Abstract: A distributed device architecture includes a master device and one or more member devices. A simple network management protocol (SNMP) agent of a master device receives an SNMP request from a managing device. Where the SNMP request pertains to a given member device, and where the SNMP request requires involvement of the given member device to fulfill the SNMP request, the master device generates a non-SNMP request corresponding to the SNMP request and transmits the non-SNMP request to the given member device. A non-SNMP agent of the given member device processes the non-SNMP request and transmits processing results back to the master device. The master device generates an SNMP response corresponding to the processing results, and the SNMP agent of the master device transmits the SNMP response back to the managing device.

Abstract: A controller of a software-define network receives a notification of a change to a configuration of data delivery devices of the network. In response, the controller determines whether flows of respective flow tables of the data delivery devices are affected by accessing flow mappings maintained in a memory of the controller. The respective flow tables of the data delivery devices affected by the configuration change include a pattern of information fields and actions that corresponds to a pattern of information fields and actions of the flow mappings in the memory of the controller. The controller sends instructions to the affected data delivery devices to perform an asynchronous activity on the respective flow tables that includes a cleanup of the flows of the respective flow tables of the affected data delivery devices, performed in repetitive sweeps of the one or more data delivery devices, until completion of the cleanup.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes a switch controller in communication with a plurality of switches in a switch cluster via a communication protocol. The switch controller includes a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor. The logic is configured to cause the processor to receive an address resolution protocol (ARP) request packet as a unicast packet from an entry switch in the switch cluster, the entry switch being connected to a first host. The logic is also configured to cause the processor to send an ARP response packet as a unicast packet to the entry switch. The ARP response packet indicates a media access control (MAC) address of the switch controller as a source MAC (SMAC) for the ARP response packet, and an internet protocol (IP) address of a virtual router of the switch controller as being a source of the ARP response packet.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes a hardware processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor, the logic being configured to receive an overlay packet, determine at least one characteristic of the overlay packet and/or inner packets of the overlay packet in order to classify the overlay packet into a classification, associate a flow identifier to the overlay packet, determine one or more policies to associate with the flow identifier, where the one or more policies are based on the at least one characteristic of the overlay packet and/or the inner packets of the overlay packet, and store the flow identifier in a header of the overlay packet, where the flow identifier is a string of characters of a predetermined length, the flow identifier being unique from all other flow identifiers in a particular overlay network and associated with an identified flow of the overlay packet.

Abstract: A controller of a software-define network receives a notification of a change to a configuration of data delivery devices of the network. In response, the controller determines whether flows of respective flow tables of the data delivery devices are affected by accessing flow mappings maintained in a memory of the controller. The respective flow tables of the data delivery devices affected by the configuration change include a pattern of information fields and actions that corresponds to a pattern of information fields and actions of the flow mappings in the memory of the controller. The controller sends instructions to the affected data delivery devices to perform an asynchronous activity on the respective flow tables that includes a cleanup of the flows of the respective flow tables of the affected data delivery devices, performed in repetitive sweeps of the one or more data delivery devices, until completion of the cleanup.

Abstract: One or more processors receive a notification of a failure of a first delivery device of a plurality of delivery devices of an OpenFlow network, to deliver a data packet. One or more processors determine the flows of flow tables belonging to delivery devices that are affected as a result of the failure of the first delivery device. The flows are determined by accessing an index of flow mappings maintained in cache storage in which at least one of the affected flows includes a pattern of information fields and actions that match a pattern of information fields and actions of the data packet, and one or more processors send instructions to the delivery devices of the network to perform an asynchronous activity on respective flow tables of the delivery devices that include the flows affected as a result of the failure of the first delivery device.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor. The logic is configured to cause the processor to receive, at a first end point station, information exchange packets from all end point stations in a virtual network having a specified VNID, process each received information exchange packet to retrieve information about connections at each end point station in the virtual network having the specified VNID, and assemble a Tunnel Information Base (TIB) for a selected tunnel end point. Each of the information exchange packets include a MAC address for all member VMs in the virtual network having the specified VNID connected to each end point station in the virtual network having the specified VNID. In addition, the TIB includes a Tunnel ID, the specified VNID, and MAC addresses of the member VMs of the virtual network having the specified VNID.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a memory, a hardware processor, and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor. The logic is configured to receive one or more software defined network (SDN) routes dictating a path through a network comprising a plurality of devices. The logic is also configured to store the one or more SDN routes to the memory along with one or more traditional routes learned by the apparatus and/or configured by an administrator, and indicate the one or more SDN routes as being of a type different from the traditional routes. Moreover, the logic is configured to receive a priority ordering for a plurality of routes stored in the memory from the SDN controller, the plurality of routes including at least one SDN route, and construct a route information base (RIB) based on the plurality of routes and the priority ordering.

Abstract: Management and provisioning of networking traffic may be provided by bundling virtual channels into a group. A global policy may be applied to the bundle so that virtual ports providing services to a client may be managed by referring to the global policy of the bundle. The channels comprising the bundle may span multiple physical ports and in some cases, multiple physical switches. Thus, policy management may be avoided at the port level and instead, be handled as groups of channels implementing a client service.

