Abstract: Transaction validation includes assigning respective asset stake values to computing assets of network services. A request to assign a transaction validation stake to a transaction validator is received. At least some of the computing assets are assigned to the transaction validator. Responsive to a request for one or more transaction validators, a response that includes an indication of the transaction validator is provided. The transaction validator is selected using the respective asset stake values of the at least some of the computing assets that are assigned to the transaction validator.

Abstract: Systems and methods include receiving visual representations of components in network elements in a network; responsive to training a machine learning model to evaluate the visual representations, analyzing the visual representations using the machine learning model to determine a status of the components; and providing the status of the components to an inventory application for any of updating the inventory application and reconciling existing data in the inventory application.

Abstract: Systems and methods for creating a license during a purchasing process between a customer and a vendor are provided. In one implementation, a method may be executable by a vendor system in communication with a customer device in a decentralized computing infrastructure. The method may include the steps of receiving a purchase order from a customer to initiate a purchase of a software or hardware product, where the customer is associated with the customer device, and receiving a public key from the customer. Additionally, the method may include the steps of creating a smart contract for controlling a license related to the purchase of the software or hardware product and sending a contract address associated with the smart contract to the customer to enable the customer to activate the software or hardware product.

Abstract: Systems and methods include receiving visual representations of components in network elements in a network; responsive to training a machine learning model to evaluate the visual representations, analyzing the visual representations using the machine learning model to determine a status of the components; and providing the status of the components to an inventory application for any of updating the inventory application and reconciling existing data in the inventory application.

Abstract: Systems and methods for creating a license during a purchasing process between a customer and a vendor are provided. In one implementation, a method may be executable by a vendor system in communication with a customer device in a decentralized computing infrastructure. The method may include the steps of receiving a purchase order from a customer to initiate a purchase of a software or hardware product, where the customer is associated with the customer device, and receiving a public key from the customer. Additionally, the method may include the steps of creating a smart contract for controlling a license related to the purchase of the software or hardware product and sending a contract address associated with the smart contract to the customer to enable the customer to activate the software or hardware product.

Abstract: Methods for evaluating a system to determine the status of the system are provided in the present disclosure. In one implementation, a method may be configured to include a step of obtaining one or more visual representations of one or more components of a network system. Responsive to training a Machine Learning (ML) model to evaluate the one or more components of the network system, the method may also include a step of analyzing the one or more visual representations using the ML model for evaluating a status of the one or more components of the network system.

Abstract: Systems and methods for Virtual Network Function (VNF) service chain optimization include, responsive to a request, determining placement for one or more VNFs in a VNF service chain based on a lowest cost determination; configuring at least one programmable region of acceleration hardware for at least one VNF of the one or more VNFs; and activating the VNF service chain. The lowest cost determination can be based on a service chain cost model that assigns costs based on connectivity between switching elements and between hops between sites. The activating can include a Make-Before-Break (MBB) operation in a network to minimize service interruption of the VNF service chain.

Abstract: Bandwidth management systems and methods for a Software Defined Networking (SDN) network include obtaining network data related to downloads in a network and analyzing the network data to determine network services associated with the downloads; detecting congestion on one or more network services of the network services; and causing bandwidth orchestration for the one or more network services based on network resources available, policies associated with the one or more network services, and a state of associated downloads of the one or more network services.

Abstract: A cloud exchange includes a first connection to an enterprise; a first plurality of peering points each to an associated cloud provider of a plurality of cloud providers; a second connection to a Central office Re-architected as a Data Center (CORD) including a set of hardware and/or software from one or more existing data centers that is capable of routing traffic directly between the plurality of cloud providers, wherein the CORD comprises a second plurality of peering points to the plurality of cloud providers; and a cloud exchange management application executed on a computing system configured to cause movement of traffic data between the first plurality of peering points and the second plurality of peering points responsive to one or more of the traffic data trending between two applications in different cloud providers and latency between the two applications in different cloud providers.

Abstract: Systems and methods for tracking, predicting, and mitigating Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) attacks in a network include obtaining data related to events and triggers for one or more attacks, wherein the data includes a plurality of i) virtual currency transactions, ii) network traffic flow, and iii) sentiment on any of social media, blogs, and news feeds; correlating the data with one or more subscribed entities; determining a threat index for an attack on a specific subscribed entity of the one or more subscribed entities through analysis of the correlated data, wherein the threat index provides a probability of the attack on the specific subscribed entity; and notifying the specific subscribed entity of a likelihood of the attack based on the threat index.

Abstract: A system for operating a network. The system includes a processor and memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to generate a network path from a source device to a destination device. The instructions include a path calculation engine (PCE) configured to select, from the network, a first intervening device for connecting the source device and the destination device to form the network path, further select, from the network and as additional candidates to form the network path, a first plurality of candidate devices to be in the network path with the first intervening device, and generate, according to a routing constraint of the network, the network path based on the first intervening device and a preference level of each of the first plurality of candidate devices.

