Abstract: A method of identifying a failed egress path of a hardware forwarding element. The method detects an egress link failure in a data plane of the forwarding element. The method generates a link failure signal in the data plane identifying the failed egress link. The method generates a packet that includes the identification of the egress link based on the link failure signal. The method sets the status of the egress link to failed in the data plane based on the identification of the egress link in the generated packet.

Abstract: A method of identifying a failed egress path of a hardware forwarding element. The method detects an egress link failure in a data plane of the forwarding element. The method generates a link failure signal in the data plane identifying the failed egress link. The method generates a packet that includes the identification of the egress link based on the link failure signal. The method sets the status of the egress link to failed in the data plane based on the identification of the egress link in the generated packet.

Abstract: The disclosure provides an approach for providing an extendable system health management framework in a network. Embodiments include receiving, by a manager, a system health plugin. Embodiments include determining, by the manager, an association between the system health plugin and a host in the network based on the host satisfying one or more conditions. Embodiments include providing, by the manager, the system health plugin to the host for installation in a system health agent on the host. Embodiments include receiving, by the manager, from the host, status information for the system health plugin.

Abstract: The disclosure provides an approach for providing an extendable system health management framework in a network. Embodiments include receiving, by a manager, a system health plugin. Embodiments include determining, by the manager, an association between the system health plugin and a host in the network based on the host satisfying one or more conditions. Embodiments include providing, by the manager, the system health plugin to the host for installation in a system health agent on the host. Embodiments include receiving, by the manager, from the host, status information for the system health plugin.

Abstract: A method of identifying a failed egress path of a hardware forwarding element. The method detects an egress link failure in a data plane of the forwarding element. The method generates a link failure signal in the data plane identifying the failed egress link. The method generates a packet that includes the identification of the egress link based on the link failure signal. The method sets the status of the egress link to failed in the data plane based on the identification of the egress link in the generated packet.

Abstract: The disclosure provides an approach for providing an extendable system health management framework in a network. Embodiments include receiving, by a manager, a system health plugin. Embodiments include determining, by the manager, an association between the system health plugin and a host in the network based on the host satisfying one or more conditions. Embodiments include providing, by the manager, the system health plugin to the host for installation in a system health agent on the host. Embodiments include receiving, by the manager, from the host, status information for the system health plugin.

Abstract: A method of performing bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) by a hardware forwarding element that includes a set of ingress pipelines and a set of egress pipelines. Each ingress pipeline includes a packet generator. A packet generator in a first pipeline periodically generates a pair of packets to monitor the health of a particular egress link. The pair includes a BFD transmit packet and a BFD dummy transmit packet. The method forwards each dummy BFD transmit packet to a first egress pipeline and increments a counter at the first egress pipeline. Each BFD packet is transmitted through the particular egress link to a network node. BFD packets received from the network node are forwarded to the first egress pipeline and the value of the counter is rest. The method marks the particular egress link as failed when the value of the counter exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A method of generating packets in the data plane of a forwarding element is provided. The method selects a configuration set from a plurality of configuration sets of based on a triggering event. The method generates a set of packets using a packet template that corresponds to the selected configuration set. The method sets values of a plurality of the packet fields to identify different information such as the destination of packets. The method places the generated set of packets into an ingress pipeline of the forwarding element.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method for a hardware forwarding element. Based on a set of characteristics of a packet, the method determines to copy a packet to a particular temporary storage of a set of temporary storages of the hardware forwarding element. Based on a property of the particular temporary storage, the method stores only a particular portion of the packet in the particular temporary storage. A same size portion of each packet copied to the particular temporary storage is stored in the particular temporary storage.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method for a hardware forwarding element. Based on a set of characteristics of a packet, the method determines to copy a packet to a particular temporary storage of a set of temporary storages of the hardware forwarding element. Based on a property of the particular temporary storage, the method stores only a particular portion of the packet in the particular temporary storage. A same size portion of each packet copied to the particular temporary storage is stored in the particular temporary storage.

Abstract: A synchronous packet-processing pipeline whose data paths are populated with data-plane stateful processing units (DSPUs) is provided. A DSPU is a programmable processor whose operations are synchronous with the dataflow of the packet-processing pipeline. A DSPU performs every computation with fixed latency. Each DSPU is capable of maintaining a set of states and perform its computations based on its maintained set of states. The programming of a DSPU determines how and when the DSPU updates one of its maintained states. Such programming may configure the DSPU to update the state based on its received packet data, or to change the state regardless of the received packet data.

