Abstract: A device includes a primary control unit and a standby control unit. The standby control unit records routing communications exchanged between the primary control unit and an external routing device in accordance with a routing protocol. A standby routing process executing on the standby control unit processes the recorded routing communications when the primary control unit fails. The standby routing process generates state information for executing the routing protocol on the standby control unit without requiring that routing sessions be reestablished with the external routing device.

Abstract: Traffic flow criteria are distributed between routing devices. More specifically, a routing protocol, such as the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), may be extended in a manner that allows fine-grain criteria to be conveyed for application to network traffic. For example, a flow specification data type may be defined in accordance with BGP to allow a variable number of packet flow attributes to be specified, such as source information, destination information, port information, protocol or other flow criteria. In this manner, traffic flow criteria are specified in a way that cannot be expressed using destination address prefixes only. The flow specification data type may be defined as network layer reachability information (NLRI) that is associated with a route advertised in accordance with BGP.

Abstract: In general, techniques are described in which a plurality of network switches automatically configure themselves to operate as a single virtual network switch. A virtual switch is a collection of individual switch devices that operate like as single network switch. As described herein, network switches in a network that are capable of participating in a virtual switch may automatically discover one another. The participating network switches may then elect one of the participating switches as a master switch. The master switch may generate forwarding information and store the forwarding information in the participating switches, including the master switch. The forwarding information causes the participating switches to act like a single network switch.

Abstract: A system distributes extended traffic accounting information of bandwidth availability on links throughout a network. For example, routers within the network utilize an extended reservation protocol to calculate bandwidth availability information for links. In calculating the bandwidth availability information, the extended reservation protocol accounts for not only the amount of bandwidth reserved on each of links via the resource reservation protocol itself, but also for the bandwidth usage by other traffic on the links, such as Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) traffic or Internet Protocol (IP) traffic. The routers exchange bandwidth availability information using a routing protocol to gain network-wide knowledge of bandwidth availability.

Abstract: Constraint information associated with peering links is taken into account when establishing label switched paths (LSPs) to exit points of a network. Devices within the network, such as routers, designate interfaces associated with peering links as “passive interfaces” to indicate that the interfaces should be included for bandwidth accounting purposes and internal path computation. Other devices within the network utilize the constraint information, e.g., bandwidth availability, when computing and establishing LSPs to the exit points of the network to avoid congested peering links.

Abstract: A method for enabling autonegotiation over an interface for which no autonegotiation standard exists comprises establishing network communication between a first network device and a second network device over a communication link. The first network device includes a first media access controller (MAC) associated with a communication port coupled to the communication link and a second MAC positioned between the first MAC and the communication port, and the second MAC operates as a proxy MAC for the first MAC. The first MAC outputs an outbound data communication to the communication port at a first communication rate. The proxy MAC intercepts the outbound data communication. The proxy MAC then outputs the outbound data communication to the communication port at a second communication rate different from the first communication rate.

Abstract: A routing protocol, such as the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), is extended in a manner that allows the protocol to opaquely carry routing attributes associated with an origin of a routing advertisement, e.g., a customer network of associated with a virtual private network (VPN). These attributes are carried within routing communications using a separate attribute set, and are automatically utilized when delivering the routing advertisement to other customer networks associated with the VPN. As a result, the customer networks are isolated from the routing attributes used within an intermediate network coupling the customer networks.

Abstract: A device includes a primary control unit and a standby control unit. The standby control unit records routing communications exchanged between the primary control unit and an external routing device in accordance with a routing protocol. A standby routing process executing on the standby control unit processes the recorded routing communications when the primary control unit fails. The standby routing process generates state information for executing the routing protocol on the standby control unit without requiring that routing sessions be reestablished with the external routing device.