according to a port description identifying a set of ports and a subset of the set of ports. The tools receive a data packet that includes a broadcast destination address on a receive port and then determine, based on the port description, whether the receive port belongs to the subset. If the receive port does not belong to the subset the data packet is withheld from the other ports of the set.

Abstract: This document describes tools that assign packets to a network service. The tools receive a control packet lacking a tag associating the control packet with a network service and assign the control packet to a network service by adding a tag to the control packet. The tools may also receive a tagged data packet on a port and determine that the tag does not match any of a set of network tags associated with the port. Consequently, the tools assign the data packet to a default network service. The tools may also receive a set of conditions for a port and assign data packets received on the port that satisfy one of the conditions to a network service associated with the satisfied condition and data packets that do not satisfy one of the conditions to a default network service.

Abstract: Network operating methods provide a first packet switch coupled to a second packet switch via a primary packet tunnel having an active status and one or more inactive backup packet tunnels having an inactive status. The methods access data describing at least one performance characteristic of the primary packet tunnel and, based at least on the data, deactivate the primary packet tunnel while still operational and activate one of the backup packet tunnels. Network operating methods provide a first device coupled to a second device via an active primary packet tunnel and one or more inactive backup packet tunnels, access data describing performance characteristics of the one or more backup packet tunnels, and, based at least on the data, deactivate the primary packet tunnel and activate one of the backup packet tunnels.

Abstract: Packet switch operating methods and packet switches assign a packet to a virtual interface. The virtual interface is associated with a plurality of tunnels. One of the plurality is designated a primary tunnel configured to accept packets. Other tunnels of the plurality are designated as backup tunnels and are configured to reject packets. The methods and packet switches also determine which of the plurality of tunnels is the primary tunnel and determine a packet switch port associated with the primary tunnel. The methods and packet switches egress the packet via the primary tunnel on the packet switch port associated with the primary tunnel.

Abstract: Packet switch operating methods and packet switches receive an Ethernet packet including a customer destination address and select one of a plurality of packet tunnel identifiers based on the customer destination address. The packet switch then modifies the received Ethernet packet by adding the selected packet tunnel identifier and forwards the modified packet to a packet tunnel associated with the selected packet tunnel identifier. Other methods and packet switches receive Ethernet packets including a same service virtual local area network identifier value from a first Ethernet network and forward one of the received Ethernet packets to a second Ethernet network via a first packet tunnel and forward another of the received Ethernet packets to a third Ethernet network via a second packet tunnel. Packet tunnel networks including Ethernet provider networks and edge bridges fully connected by packet tunnels having two endpoints.

Abstract: Packet switch operating methods and packet switches receive an Ethernet packet from an Ethernet provider network and create a plurality of duplicates of the received Ethernet packet. The methods and switches then modify the duplicates by assign a same service instance identifier and a different packet tunnel identifier to each of the duplicates and then forward the modified duplicates to packet tunnels associated with the packet tunnel identifiers. Other methods and packet switches receive an Ethernet packet including a service instance identifier from a packet tunnel and prevent the received Ethernet packet from being forwarded to another packet tunnel associated with the service instance identifier. Packet tunnel networks including Ethernet provider networks and edge bridges fully connected by packet tunnels. The edge bridges are configured to prevent packets received from one of the tunnels from being forwarded to other tunnels.

Abstract: Packet switch operating methods and packet switches forward a first packet to a first packet switch via an active primary tunnel terminating on the first packet switch. The primary tunnel is associated with an inactive backup tunnel terminating on a different second packet switch. The methods and packet switches also deactivate the primary tunnel, activate the backup tunnel, and forward a second packet to the second packet switch via the activated backup tunnel. Network operating methods relay a first packet to a first one of a plurality of destination packet switches via two or more different tunnels in a first combination. The methods and packets switches also deactivate one of the tunnels of the first combination without deactivating any other tunnel of the first combination and relay a second packet to a second one of the packet switches via two or more different tunnels in a second combination.

Abstract: Packet switch operating methods and packet switches receive, at a packet switch, a control packet from another packet switch. The packet switch and the other packet switch are coupled together by two or more tunnels. The control packet indicates that a particular one of the tunnels is active on the other packet switch. In response, the packet switch operating methods and packet switches activate the particular tunnel indicated by the received control packet on the packet switch.

Abstract: This document describes tools useful in relaying a data stream from a data device to a network tunnel, such as by injecting in-band control messages without impacting a data rate. For example, the tools may receive data packets on a first link and then relay the data packets to a data device on a second link. While doing so, the tools may periodically free an amount of link time by reducing the length of the relayed data packets by reducing the length of a header of each data packet. The tools may then consume the freed link time by sending a control message on the second link to the data device.