Abstract: A method of identifying a failed egress path of a hardware forwarding element. The method detects an egress link failure in a data plane of the forwarding element. The method generates a link failure signal in the data plane identifying the failed egress link. The method generates a packet that includes the identification of the egress link based on the link failure signal. The method sets the status of the egress link to failed in the data plane based on the identification of the egress link in the generated packet.

Abstract: A method of forwarding packets by a physical network switch is provided. The method assigns egress ports that connect the network switch to each particular next hop to a weighted-cost multipathing (WCMP) group associated with the particular next hop. The method assigns weights to each egress port in each WCMP group according to the capacity of each path that connects the egress port to the next hop associated with the WCMP group and normalizes the weights over a range of values. For each packet received at the network switch, the method identifies the WCMP group associated with a next hop destination of the packet. The method calculates a hash value of a set of fields in the packet header and uses the hash value to perform a range lookup in the identified WCMP group to select an egress port for forwarding the packet to the next hop.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method for a hardware forwarding element. Based on a set of characteristics of a packet, the method determines to copy a packet to a particular temporary storage of a set of temporary storages of the hardware forwarding element. Based on a property of the particular temporary storage, the method stores only a particular portion of the packet in the particular temporary storage. A same size portion of each packet copied to the particular temporary storage is stored in the particular temporary storage.

Abstract: A synchronous packet-processing pipeline whose data paths are populated with data-plane stateful processing units (DSPUs) is provided. A DSPU is a programmable processor whose operations are synchronous with the dataflow of the packet-processing pipeline. A DSPU performs every computation with fixed latency. Each DSPU is capable of maintaining a set of states and perform its computations based on its maintained set of states. The programming of a DSPU determines how and when the DSPU updates one of its maintained states. Such programming may configure the DSPU to update the state based on its received packet data, or to change the state regardless of the received packet data.

Abstract: A novel method for replicating and filtering multicast packet in a physical network is provided. Upon receiving a packet, the method generates a set of metadata as ingress replication context for the received packet based on the content of the receive packet. The generated ingress replication context includes a multicast group identifier, a replication identifier, a first layer exclusion identifier, and a second layer exclusion identifier. The method performs multicast replication of the packet by identifying logical ports and/or logical domains that are to be excluded from the multicast replication based on the content of the generated ingress replication context.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a novel method for simultaneously generating (i) configuration data for configuring a forwarding element (FE) and (ii) application programming interfaces (APIs) for programming the configured FE (e.g., at run time). The method of some embodiments receives a description of the FE's data plane that specifies the packet processing logic of the FE and generates the configuration data based on the received description. The configuration data in some embodiments specifies which protocols (e.g., L2 protocols, L3 protocols, etc.) the FE supports and how the FE performs a set of functionalities to forward network traffic data for the supported protocols. The method of some embodiments also generates a set of APIs based on the received description of the data plane. The APIs can then be used by a run time application (e.g., a control plane software) to program the configured FE at a later time (e.g., at run time).

Abstract: A method of forwarding packets by a physical network switch is provided. The method assigns egress ports that connect the network switch to each particular next hop to a weighted-cost multipathing (WCMP) group associated with the particular next hop. The method assigns weights to each egress port in each WCMP group according to the capacity of each path that connects the egress port to the next hop associated with the WCMP group and normalizes the weights over a range of values. For each packet received at the network switch, the method identifies the WCMP group associated with a next hop destination of the packet. The method calculates a hash value of a set of fields in the packet header and uses the hash value to perform a range lookup in the identified WCMP group to select an egress port for forwarding the packet to the next hop.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method for a hardware forwarding element. Based on a set of characteristics of a packet, the method determines to copy a packet to a particular temporary storage of a set of temporary storages of the hardware forwarding element. Based on a property of the particular temporary storage, the method stores only a particular portion of the packet in the particular temporary storage. A same size portion of each packet copied to the particular temporary storage is stored in the particular temporary storage.

Abstract: A method of forwarding packets by a physical network switch is provided. The method assigns egress ports that connect the network switch to each particular next hop to a weighted-cost multipathing (WCMP) group associated with the particular next hop. The method assigns weights to each egress port in each WCMP group according to the capacity of each path that connects the egress port to the next hop associated with the WCMP group and normalizes the weights over a range of values. For each packet received at the network switch, the method identifies the WCMP group associated with a next hop destination of the packet. The method calculates a hash value of a set of fields in the packet header and uses the hash value to perform a range lookup in the identified WCMP group to select an egress port for forwarding the packet to the next hop.