Abstract: Inter-tenant and inter-openflow island software communicate in SDN networks by: (i) providing a software defined networking (SDN) network including a plurality of Openflow islands, a first tenant and a second tenant; and (ii) communicating, from the first tenant over the SDN network to the second tenant, a first communication. The first communication passes through at least two Openflow islands of the plurality of Openflow islands as the first communication is communicated through the SDN network from the first tenant to the second tenant.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor. The logic is configured to communicate with a first physical switch, a second physical switch, and an overlay network that connects the first physical switch to the second physical switch. The logic is also configured to receive a request for a communication path through the overlay network for a packet, the request including at least the packet, first information about a source of the packet, the source of the packet being connected to the first physical switch, and second information about a most closely connected physical switch to a destination of the packet. Moreover, the logic is configured to determine the destination of the packet, the destination of the packet being connected to the second physical switch. Also, the logic is configured to determine whether to apply a security policy to the packet.

Abstract: One or more processors receive a notification of a failure of a first delivery device of a plurality of delivery devices of an OpenFlow network, to deliver a data packet. One or more processors determine the flows of flow tables belonging to delivery devices that are affected as a result of the failure of the first delivery device. The flows are determined by accessing an index of flow mappings maintained in cache storage in which at least one of the affected flows includes a pattern of information fields and actions that match a pattern of information fields and actions of the data packet, and one or more processors send instructions to the delivery devices of the network to perform an asynchronous activity on respective flow tables of the delivery devices that include the flows affected as a result of the failure of the first delivery device.

Abstract: Management and provisioning of networking traffic may be provided by bundling virtual channels into a group. A global policy may be applied to the bundle so that virtual ports providing services to a client may be managed by referring to the global policy of the bundle. The channels comprising the bundle may span multiple physical ports and in some cases, multiple physical switches. Thus, policy management may be avoided at the port level and instead, be handled as groups of channels implementing a client service.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes a switch controller in communication with a plurality of switches in a switch cluster via a communication protocol. The switch controller includes a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor. The logic is configured to cause the processor to receive an address resolution protocol (ARP) request packet as a unicast packet from an entry switch in the switch cluster, the entry switch being connected to a first host. The logic is also configured to cause the processor to send an ARP response packet as a unicast packet to the entry switch. The ARP response packet indicates a media access control (MAC) address of the switch controller as a source MAC (SMAC) for the ARP response packet, and an internet protocol (IP) address of a virtual router of the switch controller as being a source of the ARP response packet.

Abstract: Each of first and second bridges of a data network having respective links to an external node implement a network bridge component that forwards traffic inside the data network and a virtual bridge component that forwards traffic outside of the data network. A virtual bridge is formed including the virtual bridge components of the first and second bridges and an interswitch link (ISL) between the virtual bridge components of the first and second bridges. Data frames are communicated with each of multiple external network nodes outside the data network via a respective one of multiple link aggregation groups all commonly supported by the virtual bridge.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, Layer-3 (L3) distributed router functionality is provided to a switch cluster by receiving an address resolution protocol (ARP) request packet from a first host at an entry switch in a switch cluster, a switch controller being in communication with the entry switch, and the ARP request packet including a virtual router IP address of the switch controller as a target, forwarding the ARP request packet to the switch controller after adding a header that adheres to a communication protocol used by the switch controller, receiving an ARP response packet from the switch controller indicating: a source IP address corresponding to a virtual router of the switch controller and a SMAC corresponding to the switch controller, forwarding the ARP response packet to the first host after stripping the communication protocol header, and setting the virtual router as a default gateway for traffic received from the first host.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor. The logic is configured to cause the processor to receive, at a first end point station, information exchange packets from all end point stations in a virtual network having a specified VNID, process each received information exchange packet to retrieve information about connections at each end point station in the virtual network having the specified VNID, and assemble a Tunnel Information Base (TIB) for a selected tunnel end point. Each of the information exchange packets include a MAC address for all member VMs in the virtual network having the specified VNID connected to each end point station in the virtual network having the specified VNID. In addition, the TIB includes a Tunnel ID, the specified VNID, and MAC addresses of the member VMs of the virtual network having the specified VNID.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for exchanging overlay tunnel information includes receiving an information exchange packet, at a first end point station, from each end point station in a virtual network having a specified virtual network identifier (VNID); and processing each received information exchange packet to retrieve information about connections at each end point station in the virtual network having the specified VNID, wherein each end point station either terminates or originates a tunnel shared by the first end point station in an overlay network. In this way, the information may be used to respond to address resolution protocol (ARP) requests sent locally in lieu of flooding the ARP request. Other systems, methods, and computer program products are also presented regarding the overlay tunnel information exchange protocol, according to various embodiments.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes logic adapted for receiving, at a first end point station, an information exchange packet from each end point station in a virtual network having a specified virtual network identifier (VNID) and logic adapted for processing each received information exchange packet to retrieve information about connections at each end point station in the virtual network having the specified VNID, wherein each end point station either terminates or originates a tunnel shared by the first end point station in an overlay network. In this way, the information may be used to respond to address resolution protocol (ARP) requests sent locally in lieu of flooding the ARP request. Other systems, methods, and computer program products are also presented regarding the overlay tunnel information exchange protocol, according to various embodiments.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a memory, a hardware processor, and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor. The logic is configured to receive one or more software defined network (SDN) routes dictating a path through a network comprising a plurality of devices. The logic is also configured to store the one or more SDN routes to the memory along with one or more traditional routes learned by the apparatus and/or configured by an administrator, and indicate the one or more SDN routes as being of a type different from the traditional routes. Moreover, the logic is configured to receive a priority ordering for a plurality of routes stored in the memory from the SDN controller, the plurality of routes including at least one SDN route, and construct a route information base (RIB) based on the plurality of routes and the priority ordering.