Patents by Inventor Clarence Filsfils

Clarence Filsfils has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240137281
    Abstract: Techniques for monitoring data transport in a network virtualization function chain (chain). A path tracing packet is generated having a Midpoint Compressed Data (MCD) to collect path tracing information of the chain. The network virtualization function node is configured to record an MCD containing Wide Local Path Tracing Identification (WL PT ID). The WL PT ID includes a first field having a value that indicates that a non-standard path tracing format is to be used and a second field that indicates a particular path tracing format to be used. The path tracing packet is passed through the chain and is received back after passing through the chain. Data collected by the path tracing packet is then analyzed to determine which network virtualization function nodes and chains the path tracing packet passed through and the amount of time taken for the path tracing packet to pass through the chain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2023
    Publication date: April 25, 2024
    Inventors: Clarence Filsfils, Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed Abdelsalam, Pablo Camarillo Garvia, Sonia Ben Ayed
  • Publication number: 20240129274
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method by an apparatus of a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) network includes accessing an attestation token for the apparatus. The method further includes encoding the attestation token in a BGP signaling message. The method further includes sending the BGP signaling message with the encoded attestation token to a second apparatus of the BGP network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2023
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Inventors: Clarence Filsfils, Swadesh Agrawal, Apoorva Karan
  • Patent number: 11962473
    Abstract: Techniques for monitoring data transport in a network virtualization function chain (chain). A path tracing packet is generated having a Midpoint Compressed Data (MCD) to collect path tracing information of the chain. The network virtualization function node is configured to record an MCD containing Wide Local Path Tracing Identification (WL PT ID). The WL PT ID includes a first field having a value that indicates that a non-standard path tracing format is to be used and a second field that indicates a particular path tracing format to be used. The path tracing packet is passed through the chain and is received back after passing through the chain. Data collected by the path tracing packet is then analyzed to determine which network virtualization function nodes and chains the path tracing packet passed through and the amount of time taken for the path tracing packet to pass through the chain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Clarence Filsfils, Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed Abdelsalam, Pablo Camarillo Garvia, Sonia Ben Ayed
  • Publication number: 20240113962
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a service chain data packet is instrumented as it is communicated among network nodes in a network providing service-level and/or networking operations visibility. The service chain data packet includes a particular header identifying a service group defining one or more service functions, and is a data packet and not a probe packet. A network node adds networking and/or service-layer operations data to the particular service chain data packet, such as, but not limited to, in the particular header. Such networking operations data includes a performance metric or attribute related to the transport of the particular service chain packet in the network. Such service-layer operations data includes a performance metric or attribute related to the service-level processing of the particular service chain data packet in the network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2023
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Inventors: Clarence FILSFILS, Zafar ALI, Syed Kamran RAZA, Ahmed Refaat BASHANDY, Nagendra Kumar NAINAR, Carlos M. PIGNATARO, Jaganbabu RAJAMANICKAM, Rakesh GANDHI, Bhupendra YADAV, Faisal IQBAL
  • Publication number: 20240098161
    Abstract: In one embodiment, Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) is implemented using Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Segment Routing (SRv6) underlay network and SRv6-enhanced Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) signaling. A particular route associated with a particular Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Segment Routing (SRv6) Segment Identifier (SID) is advertised in a particular route advertisement message of a routing protocol (e.g., BGP). The SID includes encoding representing a particular Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) Layer 2 (L2) flooding Segment Routing end function of the particular router and a particular Ethernet Segment Identifier (ESI), with the particular SID including a routable prefix to the particular router. The particular router receives a particular packet including the particular SID; and in response, the particular router performs the particular EVPN end function on the particular packet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Inventors: Patrice Brissette, Clarence Filsfils, Darren Dukes, Gaurav Dawra, Francois Clad, Pablo Camarillo Garvia
  • Patent number: 11936759
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes identifying, by a network component, a first segment identifier (SID) within a SID list. The first SID includes a first SID block and a first micro SID (uSID). The method also includes initializing, by the network component, a packing list of a uSID carrier with the first uSID of the first SID and initializing, by the network component, a packing block of the uSID carrier with the first SID block of the first SID. The method further includes initializing, by the network component, a remaining packing capacity of the packing list with a carrier capacity of the first SID and initializing, by the network component, an empty compressed SID list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Clarence Filsfils, Francois Clad, Pablo Camarillo Garvia, Siva Sivabalan, Syed Kamran Raza
  • Patent number: 11924090
