Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting packet forwarding in communication networks are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting packet forwarding in communication networks may be configured to support forwarding of source routed packets in packet switched networks based on flexible path encoding. Various example embodiments for supporting forwarding of a source routed packet based on flexible path encoding may be configured to support forwarding of the source routed packets based on use of a bit string configured to encode the path for the source routed packet. Various example embodiments for supporting forwarding of source routed packets based on flexible path encoding may be configured to support forwarding of source routed packets based on various types of source routing, such as Segment Routing (SR), SR-Traffic Engineering (SR-TE), or the like.

Abstract: A router is configured for deployment in a network. The router includes a memory configured to store a first identifier that uniquely identifies the router in the network. The router also includes a processor configured to push the first identifier onto a first labeled data packet prior to transmission of the first labeled data packet. In response to detecting the first identifier in a second labeled data packet received from the network, the processor is configured to drop the second labeled data packet.

Abstract: A software defined networking (SDN) controller or routers in a network determine unicast paths from an ingress router to egress routers from the network based on quality-of-service (QoS) metrics for links between routers of the network. A subset of the unicast paths is associated with a multicast flow based on one or more QoS criteria for the multicast flow. A router pushes a label stack onto a packet of the multicast flow. The label stack includes labels that identify the subset of the unicast paths. The packet including the label stack is multicast through the network to the egress routers. Routers that receive the multicast packet selectively modify the label stack in the packet based on the labels that identify the subset of the unicast paths. The routers selectively forward the packet based on the labels.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting load balancing in packet switched networks are presented herein. Various example embodiments for supporting load balancing in packet switched networks may be configured to support load balancing in packet switched networks based on use of disjoint trees. Various example embodiments for supporting load balancing in packet switched networks may be configured to support load balancing in packet switched networks based on use of maximally disjoint trees. Various example embodiments for supporting load balancing in packet switched networks based on use of maximally disjoint trees may be configured to support load balancing in packet switched networks using per-flow load balancing, per-packet load balancing, randomized load balancing (RLB), or the like, as well as various combinations thereof.

Abstract: A node in a network includes a memory to store information representing the topology of a network that includes the node. The node also includes a processor that determines one or more coherent as through the network to a destination by applying a distributed path algorithm to the information representing the topology. The processor also determines one or more non-coherent paths through the network to the destination. The node also includes a transceiver that selectively transmits a first packet along the coherent path or the non-coherent path to the destination. The memory stores information representing an address or identifier of the destination, one or more next-hop nodes for the coherent paths, and one or more ordered lists of links or nodes traversed by one or more non-coherent paths. The ordered lists are appended to packets transmitted along the non-coherent paths.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for address registration in a communication system are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting address registration in a communication system may be configured to support address registration in-band in the data plane of the communication system. Various example embodiments for supporting address registration in-band in the data plane of a communication system may be configured to support address registration in-band in the data plane of the communication system based on use of a data plane header configured to support address registration in-band in the data plane of the communication system (e.g., based on use of a destination address field of the data plane header to indicate that the data plane header is being used for an address registration operation and use of a source address field of the data plane header to indicate the address(es) for which the address registration operation is to be performed).

Abstract: Various example embodiments for controlling reordering of packets in packet switched networks are presented herein. Various example embodiments for controlling reordering of packets in packet switched networks may be configured to control reordering of packets in packet switched networks based on control of reorderability of packets in packet switched networks. Various example embodiments for controlling reordering of packets in packet switched networks may be configured to control reorderability of packets in packet switched networks, and, thus, reordering of packets in packet switched networks, based on use of a reorderability indicator (RI). The RI for a packet is included in the packet to indicate reorderability of the packet, where the reorderability of the packet is indicative as to whether or not reordering of the packet is permitted. The RI may be included in a packet for controlling reorderability and, thus, reordering, of the packet as the packet traverses a network.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting fragmentation and reassembly of packets in communication networks are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting fragmentation and reassembly of packets in communication networks may be configured to support fragmentation and reassembly of labeled packets, such as Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) packets or other types of labeled packets, in communication networks. Various example embodiments for supporting fragmentation and reassembly of labeled packets may be configured to support fragmentation and reassembly of labeled packets at various contexts of the labeled packets where the contexts of the labeled packets may be indicated within the labeled packets using sets of context labels for the contexts of the labeled packets.

