Abstract: A virtual hardware component (VHC) can be instantiated by loading an image that implements the VHC into a programmable device such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and installing a corresponding inventory list of parameters according to which the VHC operates. One or more managing agents are automatically invoked in response to the instantiated VHC to manage the VHC. The VHC is provisioned in response to instantiation of the VHC.

Abstract: Systems and methods that allow configuration of a path at a network device using a representative user visible interface for that path are disclosed. A feature of this path may thus be configured using this representative user visible interface through a configuration interface of the network device. When a feature for the path is configured by reference to its corresponding representative user visible interface, the interfaces of that path that correspond to that feature can be determined and the configuration for that feature can be applied to interfaces of the path, even where those interfaces reside in different subdomains.

Abstract: A method performed by a network device for offloading bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) processes from an operating system of the network device to a physical communication interface on the network device, that includes receiving, by a user space packet manager executing in the operating system, a BFD transmission session request, making a first determination that utilization of an interface processor, of the physical communication interface, is below a threshold, generating, based on the first determination, a transmission packet template, wherein the generation is performed by the user space packet manager, sending, by the user space packet manager, the transmission packet template to the physical communication interface, and initiating, after the sending, a BFD transmission session in the physical communication interface, wherein the initiating is performed by the user space packet manager.

Abstract: A method for distributing time information in network devices. The method includes sending a first clock signal from a first system control device (SCD) to a PLL chip, sending a first time of day (TOD) from the first SCD to a line card system control device (LC-SCD), sending a second clock signal from a second SCD to the PLL chip and sending a second TOD from the second SCD to the LC-SCD. The method further includes synchronizing a third clock signal, generated by the PLL chip, to the first clock signal, if the first SCD is operational. The method further includes sending the third clock signal to a network chip, deriving, using the third clock signal, a first network-chip-internal clock signal and applying the first network-chip-internal clock signal to increment a network-chip-internal TOD to obtain a third TOD. The method further includes synchronizing the third TOD to the first TOD.