Abstract: A system for delivering fertilizer to the roots of a plant includes coated fertilizer particles. The coating can include a cellulose derivative, optionally a fatty acid, and a component, such as an aptamer, which binds specifically to a material, such as serine, which is released by the roots of the plant when the plant is actively taking up nutrients from the soil. The permeability of the coating increases when the coated particles are exposed to the material released by the roots of the plant. Thus, nutrient release from the coated fertilizer particles is synchronized with uptake of the nutrients by the plant during active growth. Advantages of the system may include one or more of improved nitrogen use efficiency by the plant, improved crop productivity, and/or reduced leaching of fertilizer from the soil.

Abstract: Presented herein are techniques for performing packet forwarding or routing using a pipeline of a plurality of tiles. A method includes receiving a packet, parsing the packet to generate a vector, passing the vector to a first tile dedicated to a first type of lookup, performing a lookup in the first tile, storing a result of the first type of lookup in the vector to obtain a first updated vector, passing the first updated vector to a second tile dedicated to a second type of lookup, performing a lookup in the second tile, storing a result of the second type of lookup in the vector to obtain a second updated vector, and transmitting the packet from the network routing device via an output port thereof selected based on the second updated vector.

Abstract: Presented herein are techniques for performing packet forwarding or routing using a pipeline of a plurality of tiles. A method includes receiving a packet, parsing the packet to generate a vector, passing the vector to a first tile dedicated to a first type of lookup, performing a lookup in the first tile, storing a result of the first type of lookup in the vector to obtain a first updated vector, passing the first updated vector to a second tile dedicated to a second type of lookup, performing a lookup in the second tile, storing a result of the second type of lookup in the vector to obtain a second updated vector, and transmitting the packet from the network routing device via an output port thereof selected based on the second updated vector.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a packet at an interface at a network device having a plurality of interfaces connected to a plurality of links forming a bundle, performing a Reverse Path Forwarding (RPF) check on the received packet, and forwarding the packet if it passes the RPF check. The RPF check includes a lookup in an RPF table having a plurality of entries for the bundle, each of the entries including the bundle and one of the links in the bundle, and verification that the interface receiving the packet is connected to one of the links in the bundle identified in the lookup. An apparatus is also disclosed.

Abstract: A small form-factor pluggable (SFP) module includes a board with an end portion to be inserted into a connector device. A first set of signal pads is arranged along an edge of a first surface of the SFP board at the end portion and a second set of signal pads along an edge of a second surface of the SFP board at the end portion. A third set of signal pads is disposed on the second surface at the end portion, offset from the edge of the second surface. A transceiver, coupled to the signal pads of the first, second, and third sets of signal pads, is configured to transmit and receive signals via the third set of signal pads and to transmit and receive signals via at least one of the first and second sets of signal pads.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for forwarding packets via an intermediate network device. A packet comprising a destination MAC address is received at a first port of a network device having a plurality of bi-directional ports. A second port of the network device to which the packet should be forwarded is identified through the use of at least an approximate ingress table at the first port comprising a plurality of compressed destination MAC addresses each having an associated egress port, and the packet is forwarded to the second port. At the second port, a subsequent network device to which the packet should be forwarded is identified through the use of an exact egress table at the second port including exact destination MAC addresses each associated with a network device connected to the second port, and the packet is forwarded to the subsequent network device.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a packet at an interface at a network device having a plurality of interfaces connected to a plurality of links forming a bundle, performing a Reverse Path Forwarding (RPF) check on the received packet, and forwarding the packet if it passes the RPF check. The RPF check includes a lookup in an RPF table having a plurality of entries for the bundle, each of the entries including the bundle and one of the links in the bundle, and verification that the interface receiving the packet is connected to one of the links in the bundle identified in the lookup. An apparatus is also disclosed.

Abstract: A small form-factor pluggable (SFP) module includes a board with an end portion to be inserted into a connector device. A first set of signal pads is arranged along an edge of a first surface of the SFP board at the end portion and a second set of signal pads along an edge of a second surface of the SFP board at the end portion. A third set of signal pads is disposed on the second surface at the end portion, offset from the edge of the second surface. A transceiver, coupled to the signal pads of the first, second, and third sets of signal pads, is configured to transmit and receive signals via the third set of signal pads and to transmit and receive signals via at least one of the first and second sets of signal pads.