Abstract: Techniques for operating a network device for sharing resources in a hardware forwarding table. In some embodiments, the network device may generate groups of routes having a common set of next hops; for each group of routes of the generated groups: collect resilient adjacencies associated with routes in the group; assemble pairs of the collected resilient adjacencies; and determine a number of differences between resilient adjacencies in each of the assembled pairs. The network device may further order the assembled pairs based on the number of differences, identify a pair of resilient adjacencies associated with a lowest number of differences; select a resilient adjacency of the identified pair of resilient adjacencies; program one or more routes associated with the selected resilient adjacency, to refer to the other resilient adjacency of the identified pair of resilient adjacencies; and remove an entry associated with the selected resilient adjacency from a forwarding table.

Abstract: A method for optimizing network device resources that includes receiving, by an optimizer, first resource utilization data, making a first determination, based on the first resource utilization data, that resource utilization exceeds an upper threshold, starting, based on the first determination, an optimization process, that includes identifying a resource optimization entry of a resource class optimization queue, and initiating optimization of a resource fragment specified by the resource optimization entry. After initiating optimization of the region of the memory, the method additionally includes receiving second resource utilization data, making a second determination, based on the second resource utilization data, that the resource utilization is below a lower threshold, and halting, based on the second determination, the optimization process.

Abstract: A method of operating a network device is provided. The method may include updating a software forwarding table in response to a link between the network device and one or more next hops device being disconnected or connected. The software forwarding table may list next hop devices currently available or connected to the network device for a given destination prefix. The method may include determining whether to update a hardware forwarding table also associated with the given destination prefix depending on whether one or more criteria have been satisfied. The hardware forwarding table may be updated in accordance with a resilient mode or an ordered mode. The resilient mode takes into account history information associated with the hardware forwarding table, whereas the ordered mode does not take into account the history information associated with the hardware forwarding table.

Abstract: In general, embodiments relate to a method for managing traffic flow along a path between network devices. The method includes initiating, by an end-point network device, monitoring of the path, wherein the end-point network device transmits packets to a target network device over the path, detecting after the initiating, by the end-point network device, that at least a portion of the path has failed, wherein the portion of the path that has failed is external to the end-point network device, in response to the detecting, identifying which portions of network device hardware in the source network device need to be updated to redirect the packets from the end-point network device to the target network device to take a second path, and updating the identified portions of the network device hardware.

Abstract: Techniques for operating a network device for increasing the logical multi-path size of a hardware forwarding table are provided. In some embodiments, the network device may determine that a number of data points in a first node is greater than a maximum node capacity; generate second nodes; update the first node to refer to the second nodes; distribute the data points among the second nodes; and program a hardware table with the updated first node and the second nodes.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide techniques for optimized programming of forwarding data in network device hardware. An operating system executing on the network device receives information associated with a network topology of a network(s) to which the network device belongs. Based on this information, the operating system can generate various data structures that facilitate the routing and forwarding of data through the network device. Based on the generated data structures, the operating system may then program hardware resources in the network device in order to implement routing and forwarding operations stored in the data structures. During generation of the data structures, the operating system may perform some operations to optimize the programing of the hardware resources in a manner that reduces the amount of hardware resources that would otherwise be used without such optimizations.

Abstract: A method for processing packets in a network device, comprising: determining that a packet received by the network device is to be processed using a next hop group, selecting a member of the next hop group, and transmitting the packet to a second network device associated with a second member of the next hop group.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable mediums for managing forwarding equivalence class (FEC) hierarchies, including obtaining a forwarding equivalence class (FEC) hierarchy; making a first determination that a first hardware component supports a maximum levels of indirection (MLI) quantity; making a second determination that the FEC hierarchy has a hierarchy height; based on the first determination and the second determination, performing a comparison between the MLI quantity and the hierarchy height to obtain a comparison result; and based on the comparison result, performing a FEC hierarchy action set.

Abstract: A method for processing packets in a network device, comprising: determining that a packet received by the network device is to be processed using a next hop group, selecting a member of the next hop group, and transmitting the packet to a second network device associated with a second member of the next hop group.

Abstract: In general, embodiments described herein relate to methods and systems for reorganizing processing information hierarchies to remove duplicative and/or redundant portions of a processing information hierarchy such that they, for example, require fewer resources of the network devices on which they are stored.

Abstract: Techniques for operating a network device for increasing the logical multi-path size of a hardware forwarding table are provided. In some embodiments, the network device may determine that a number of data points in a first node is greater than a maximum node capacity; generate second nodes; update the first node to refer to the second nodes; distribute the data points among the second nodes; and program a hardware table with the updated first node and the second nodes.