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a service chain data packet is instrumented as it is communicated among network nodes in a network providing service-level and/or networking operations visibility. The service chain data packet includes a particular header identifying a service group defining one or more service functions, and is a data packet and not a probe packet. A network node adds networking and/or service-layer operations data to the particular service chain data packet, such as, but not limited to, in the particular header. Such networking operations data includes a performance metric or attribute related to the transport of the particular service chain packet in the network. Such service-layer operations data includes a performance metric or attribute related to the service-level processing of the particular service chain data packet in the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Clarence Filsfils, Zafar Ali, Syed Kamran Raza, Ahmed Bashandy, Nagendra Kumar Nainar, Carlos M. Pignataro, Jaganbabu Rajamanickam, Rakesh Gandhi, Bhupendra Yadav, Faisal Iqbal
  • Publication number: 20240039845
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a packet tracing mechanism will be described that provides packet tracing information to a mobile network controller. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a data packet sent from a source node to a destination node; determining if the data packet is to be updated with packet tracing information; and upon determining that the data packet is to be updated, updating the packet tracing information of the data packet to include identification of the network device and an ingress timestamp of the data packet at the network device for a corresponding network controller to determining network routing policies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Inventors: Clarence Filsfils, Pablo Camarillo Garvia
  • Patent number: 11882203
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a Segment Routing network node provides efficiencies in processing and communicating Internet Protocol packets in a network. This Segment Routing node typically advertises (e.g., using Border Gateway Protocol) its Segment Routing processing capabilities, such as Penultimate Segment Pop (PSP) and/or Ultimate Segment Pop (USP) of a Segment Routing Header (including in the context of a packet that has multiple Segment Routing Headers). Subsequently, an Internet Protocol Segment Routing packet having multiple Segment Routing Headers is received. The packet is processed according to a Segment Routing function, with is processing including removing a first one of the Segment Routing Headers and forwarding the resultant Segment Routing packet. The value of the Segments Left field in the first Segment Routing Header identifies to perform PSP when the value is one, to perform USP when the value is zero, or to perform other processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ahmed Refaat Bashandy, Jisu Bhattacharya, Syed Kamran Raza, Clarence Filsfils
  • Publication number: 20240022510
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a packet tracing mechanism will be described that provides packet tracing information to a mobile network controller. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a data packet sent from a source node to a destination node; determining if the data packet is to be updated with packet tracing information; and upon determining that the data packet is to be updated, updating the packet tracing information of the data packet to include identification of the network device and an ingress timestamp of the data packet at the network device for a corresponding network controller to determining network routing policies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2023
    Publication date: January 18, 2024
    Inventors: Clarence Filsfils, Pablo Camarillo Garvia
  • Publication number: 20240022500
    Abstract: Techniques for utilizing entropy labels of a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) label stack for performing monitoring operations (e.g., telemetry, performance measurement, OAM, etc.) without altering the MPLS label stack and/or packet path (e.g., ECMP path). The techniques may include determining, by a node of a network, to perform a monitoring operation associated with traffic that is to be sent along a path through the network. In some examples, the node may receive a packet that is to be sent along the path and encapsulate the packet with an MPLS header. The MPLS header may include an entropy label, entropy label indicator, or other label that is capable of carrying a flag indicating the monitoring operation to be performed. The flag may be carried in a TTL field or traffic class field of the label such that the MPLS label stack is not altered to trigger the monitoring operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2023
    Publication date: January 18, 2024
    Inventors: Rakesh Gandhi, Clarence Filsfils
  • Patent number: 11863433
    Abstract: The present technology provides a system and method for implementing targeted collection of in-situ Operation, Administration and Maintenance data from select nodes in a Segment Routing Domain. The selection is programmable and is implemented by setting an iOAM bit in the function arguments field of a Segment Identifier. In this way only the nodes associated with local Segment Identifiers (Function field of a Segment Identifier) with an iOAM argument bit are directed to generate iOAM data. The iOAM data generated by target nodes may be stored in TLV field of the segment routing header. The Segment Routing packet is then decapsulated at a Segment Routing egress node and the Header information with the collected iOAM data is sent to a controller entity for further processing, analysis and/or monitoring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Clarence Filsfils, Zafar Ali, Frank Brockners
  • Patent number: 11863435
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a service chain data packet is instrumented as it is communicated among network nodes in a network providing service-level and/or networking operations visibility. The service chain data packet includes a particular header identifying a service group defining one or more service functions, and is a data packet and not a probe packet. A network node adds networking and/or service-layer operations data to the particular service chain data packet, such as, but not limited to, in the particular header. Such networking operations data includes a performance metric or attribute related to the transport of the particular service chain packet in the network. Such service-layer operations data includes a performance metric or attribute related to the service-level processing of the particular service chain data packet in the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Clarence Filsfils, Zafar Ali, Syed Kamran Raza, Ahmed Refaat Bashandy, Nagendra Kumar Nainar, Carlos M. Pignataro, Jaganbabu Rajamanickam, Rakesh Gandhi, Bhupendra Yadav, Faisal Iqbal
  • Patent number: 11863522
