Abstract: Systems, methods and products for associating arbitrary configuration tags to configuration item for a service so that items grouped by the tags can be unconfigured or manipulated as a group with minimal touchpoints. In one embodiment, a method is provided for managing the configuration of per-tenant features in a server system. The method includes identifying a configuration feature of the server system to be configured for a specific tenant. A configuration command is received to configure the configuration feature for the specific tenant, wherein the configuration command includes a configuration tag associated with the specific tenant. The configuration command is stored in a configuration of the server system and is applied to the server system. Tag-based commands are provided which are operable to modify a subset of configuration features corresponding to a designated configuration tag.

Abstract: Systems and methods for increasing the speed with which a network device can process “heartbeat” packets that are transmitted between the network device and its peers to verify that the communication links between them are active, or to detect when the communication links go down (i.e., are inactive). Received heartbeat packets are processed primarily by a switching application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) rather than a CPU of the network device. The switching ASIC identifies heartbeat sessions corresponding to received heartbeat packets and resets aging timers for these sessions if the timers have not already expired. The reduced processing and faster timing mechanism of the switching ASIC enables the network device to accommodate spikes in the received packet rate.

Abstract: A network device may include a packet processing pipeline. The packet processing pipeline may include a parser configured to parse packet information in a transit packet received at an input interface of the network device. The packet processing pipeline may include packet sampling information storage circuitry configured to store sampled packet information obtained based on the parsed packet information. The packet processing pipeline may include a processing engine configured to modify a payload of a sampling information accumulation packet to include the sampled packet information for the transit packet. The payload of the sampling information accumulation packet may include the sampled packet information for multiple transit packets.

Abstract: A network device may include a packet processing pipeline. The packet processing pipeline may include a parser configured to parse packet information in a transit packet received at an input interface of the network device. The packet processing pipeline may include packet sampling information storage circuitry configured to store sampled packet information obtained based on the parsed packet information. The packet processing pipeline may include a processing engine configured to modify a payload of a sampling information accumulation packet to include the sampled packet information for the transit packet. The payload of the sampling information accumulation packet may include the sampled packet information for multiple transit packets.

Abstract: Embodiments as disclosed herein allow packets to be efficiently forwarded between distinct forwarding pipelines in a network device, such as forwarding pipelines configured according to a standard program provided with the network device or a custom program implemented by a user of the network device. In particular, packets can be forwarded between forwarding pipelines configured according to different programs using recirculation ports associated with each pipeline.

Abstract: A multistaged packet processor includes a lookup table at each stage. In one configuration, the match criteria in the lookup tables across the stages of a four-stage packet processor allocate 32 bits of space to hold IPv4 addresses and IPv6 addresses. In one configuration, the 32 bits store an entire IPv4 address or a 32-bit segment. An IPv6 address can be stored across the four lookup tables in 32-bit segments. The configuration allows for accommodating the varying key widths presented by IPv4 and IPv6 addresses while at the same time improving storage utilization in the lookup tables.

Abstract: Systems, methods and products for associating arbitrary configuration tags to configuration item for a service so that items grouped by the tags can be unconfigured or manipulated as a group with minimal touchpoints. In one embodiment, a method is provided for managing the configuration of per-tenant features in a server system. The method includes identifying a configuration feature of the server system to be configured for a specific tenant. A configuration command is received to configure the configuration feature for the specific tenant, wherein the configuration command includes a configuration tag associated with the specific tenant. The configuration command is stored in a configuration of the server system and is applied to the server system. Tag-based commands are provided which are operable to modify a subset of configuration features corresponding to a designated configuration tag.

Abstract: Systems and methods for increasing the speed with which a network device can process “heartbeat” packets that are transmitted between the network device and its peers to verify that the communication links between them are active, or to detect when the communication links go down (i.e., are inactive). Received heartbeat packets are processed primarily by a switching application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) rather than a CPU of the network device. The switching ASIC identifies heartbeat sessions corresponding to received heartbeat packets and resets aging timers for these sessions if the timers have not already expired. The reduced processing and faster timing mechanism of the switching ASIC enables the network device to accommodate spikes in the received packet rate.

Abstract: A method for supporting virtual machine (VM) mobility between network devices connected to a network includes: selecting a first type of route for interconnecting VMs that are connected to the network devices; and adding a feature of a second type of route to the first type of route to enable the network devices to execute proxy address resolution protocol (ARP) for transmitting network traffic between the VMs without requiring each of the network devices to store a physical address of each of the VMs in respective ones of a network address table.

Abstract: Techniques for configuring shared routing tables for network devices are provided. In some embodiments, a shared routing context is configured to include common routes across several local routing contexts. When a first packet is received at a first local routing context that is to be routed using one of the common routes, NAT operations may be performed on the first packet and then the shared routing context is used to process the first packet. Similarly, when a second packet is received at a second local routing context that is to be routed using the same common route, NAT operations may be performed on the second packet and then the shared routing context is used to process the second packet.