Abstract: Techniques for operating a network device for sharing resources in a hardware forwarding table. In some embodiments, the network device may generate groups of routes having a common set of next hops; for each group of routes of the generated groups: collect resilient adjacencies associated with routes in the group; assemble pairs of the collected resilient adjacencies; and determine a number of differences between resilient adjacencies in each of the assembled pairs. The network device may further order the assembled pairs based on the number of differences, identify a pair of resilient adjacencies associated with a lowest number of differences; select a resilient adjacency of the identified pair of resilient adjacencies; program one or more routes associated with the selected resilient adjacency, to refer to the other resilient adjacency of the identified pair of resilient adjacencies; and remove an entry associated with the selected resilient adjacency from a forwarding table.

Abstract: In general, the disclosure relates to a method for forwarding a packet through a multi-tier network by establishing a routing protocol session with network devices in the multi-tier network, obtaining routing protocol information from network devices of the multi-tier network, determining a group using the routing protocol information, generating an ordered group listing using network device identifiers (NDIs) for the network devices in the group, and programming a network device hardware of a network device of the set of network devices of the multi-tier network using the ordered group listing. The group includes a set of the network devices of the multi-tier network.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide techniques for optimized programming of forwarding data in network device hardware. An operating system executing on the network device receives information associated with a network topology of a network(s) to which the network device belongs. Based on this information, the operating system can generate various data structures that facilitate the routing and forwarding of data through the network device. Based on the generated data structures, the operating system may then program hardware resources in the network device in order to implement routing and forwarding operations stored in the data structures. During generation of the data structures, the operating system may perform some operations to optimize the programing of the hardware resources in a manner that reduces the amount of hardware resources that would otherwise be used without such optimizations.

Abstract: A method for optimizing network device resources that includes receiving, by an optimizer, first resource utilization data, making a first determination, based on the first resource utilization data, that resource utilization exceeds an upper threshold, starting, based on the first determination, an optimization process, that includes identifying a resource optimization entry of a resource class optimization queue, and initiating optimization of a resource fragment specified by the resource optimization entry. After initiating optimization of the region of the memory, the method additionally includes receiving second resource utilization data, making a second determination, based on the second resource utilization data, that the resource utilization is below a lower threshold, and halting, based on the second determination, the optimization process.

Abstract: In general, the disclosure relates to a method for forwarding a packet through a multi-tier network by establishing a routing protocol session with network devices in the multi-tier network, obtaining routing protocol information from network devices of the multi-tier network, determining a group using the routing protocol information, generating an ordered group listing using network device identifiers (NDIs) for the network devices in the group, and programming a network device hardware of a network device of the set of network devices of the multi-tier network using the ordered group listing. The group includes a set of the network devices of the multi-tier network.

Abstract: Techniques for operating a network device for sharing resources in a hardware forwarding table. In some embodiments, the network device may generate groups of routes having a common set of next hops; for each group of routes of the generated groups: collect resilient adjacencies associated with routes in the group; assemble pairs of the collected resilient adjacencies; and determine a number of differences between resilient adjacencies in each of the assembled pairs. The network device may further order the assembled pairs based on the number of differences, identify a pair of resilient adjacencies associated with a lowest number of differences; select a resilient adjacency of the identified pair of resilient adjacencies; program one or more routes associated with the selected resilient adjacency, to refer to the other resilient adjacency of the identified pair of resilient adjacencies; and remove an entry associated with the selected resilient adjacency from a forwarding table.

Abstract: A method for optimizing network device resources that includes receiving, by an optimizer, first resource utilization data, making a first determination, based on the first resource utilization data, that resource utilization exceeds an upper threshold, starting, based on the first determination, an optimization process, that includes identifying a resource optimization entry of a resource class optimization queue, and initiating optimization of a resource fragment specified by the resource optimization entry. After initiating optimization of the region of the memory, the method additionally includes receiving second resource utilization data, making a second determination, based on the second resource utilization data, that the resource utilization is below a lower threshold, and halting, based on the second determination, the optimization process.

Abstract: In general, embodiments described herein relate to methods and systems for reorganizing processing information hierarchies to remove duplicative and/or redundant portions of a processing information hierarchy such that they, for example, require fewer resources of the network devices on which they are stored.

Abstract: In general, embodiments described herein relate to methods and systems for reorganizing processing information hierarchies to remove duplicative and/or redundant portions of a processing information hierarchy such that they, for example, require fewer resources of the network devices on which they are stored.