Abstract: Systems and methods for tracking, predicting, and mitigating Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) attacks in a network include detecting, from monitoring, events related to one or more subscribed entities, wherein the monitoring includes two or more of analyzing traffic flow, analyzing virtual currency transactions, and monitoring information related to the one or more subscribed entities on the Internet; analyzing the events to determine a likelihood of an attack on a specific subscribed entity of the one or more subscribed entities; and causing mitigation of the attack based on the determined likelihood, wherein the mitigation comprises one or more actions in the network relative to the specific subscribed entity.

Abstract: A cloud exchange includes a first connection to an enterprise; a first plurality of peering points each to an associated cloud provider of a plurality of cloud providers; a second connection to a Central office Re-architected as a Data Center (CORD) including a set of hardware and/or software from one or more existing data centers that is capable of routing traffic directly between the plurality of cloud providers, wherein the CORD comprises a second plurality of peering points to the plurality of cloud providers; and a cloud exchange management application executed on a computing system configured to cause movement of traffic data between the first plurality of peering points and the second plurality of peering points responsive to one or more of the traffic data trending between two applications in different cloud providers and latency between the two applications in different cloud providers.

Abstract: A workloads management method for on-demand applications in distributed Network Functions Virtualization Infrastructure (dNFVI) includes receiving usage data from a unikernel implementing one or more functions of a plurality of functions related to a Virtual Network Function (VNF); determining an update to the one or more functions in the unikernel based on the usage data; updating the unikernel by requesting generation of application code for the unikernel based on the update; and starting the updated unikernel and redirecting service requests thereto.

Abstract: A Software Defined Quorum (SDQ) system implements a quorum system using Software Defined Networking (SDN). The SDQ system includes a controller/orchestrator; a plurality of compute/storage devices each comprising a normal container and a quarantine container; and a network communicatively coupling the controller/orchestrator and the plurality of compute/storage devices together; wherein the controller/orchestrator is configured to classify content in the quorum system based on policy attributes, address content to the plurality of compute/storage devices using a service tag based on networking attributes for the network, and address the content to one of the normal container and the quarantine container in each of the plurality of compute/storage devices using a first customer tag for the normal container and a second customer tag for the quarantine container based on the networking attributes.

Abstract: Adjacency detection systems and methods configured to detect physical interconnection between two devices in a network include communicating data with one or more controllers and data sources associated with the network; for a given port in the network to detect a corresponding port physically connected thereto, causing orchestration of changes in performance monitoring data for the given port over a period of time; and analyzing the data subsequent to the orchestration to detect the corresponding port. The systems and methods can operate over multiple network layers, with different vendor equipment, independent of network protocols, and in-service.

Abstract: A method involving receiving application monitoring data for a first application executing in a first cloud provider and a second application executing in a second cloud provider, wherein both the first and second cloud providers communication via a cloud exchange, performing traffic latency analytics using the received application monitoring data, determining, based on the traffic latency analytics, that a peering agreement between the first cloud provider and the cloud exchange should be moved to a Central office Re-architected as a Data Center (CORD), requesting a Path Computation Engine to find the CORD that meets a required set of criteria, establishing a private link between the CORD and the cloud exchange, moving the at least one peering agreement to be between the first cloud provider and the CORD, and forwarding at least a portion of the traffic originating from the first application in the first cloud provider directly via the CORD.

Abstract: A method for managing network vulnerabilities may include obtaining image data regarding a software container located on a network element. The image data may describe a software image used to generate the software container. The method may further include determining, using the image data, a software vulnerability of the software image. The method may further include assigning the software vulnerability to a filesystem key. The method may further include generating, using the software vulnerability and the filesystem key, a vulnerability map of a network. The vulnerability map may describe various software vulnerabilities arranged according to various filesystem keys used on the network. The filesystem key may identify data of the software container within a filesystem on the network element.

Abstract: A workloads management method for on-demand applications in distributed Network Functions Virtualization Infrastructure (dNFVI) includes receiving usage data from a unikernel implementing one or more functions of a plurality of functions related to a Virtual Network Function (VNF); determining an update to the one or more functions in the unikernel based on the usage data; updating the unikernel by requesting generation of application code for the unikernel based on the update; and starting the updated unikernel and redirecting service requests thereto.

Abstract: A method involving receiving application monitoring data for a first application executing in a first cloud provider and a second application executing in a second cloud provider, wherein both the first and second cloud providers communication via a cloud exchange, performing traffic latency analytics using the received application monitoring data, determining, based on the traffic latency analytics, that a peering agreement between the first cloud provider and the cloud exchange should be moved to a Central office Re-architected as a Data Center (CORD), requesting a Path Computation Engine to find the CORD that meets a required set of criteria, establishing a private link between the CORD and the cloud exchange, moving the at least one peering agreement to be between the first cloud provider and the CORD, and forwarding at least a portion of the traffic originating from the first application in the first cloud provider directly via the CORD.