Abstract: Techniques for configuring shared routing tables for network devices are provided. In some embodiments, a shared routing context is configured to include common routes across several local routing contexts. When a first packet is received at a first local routing context that is to be routed using one of the common routes, NAT operations may be performed on the first packet and then the shared routing context is used to process the first packet. Similarly, when a second packet is received at a second local routing context that is to be routed using the same common route, NAT operations may be performed on the second packet and then the shared routing context is used to process the second packet.

Abstract: Methods and systems are described for comparing values using an associative memory. An associative memory lookup is performed based on a key that comprises a first number, a second number, and a third number. The associative memory includes sets of mask rows that are configured such that the associative memory returns a result of true when the sum of the first number and the second number is equal to the third number. The result of the associative memory lookup is outputted. The associative memory configured in this manner may be used, for example, by a packet forwarding device to perform a zero-value boundary condition check or packet sequence check.

Abstract: Methods and systems are described for comparing values using an associative memory. An associative memory lookup is performed based on a key that comprises a first number, a second number, and a third number. The associative memory includes sets of mask rows that are configured such that the associative memory returns a result of true when the sum of the first number and the second number is equal to the third number. The result of the associative memory lookup is outputted. The associative memory configured in this manner may be used, for example, by a packet forwarding device to perform a zero-value boundary condition check or packet sequence check.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of a network element that processes data using a data processing pipeline with standby memory is described. In one embodiment, the network element prepares a new image for the data processing pipeline of the network element, where the data processing pipeline processes incoming network data received by the network element and the new image modifies a current set of functionalities of the data processing pipeline. The network element further writes the new image into a standby memory of the data processing pipeline, where the network element includes an active memory that programs the current set of functionalities of the data processing pipeline. In addition, the network element programs the data processing pipeline using the new image. The network element additionally processes the incoming network data received by using the data processing pipeline using modified current set of functionalities.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of a network element that processes data by a network element with a data processing pipeline is described. In an exemplary embodiment, the network element prepares a new image for the data processing pipeline of the network element, where the data processing pipeline processes network data received by the network element and the new image modifies one or more functionalities of the data processing pipeline. In addition, the network element puts the data processing pipeline into a non-forwarding mode. Furthermore, the network element writes the new image into memory of the data processing pipeline. The network element additionally puts the data processing pipeline into a forwarding mode, where the data processing pipeline processes network data received by the network element using the new image.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of a network element that stores a lookup entry in a hardware table of a network element is described. In an exemplary embodiment, the network element receives a notification of a dirty lookup entry to be processed for a hardware table of a network element, where the hardware table includes a plurality of lookup entries. In addition, the network element determines a location for a table modification associated with the dirty lookup entry in the hardware table. Furthermore, the network element performs, with a hardware writer of the network element, the table modification associated with the lookup entry in a non-disruptive manner, where the hardware writer performs the table modification associated with the lookup entry in response to determining that the table modification associated with the lookup entry does not leave one of the plurality of lookup entries inconsistent after the table modification is performed.

Abstract: Described herein are various embodiments of a network element to process routing entries in a forwarding information base (FIB) for hosts that are directly attached to a multi-layer network element to encode address resolution protocol (ARP) data into forwarding equivalence class (FEC) entries for the directly attached hosts. One embodiment provides for a network element comprising a control plane including a forwarding agent and a data plane coupled to the control plane. The data plane can include a forwarding engine to forward a unit of network data from an ingress interface to an egress interface. The forwarding agent can be configured to program the forwarding engine with a forwarding information base having data-link layer forwarding data encoded into a network-layer forwarding entry.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of a network element that processes data by a network element with a data processing pipeline is described. In an exemplary embodiment, the network element prepares a new image for the data processing pipeline of the network element, where the data processing pipeline processes network data received by the network element and the new image modifies one or more functionalities of the data processing pipeline. In addition, the network element puts the data processing pipeline into a non-forwarding mode. Furthermore, the network element writes the new image into memory of the data processing pipeline. The network element additionally puts the data processing pipeline into a forwarding mode, where the data processing pipeline processes network data received by the network element using the new image.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of a network element that processes data using a data processing pipeline with standby memory is described. In one embodiment, the network element prepares a new image for the data processing pipeline of the network element, where the data processing pipeline processes incoming network data received by the network element and the new image modifies a current set of functionalities of the data processing pipeline. The network element further writes the new image into a standby memory of the data processing pipeline, where the network element includes an active memory that programs the current set of functionalities of the data processing pipeline. In addition, the network element programs the data processing pipeline using the new image. The network element additionally processes the incoming network data received by using the data processing pipeline using modified current set of functionalities.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of a network element that stores a lookup entry in a hardware table of a network element is described. In an exemplary embodiment, the network element receives a notification of a dirty lookup entry to be processed for a hardware table of a network element, where the hardware table includes a plurality of lookup entries. In addition, the network element determines a location for a table modification associated with the dirty lookup entry in the hardware table. Furthermore, the network element performs, with a hardware writer of the network element, the table modification associated with the lookup entry in a non-disruptive manner, where the hardware writer performs the table modification associated with the lookup entry in response to determining that the table modification associated with the lookup entry does not leave one of the plurality of lookup entries inconsistent after the table modification is performed.