Abstract: A method for performing an automatic join and leave function for either a host or network using Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) signaling, the method comprising, sending a BGP join request that indicates a request to join a virtual network, receiving a BGP join response that indicates either an acceptance or a rejection of the BGP join request, adding the host to the virtual network when the BGP join response accepts the BGP join request, sending a BGP leave request that indicates a request to leave the virtual network, receiving a BGP leave response that indicates either an acceptance or a rejection of the BGP leave request, and removing the host from the virtual network when the BGP leave response accepts the BGP leave request, wherein the BGP join request comprises a quality of service (QoS) requirement and a bandwidth requirement.

Abstract: A method for distributing the inter-network forwarding policies to a distributed gateway located within a network virtualization edge (NVE). The NVE may receive a data packet within a first virtual overlay network and determine that the data packet is destined for a destination end point located within a second virtual overlay network. The NVE may validate the data packet corresponds to an inter-network forwarding policy stored within the distributed gateway and forward the data packet to the second virtual overlay network. Alternatively, the NVE may forward the data packet toward a gateway or query the corresponding policy from a controller if no corresponding inter-network forwarding policy is located on the distributed gateway. A distributed gateway may receive the forwarding policies from a designated gateway or from a centralized controller.

Abstract: A network apparatus comprising a trunk end point associated with an Ethernet-tree (E-Tree) service in a network domain and configured to forward a frame that comprises a tag according to the tag in the frame, wherein the tag in the frame is a root tag that indicates a root source of the frame or a leaf tag that indicates a leaf source of the frame, and wherein the trunk end point is coupled to a second end point associated with the E-tree service outside the network domain.

Abstract: A network component comprising a processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a request for a content from a first node, determining whether a second node is associated with the content, and facilitating the transfer of the content from the second node to the first node when the second node is associated with the content, wherein the second node is an interior node. Also disclosed is a method comprising receiving a request for a content from a first node in a network, determining whether the content is being distributed to a second node in the network, calculating a path between the second node and the first node when the content is being distributed to the second node, and establishing a connection along the path such that the content is distributed from the second node to the first node.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus that includes an ingress node configured to couple to an egress node and transmit a plurality of packets to one or more egress nodes, wherein at least some of the plurality of packets are cached before transmission and wherein the ingress node is further configured to retransmit a packet from the cached packets based on a request from one of the one or more egress nodes.

Abstract: A communications network component comprising a processor configured to implement a method comprising sending a fault message including degradation data, wherein the degradation data indicates a bandwidth reduction associated with a partial fault is disclosed. Also disclosed is a method comprising receiving a fault message comprising degradation data associated with a fault, determining whether an available bandwidth is less than a bandwidth reserved for a plurality of connections associated with the fault, and modifying the bandwidth reserved for the connections if the available bandwidth is less than the bandwidth reserved for the connection.

Abstract: A network apparatus comprising a trunk end point associated with an Ethernet-tree (E-Tree) service in a network domain and configured to forward a frame that comprises a tag according to the tag in the frame, wherein the tag in the frame is a root tag that indicates a root source of the frame or a leaf tag that indicates a leaf source of the frame, and wherein the trunk end point is coupled to a second end point associated with the E-tree service outside the network domain.

Abstract: A method for providing communication over an overlay virtual network (OVN) with multiple data plane encapsulations at a tunnel endpoint comprising receiving a data packet via a first overlay tunnel, wherein the data packet comprises an encapsulation header of a first encapsulation type and an inner destination address, determining an egress tunnel endpoint and a second encapsulation type supported by the egress tunnel end point based on the inner destination address, performing encapsulation translation on the data packet by replacing the encapsulation header of the first encapsulation type with an encapsulation header of the second encapsulation type to form a translated packet, and forwarding the translated packet toward the egress tunnel endpoint via a second overlay tunnel, wherein the first encapsulation type and the second encapsulation type are different encapsulation types, and wherein the data packet is destined to the egress tunnel endpoint.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a small flow forwarding module configured to distribute and forward a plurality of packets that correspond to a plurality of small flows over a plurality of paths, a large flow forwarding module configured to distribute and forward a plurality of packets that correspond to a plurality of large flows over the paths, and a packet header checking module in communication with the small flow forwarding module and the large flow forwarding module, wherein the packet header checking module is configured to inspect a flow indication in an incoming packet and forward the packet to the small flow forwarding module if the flow indication corresponds to one of the small flows or to the large flow forwarding module if the flow indication corresponds to one of the large flows.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a first interface configured to transmit or receive backbone traffic, a second interface configured to transmit or receive non-backbone traffic, and a third interface in communication with the first interface and second interface, the third interface configured to multiplex or demultiplex the backbone traffic and the non-backbone traffic is disclosed, wherein the backbone traffic is traffic that will be, is, or has been B-tagged. Also disclosed is a node comprising a processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a first data stream comprising backbone traffic, receiving a second data stream comprising non-backbone traffic, and multiplexing the first data stream with the second data stream.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising an end point coupled to a peer end point via a composite link comprising a plurality of component links and configured to signal the peer end point to indicate an aggregated label switched path (LSP) established on the composite link and one of a plurality of data flow identifiers for the aggregated LSP, wherein the aggregated LSP and a data flow identifier field are signaled from the end point using a signaling protocol. Also disclosed is a method implemented by a network component comprising receiving using a receiver a message comprising a Type-Length-Value (TLV) that indicates that a LSP established on a composite link with a peer end point is an aggregated LSP, and receiving in the TLV a plurality of inner labels that correspond to a plurality of data flows of the aggregated LSP.