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method by an apparatus of a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) network includes accessing an attestation token for the apparatus. The method further includes encoding the attestation token in a BGP signaling message. The method further includes sending the BGP signaling message with the encoded attestation token to a second apparatus of the BGP network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Clarence Filsfils, Swadesh Agrawal, Apoorva Karan
  • Patent number: 11855884
    Abstract: Techniques and mechanisms for compressing the size of SIDs to be smaller than a complete IPv6 address (or “micro SIDs”), and scaling micro SIDs across a multi-domain environment using micro SID-domain-blocks. Segment routing over IPv6 (SRv6) uses 128-bit IPv6 addresses as SIDs for segment routing. According to this disclosure, multiple SRv6 SIDs may be expressed in a compact format such that a 128-bit IPv6 address, such as the destination address field of the IPv6 header, may store multiple micro SIDs. Further, SID-domain-blocks may be assigned to each domain in a multi-domain network such that micro SIDs may be expressed in the context of a given domain, rather than being shared in the global multi-domain network. In this way, lists of domain-specific SIDs may be fully expressed in the IPv6 destination address of the packet to scale micro SID into large, multi-domain networks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Clarence Filsfils, Francois Clad, Zafar Ali, Peter Psenak
  • Patent number: 11848757
    Abstract: Techniques for in-situ passive performance measurement are described. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a data packet at a first network element, determining whether measurement information is to be collected for the data packet, providing one or more measurement fields for the data packet based on a determination that measurement information is to be collected for the data packet in which at least one measurement field identifies a measurement type, and forwarding the data packet to a second network element. The method further includes determining, by the second network element, the measurement type for the data packet, and performing one or more actions based on the measurement type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Rakesh Gandhi, Clarence Filsfils, Sagar Soni, Patrick Khordoc
  • Publication number: 20230396486
    Abstract: The present technology is directed to signaling unreachability of a network device, more specifically, a prefix of the network device in network that utilizes route summarization. A pulse trigger agent can detect an unreachability of at least one Provider Edge (PE) device in a network domain of a network and determine that a route summarization is being used within the network where the unreachability of the at least one PE device is hidden by the route summarization. A pulse distribution agent can transmit a failure message informing other PE devices of the unreachability of the at least one PE device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2023
    Publication date: December 7, 2023
    Inventors: Peter Psenak, Lester C. Ginsberg, Ketan Jivan Talaulikar, Clarence Filsfils, Francois Clad, Stephane Litkowski
  • Patent number: 11838396
    Abstract: In one embodiment, Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) is implemented using Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Segment Routing (SRv6) underlay network and SRv6-enhanced Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) signaling. A particular route associated with a particular Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Segment Routing (SRv6) Segment Identifier (SID) is advertised in a particular route advertisement message of a routing protocol (e.g., BGP). The SID includes encoding representing a particular Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) Layer 2 (L2) flooding Segment Routing end function of the particular router and a particular Ethernet Segment Identifier (ESI), with the particular SID including a routable prefix to the particular router. The particular router receives a particular packet including the particular SID; and in response, the particular router performs the particular EVPN end function on the particular packet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrice Brissette, Clarence Filsfils, Darren Dukes, Gaurav Dawra, Francois Clad, Pablo Camarillo Garvia
  • Patent number: 11838200
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a network comprises a first forwarding domain using a first data plane forwarding protocol and a second forwarding domain using a second data plane forwarding protocol different than the first data forwarding plane forwarding protocol. The first forwarding domain includes a first path node and a particular border node. The second forwarding domain includes a second path node and the particular border node. The particular border node performs Segment Routing or other protocol interworking between the different data plane forwarding domains, such as for transporting packets through a different forwarding domain or translating a packet to use a different data forwarding protocol. These forwarding domains typically include Segment Routing (SR) and SR-Multiprotocol Label Switching (SR-MPLS). Paths through the network are determined by a Path Computation Engine and/or based on route advertisements such associated with Binding Segment Identifiers (BSIDs) (e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Clarence Filsfils, Swadesh Agrawal, Zafar Ali, Pablo Camarillo Garvia, Francois Clad
  • Publication number: 20230388207
    Abstract: Techniques for optimizing technologies related to network path tracing and network delay measurements are described herein. Some of the techniques may include using an IPv6 header option and/or segment identifier field of a segment list or a TLV of a segment routing header as a telemetry data carrier. The techniques may also include using an SRv6 micro-segment (uSID) instruction to indicate to a node of a network that the node is to perform one or more path tracing actions and encapsulating the packet and forward. Additionally, the techniques may include using short interface identifiers corresponding to node interfaces to trace a packet path through a network. Further, the techniques may include using short timestamps to determine delay measurements associated with sending a packet through a network. In various examples, the techniques described above and herein may be used with each other to optimize network path tracing and delay measurement techniques.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Inventors: Clarence Filsfils, Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed Abdelsalam, Rakesh Gandhi, Pablo Camarillo Garvia, Francois Clad