Abstract: Packet switch operating methods and packet switches, using primary control circuitry of the packet switch, receive a request to perform a transaction. In response to the receiving the request, the primary control circuitry forwards the request to backup control circuitry of the packet switch. Subsequent to forwarding the request, the primary control circuitry performs the transaction by modifying a plurality of first data objects stored in a memory of the primary control circuitry. The packet switch operating methods and packet switches, using the primary control circuitry, inform the backup control circuitry that the primary control circuitry has performed the transaction and, in response to the informing, the backup control circuitry performs the transaction by modifying a plurality of second data objects stored in a memory of the backup control circuitry. The first data objects correspond to the second data objects.

Abstract: This invention includes tools that prevent forwarding of a packet to a control plane of a packet switch. The tools receive a packet comprising indicia suggesting that the packet be forwarded to a control plane of a packet switch. After receiving the packet, the tools may modify the packet to prevent the packet from being forwarded to the control plane, intercept the packet before it is received by the control plane, or otherwise prevent the packet from being forwarded to the control plane. The tools may also forward the packet from a source port of a packet switch to a destination port of the packet switch without forwarding the packet to the control plane of the packet switch.

Abstract: Packet switch operating methods and packet switches determine an identifier of an authorized multicast packet service, the multicast packet service being provided from a first device connected to the packet switch, receive a multicast packet comprising the identifier from a different second device connected to the packet switch, determine the multicast packet is unauthorized, and prevent the packet switch from forwarding the unauthorized multicast packet to a third device connected to the packet switch. Other packet switches include a first port, a second port, a third port, and forwarding circuitry connected to the first, second, and third ports. The forwarding circuitry is configured to forward first packets comprising a particular multicast destination address received from the first port to the second and third ports and to prevent second packets comprising the particular multicast destination address received from the second port from being forwarded to the third port.

Abstract: Packet switch operating methods and packet switches detect, at a packet switch, a change in a first tunnel's ability to relay packets between the packet switch and another packet switch and, in response, send a control packet to the other packet switch. The control packet indicates a particular one of the tunnels is active on the packet switch. The packet switches are coupled together by the first tunnel and a second tunnel. A packet switch network includes a first packet switch and a second packet switch both configured to recognize disagreement regarding which one of a first tunnel and a second tunnel is active and which one is inactive in response to receiving control packets from each other and resolve the disagreement so that a particular one of the first tunnel and the second tunnel is active according to both the first packet switch and the second packet switch.

Abstract: Packet switch operating methods and packet switches use a first port of forwarding circuitry of the packet switch to receive first packets and transmit second packets. The methods and packet switches mirror the first and second packets on a second port of the forwarding circuitry, encapsulate the mirrored packets with a transport identifier, and transmit the encapsulated packets using a third port of the forwarding circuitry.

Abstract: Packet switch operating methods and packet switches receive a plurality of packets using a forwarding plane of the packet switch. Each packet of the plurality conforms to a different one of a plurality of forwarding information formats. The methods and packet switches modify each packet of the plurality to conform to a common forwarding information format instead of a respective one of the plurality of forwarding information formats and forward the modified packets of the plurality to a control plane of the packet switch.

Abstract: Network operating methods provide a first packet switch configured to send a plurality of packets from the first packet switch to a second packet switch via a network path traversing one or more intermediate packet switches, access data describing at least one performance characteristic of the network path, and based on the data, modify a rate at which the first packet switch sends the plurality of packets to the second packet switch via the path. Network management methods receive data describing at least one performance characteristic of a network path having a first endpoint on a first packet switch, a second endpoint on a second packet switch, the network path traversing one or more intermediate packet switches and, based on the received data, instruct the first packet switch to modify a rate at which the first packet switch sends packets to the second packet switch via the network path.

Abstract: Network operating methods provide a first packet switch configured to send a plurality of packets from the first packet switch to a second packet switch via a network path traversing one or more intermediate packet switches, access data describing at least one performance characteristic of the network path, and based on the data, modify a rate at which the first packet switch sends the plurality of packets to the second packet switch via the path. Network management methods receive data describing at least one performance characteristic of a network path having a first endpoint on a first packet switch, a second endpoint on a second packet switch, the network path traversing one or more intermediate packet switches and, based on the received data, instruct the first packet switch to modify a rate at which the first packet switch sends packets to the second packet switch via the network path.

Abstract: Packet switch operating methods and packet switches receive a packet from a port and then forward the packet to the port from which the packet was received. The packet switch receives a packet having a first transport identifier from a port, modifies the packet to have a second transport identifier, and forwards the modified packet to the port while retaining a layer-two source address and a layer-two destination address. Other methods and packet switches transmit modified, duplicated packets on a single port. The packet switch receives a packet on a first port and creates at least one duplicate of the packet. The packet switch modifies the packet and the duplicate so that they have different transport identifiers. The packet switch then transmits the modified packets on a single port.

Abstract: Packet switch operating methods and packet switches, using first processing circuitry of the packet switch, specify a configuration for a control packet processing procedure implemented by different second processing circuitry of the packet switch, communicate the configuration to the second processing circuitry, and using the second processing circuitry, receive a control packet, examine contents of the control packet, and process the control packet according to the control packet processing procedure, the control packet processing procedure being configured according to the configuration.