Abstract: A network comprising a first layer processor (LP) configured to distribute a plurality of component communications to a plurality of component connections using a distribution table comprising a plurality of component communication identifiers (CCIDs) and the component connection associated with each CCID, a second LP configured to collect the packets from the component connections, and a composite connection coupled to the first LP and the second LP, wherein the composite connection comprises a plurality of the component connections and is configured to transport the component communications using the component connections, and wherein the distribution table and composite connection are configured such that component communications associated with at least the same CCID of a component communication takes the same path from the first LP to the second LP as from the second LP to the first LP.

Abstract: A packet communications network that transports a plurality of traffic over a plurality of server transport paths from a source to a destination, the network comprising: using a load distribution method to distribute each instance of traffic to an individual transport path, thereby avoiding reordering at the destination; enabling all the transport paths to carry the traffic; allowing the network to provision a preferred traffic distribution through a policy setting; and redistributing the traffic when a condition on one of the transport paths changes. Also disclosed is a composite transport group component comprising: a processor configured to implement a method comprising: receiving a server trail failure notification message; and performing a dynamic redistribution of traffic over a plurality of server trails, thereby transporting substantially all of the traffic associated with a class of traffic transported over the server trail associated with the server trail failure notification message.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a first data structure comprising a first virtual local area network identifier (VID) and a first forwarding type, comparing the first VID and a first forwarding type with a second VID and a second forwarding type in a second data structure, and reporting a misprovisioned data structure if the first VID is the same as the second VID and the first forwarding type is not the same as the second forwarding type. Also disclosed is a method comprising implementing a network protocol to forward provisioning information in a plurality of VID Tables corresponding to a plurality of nodes, and analyzing the provisioning information to detect misprovisioned nodes.

Abstract: A network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a message comprising a node's data value from the node, determining whether a local data value has been assigned, and adopting the node's data value as the local data value when the local data value has not been assigned. Also disclosed is a network component comprising a plurality of ports each configured to couple to a node via a link, a memory configured to store a port data value associated with at least some of the ports, and a processor coupled to the memory and the ports, wherein the processor is configured to access a node's data value in a message and adopt the node's data value as the port data value.

Abstract: A network comprising a switch configured to switch traffic between a plurality of external interfaces via a plurality of virtual interfaces associated with the external interfaces, and wherein the traffic comprises a plurality of external virtual local area network (VLAN) identifiers (VIDs) associated with the external interfaces to select the virtual interfaces. Also disclosed is a network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a frame from a physical port, obtaining an external VID from a VLAN tag in the frame, removing the VLAN tag from the frame, selecting a virtual interface based on the external VID, and delivering the frame to the selected virtual interface.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a composite link comprising a plurality of component links including non-homogeneous links and positioned between two nodes that may be adjacent physically or logically, wherein the composite link is advertised as an Internal Gateway Protocol (IGP) link, an IGP-Traffic Engineering (IGP-TE) link, or both. Also included is a network component comprising an advertising module coupled to a composite link that comprises a plurality of component links including non-homogeneous links and configured to advertise the composite link as an Internal Gateway Protocol (IGP) link, IGP-Traffic Engineering (IGP-TE) link, or both, using a plurality of TE parameters associated with the component links.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising an end point coupled to a peer end point via a composite link comprising a plurality of component links and configured to signal the peer end point to indicate an aggregated label switched path (LSP) established on the composite link and one of a plurality of data flow identifiers for the aggregated LSP, wherein the aggregated LSP and a data flow identifier field are signaled from the end point using a signaling protocol. Also disclosed is a method implemented by a network component comprising receiving using a receiver a message comprising a Type-Length-Value (TLV) that indicates that a LSP established on a composite link with a peer end point is an aggregated LSP, and receiving in the TLV a plurality of inner labels that correspond to a plurality of data flows of the aggregated LSP.

Abstract: A network comprising a switch configured to switch traffic between a plurality of external interfaces via a plurality of virtual interfaces associated with the external interfaces, wherein the traffic comprises a plurality of external virtual local area network (VLAN) identifiers (VIDs) associated with the external interfaces to select the virtual interfaces, and wherein the virtual interfaces are configured to forward traffic based on an internal VID that is assigned to the traffic independent of the external VID. Also disclosed is a network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a frame from a physical port, obtaining an external VID from a VLAN tag in the frame, removing the VLAN tag from the frame, selecting a virtual interface based on the external VID, and delivering the frame to the selected virtual interface.

Abstract: An efficient and user-friendly application service access method utilizing network dynamic conditions and application traffic requirements. This method allows applications to register their servers' location information and traffic requirements with the network and provides an optimal connection to application service without specifying an application server location for an end user and based on network conditions and application requirements.