Abstract: A device includes one or more network interfaces to receive layer two (L2) communications from an L2 network having a plurality of L2 devices; and a control unit to forward the L2 communications in accordance with forwarding information defining a plurality of flooding next hops. Each of the flooding next hops stored by the control unit specifies a set of the L2 devices within the L2 network to which to forward L2 communications in accordance with a plurality of trees, where each of the trees has a different one of the plurality of L2 devices as a root node. The control unit of the device computes a corresponding one of flooding next hops for each of the trees using only a subset of the trees without computing all of the trees having all of the different L2 network devices as root nodes.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for forwarding frames in a computer network using shortest path bridging (‘SPB’). The network includes multiple bridges, and each edge bridge is assigned a unique service virtual local area network (‘VLAN’) identifier. One of the bridges receives a frame for transmission to a destination node. The received frame includes a service VLAN identifier for the ingress bridge through which the frame entered the network and a customer VLAN identifier. The one bridge identifies an SPB forwarding tree in dependence upon the service VLAN identifier. The SPB forwarding tree specifies a shortest route in the network from the ingress bridge through the one bridge to the other bridges in the network. The one bridge then forwards the received frame to the egress bridge without MAC-in-MAC encapsulation in dependence upon the SPB forwarding tree and the customer VLAN identifier.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products for routing frames in a shortest path computer network for a multi-homed legacy bridge, wherein the network includes a plurality of bridges. At least two of the plurality of bridges operate as edge bridges through which the frames ingress and egress the network. A first edge bridge identifies a legacy bridge nickname for a legacy bridge connected to the network through the first edge bridge and a second edge bridge using active-active link aggregation. The first bridge receives a frame from the legacy bridge and determines, in dependence upon the frame's destination node address, an egress bridge nickname for a third bridge through which a destination node connects to the network. The first bridge then adds the legacy bridge nickname and the egress bridge nickname to the frame and routes the frame to the third bridge in dependence upon the egress bridge nickname.

Abstract: In general, the invention is directed to techniques for breaking out mobile data traffic from a mobile service provider network to a packet data network. For example, as described herein, a breakout gateway device (BGW) receives a first service request and data traffic for a data session associated with the requested service from a mobile device in a radio access network, wherein the first service request is addressed to a serving node of a mobile core network of the mobile service provider network, and wherein the data traffic is destined for the PDN. A control packet analysis module forwards the first service request from the breakout gateway device to the serving node. A breakout module of the BGW bypasses the serving node by sending the data traffic from the breakout gateway device to the PDN on a data path from the radio access network to the PDN.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products for routing frames in a shortest path computer network for a multi-homed legacy bridge, wherein the network includes a plurality of bridges. At least two of the plurality of bridges operate as edge bridges through which the frames ingress and egress the network. A first edge bridge identifies a legacy bridge nickname for a legacy bridge connected to the network through the first edge bridge and a second edge bridge using active-active link aggregation. The first bridge receives a frame from the legacy bridge and determines, in dependence upon the frame's destination node address, an egress bridge nickname for a third bridge through which a destination node connects to the network. The first bridge then adds the legacy bridge nickname and the egress bridge nickname to the frame and routes the frame to the third bridge in dependence upon the egress bridge nickname.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for forwarding frames in a computer network using shortest path bridging (‘SPB’). The network includes multiple bridges, and each edge bridge is assigned a unique service virtual local area network (‘VLAN’) identifier. One of the bridges receives a frame for transmission to a destination node. The received frame includes a service VLAN identifier for the ingress bridge through which the frame entered the network and a customer VLAN identifier. The one bridge identifies an SPB forwarding tree in dependence upon the service VLAN identifier. The SPB forwarding tree specifies a shortest route in the network from the ingress bridge through the one bridge to the other bridges in the network. The one bridge then forwards the received frame to the egress bridge without MAC-in-MAC encapsulation in dependence upon the SPB forwarding tree and the customer VLAN identifier.

Abstract: Managing routes in a router involves the implementation of threshold-specific discard algorithms to discard redundant routes in an intelligent fashion based upon the volume of routes in the router. By employing threshold-specific discard algorithms to intelligently discard redundant routes within a router, the storage capacity of the router is utilized in a more efficient fashion because the routes are not dropped indiscriminately. A method and system comprise identifying a volume of routes in the router, determining whether the volume of routes has reached a threshold and applying a threshold-specific discard algorithm to routes in the router if the volume of routes has reached the threshold.

Abstract: Path information is obtained in a VPLS-based network by generating special Layer 2 frames (referred to herein as “trace-request frames”), performing source MAC filtering to identify the trace-request frames, and generating a special frame (referred to herein as a “trace-reply frame”) when the source MAC filtering identifies a trace-request frame. Upon identifying a trace-request frame, path information is collected and embedded into the trace-reply frame. The trace-reply frame is then sent to the originating node where the path information is used to learn the path that the trace-request frame traversed. By sending multiple trace-request frames with different source MAC addresses, path information received from source MAC filtering at different nodes in the VPLS-based network can be collected and used to learn an entire path of interest.

Abstract: Path information is obtained in a VPLS-based network by generating special Layer 2 frames (referred to herein as “trace-request frames”), performing source MAC filtering to identify the trace-request frames, and generating a special frame (referred to herein as a “trace-reply frame”) when the source MAC filtering identifies a trace-request frame. Upon identifying a trace-request frame, path information is collected and embedded into the trace-reply frame. The trace-reply frame is then sent to the originating node where the path information is used to learn the path that the trace-request frame traversed. By sending multiple trace-request frames with different source MAC addresses, path information received from source MAC filtering at different nodes in the VPLS-based network can be collected and used to learn an entire path of interest.

Abstract: Managing routes in a router involves the implementation of threshold-specific discard algorithms to discard redundant routes in an intelligent fashion based upon the volume of routes in the router. By employing threshold-specific discard algorithms to intelligently discard redundant routes within a router, the storage capacity of the router is utilized in a more efficient fashion because the routes are not dropped indiscriminately. A method and system comprise identifying a volume of routes in the router, determining whether the volume of routes has reached a threshold and applying a threshold-specific discard algorithm to routes in the router if the volume of routes has reached the threshold.