Abstract: Methods and systems are described herein for dynamically applying a security policy based on one or more tag attributes. The method comprises receiving, at a network controller, information about an instance of a cloud workload instantiated at a cloud provider. The cloud workload is associated with a tag attribute. The method further comprises querying the cloud provider for at least one IP address associated with the tag attribute and learning the at least one IP address associated with the tag attribute, including the IP address for the instance of the cloud workload. The method further comprises associating a security policy with the at least one IP address associated with the tag attribute and propagating the security policy to at least one edge router for implementation.

Abstract: In an example, there is disclosed a network apparatus, comprising: one or more logic elements, including at least one hardware logic element, to provide a network manager engine to: provide a switched fabric management function; communicatively couple to at least one network switch, the network switch configured to provide optional native hardware-based load balancing; monitor one or more load balancing factors; and at least partly responsive to the one or more load balancing factors, configure native hardware-based load balancing on the at least one network switch.

Abstract: In an example, there is disclosed a network apparatus, comprising: one or more logic elements, including at least one hardware logic element, to provide a network manager engine to: provide a switched fabric management function; communicatively couple to at least one network switch, the network switch configured to provide optional native hardware-based load balancing; monitor one or more load balancing factors; and at least partly responsive to the one or more load balancing factors, configure native hardware-based load balancing on the at least one network switch.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for efficiently distributing traffic on available best-effort service flows within a system are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for forwarding a packet which includes destination information and source information upstream from a source to a destination includes determining a first value associated with the packet using the destination information and the source information. A first service flow that is suitable for use to forward the packet is identified using the first value. The first service flow is one of a set of service flows between a source and a central access point. Once the first service flow is identified, the packet is sent on the first service flow. In one embodiment, the source is a subscriber unit and the central access point is a headend.

Abstract: The present invention detects a micro-roaming client in a WLAN. Once a micro-roaming client is detected, APs coordinate with each other and assign the client to a specific AP. In an embodiment, a user-configurable anchor timer for micro-roaming clients is provided, so that when the timer has expired, the client is free to roam within the overlapping cell until it becomes anchored to an AP again. In various embodiments, environmental variables can affect APs to release an anchored client to roam again. These environmental variables may include low RSSI from the client, a high percentage of frame loss to the client, or a low data rate. The present invention also provides a new protocol that is resilient and self-sustaining with minimal user configuration required.

Abstract: A technique increases the efficiency of functions performed by an intermediate device of a computer network by encoding a portion of a routing information field (RIF) of a token ring frame transported over the network with information for use by the device. The maximum number of route descriptor (RD) hops in the network is altered to provide a predetermined portion of the RIF for storing encoded information. Each intermediate device configured in accordance with the technique identifies this predetermined portion as that portion of the RIF immediately following its matching RD.

Abstract: Computerized system and method are provided which have particular utility in the field of automated testing. In one embodiment of the method of the present invention, an array is stored in computer-readable memory. The array has a plurality of tuples, each of which includes a respective action field, a respective expected result field, a respective success field, and a respective failure field. The respective action field is for specifying at least one respective action whose performance by the system-under-test is to be commanded. The respective reaction field is for specifying at least one respective expected result to be achieved by performance of the respective action. The respective success and failures fields are for specifying further appropriate actions to be executed if the respective expected result is achieved (i.e., if a success condition occurs), or if the respective expected result is not achieved (i.e., if a failure condition occurs).

Abstract: Backup peers in an asymmetrically organized computer network are organized into a "pool" of available devices that are activated as necessary. The network comprises a set of remote peers and a set of local peers directly associated with a central computational facility, the local peers facilitating connection between the remote peers and the central facility. During the capabilities exchange, the "primary" local peer to which the remote peer connects provides a list of backup peer devices to the remote peer. If the primary peer fails (or if the rate of message exchange falls below some predetermined threshold), the remote peer can use the backup information to access a backup peer from the pool. The invention allows each backup peer to be assigned to multiple remote peers, with the total number of backup peers determined by aggregate backup utilization (rather than simply assigning an individual backup peer to each primary peer regardless of whether such a high level of redundancy is justified).

Abstract: The topology of a computer network is represented, for each routing device in the network, as a tree structure with the root of the tree designating the particular routing device. Tree nodes represent LANs, while arcs connecting the nodes represent other routing devices. Thus, the number of first-level links to children off the root is equal to the number of LANs connected to the source routing device, and those first-level links point to nodes representing the LANs (or LAN segments) directly connected to the source routing device. As a result of this representation, each routing device can store a representation of the entire network adequate to facilitate routing, but with much less memory utilization than a list of addresses. Furthermore, because the network is represented at a more general level than that of individual station addresses, changes to the topology of the network can be readily introduced without the need for extensive (e.g., address by address) reconfiguration.

Abstract: A technique maintains priority of packets transmitted over a heterogeneous network by a hybrid node coupled to the network. The hybrid node assigns each packet a transmission priority (TP) level as it traverses protocol layers of a communications stack of the node. An application programming interface extension provides a tagging mechanism for conveying the TP levels from higher protocol layers of the stack to lower layers. The TP levels are then converted to information that is "tagged" to the packets and these tagged packets are then apportioned among a plurality of communication sessions based on the TP level assigned to each packet. The tagged packets and their associated sessions preserve the priority and order of the packets across the heterogeneous network.

Abstract: A system and method for merging a plurality of sorted lists using multiple processors having access to a common memory in which N sorted lists which may exceed the capacity of the common memory are merged in a parallel environment. Sorted lists from a storage device are loaded into common memory and are divided into a number of tasks equal to the number of available processors. The records assigned to each task are separately sorted, and used to form a single sorted list. A multi-processing environment takes advantage of its organization during the creation of the tasks, as well as during the actual sorting of the tasks.