Abstract: A router encapsulates a payload of a packet in a generic routing encapsulation (GRE) header that defines a connectionless GRE tunnel. The router also encapsulates the payload and the GRE header in one or more reliable transport headers associated with a connection formed using a reliable transport layer. The router conveys the packet via the connectionless GRE tunnel over the reliable transport layer. In some cases, the GRE header is a network virtualization using GRE (NVGRE) header that allows multiple NVGRE overlays to be multiplexed onto a single IP underlay tunnel. The reliable transport layer can be implemented as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) layer, a QUIC protocol, a Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) or a QUIC protocol to establish a set of multiplexed sub-connections or streams over a single connection between two endpoints of the tunnel, or a transport layer security (TLS) cryptographic protocol.

Abstract: A router is configured for deployment in a first domain of a network. The router includes a processor and a transmitter. The processor is configured to access addresses of egress routers for a multicast flow that are partitioned into local addresses of egress routers in the first domain and external addresses of egress routers in a second domain of the network. The processor is also configured to prepend an explicit multicast route (EMR) to a packet in the multicast flow to form a first EMR packet. The EMR includes information representing the external addresses. The transmitter is configured to unicast the first EMR packet to an advertising border router (ABR) that conveys the multicast flow from the first domain to the second domain. In some cases, the router includes a receiver configured to receive another EMR packet from another router in another domain via a tunnel between the routers.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting stateless multicast in label switched packet networks are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting stateless multicast in label switched packet networks may be configured to support stateless multicast in label switched packet networks based on support for handling a label switched packet associated with a multicast group, where the label switched packet includes a payload and a header and, further, where the header includes a set of labels indicative of a group of egress routers including at least a portion of the egress routers of the multicast group.

Abstract: A node is configured for deployment in an IP network. The node includes a memory configured to store a first identifier that uniquely identifies the node within the IP network. The node also includes a transceiver configured to receive a first IP packet. The node further includes a processor configured to selectively forward the first IP packet based on whether a first recorded route (RR) in the first IP packet includes the first identifier. Selectively forwarding the first IP packet includes dropping the first IP packet in response to the first identifier being in the first IP packet or pushing the first identifier onto the first RR in the first IP packet in response to the first identifier not being in the first IP packet.

Abstract: A first router transmits a first message including information identifying a first set of transport layer protocols supported by the first router. The first router receives a second message including information identifying a second set of transport layer protocols supported by a second router. A common transport layer protocol is selected from a subset of transport layer protocols that are common to the first and second sets of transport layer protocols. The first router then establishes a border gateway protocol (BGP) session with the second router over the common transport layer protocol. The first message is unicast to the second router or broadcast/multicast over a plurality of links to a plurality of routers that includes the second router. In some cases, the common transport layer protocol is selected by the router having a higher priority, based on preferences, or a combination thereof.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting transport of various protocols over network virtualization technology are presented herein. Various example embodiments for supporting transport of various protocols over network virtualization technology may be configured to support transport of various protocols over network virtualization generic routing encapsulation. Various example embodiments for supporting transport of various protocols over network virtualization technology may be configured to support communication of a packet including a payload and a header of a network virtualization generic routing encapsulation protocol, wherein the payload is based on a protocol other than Ethernet.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting scalability of label switched paths (LSPs) in a label switching network are presented herein. Various example embodiments for supporting scalability of LSPs in a label switching network may be configured to support scalability of LSPs in a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network. Various example embodiments for supporting scalability of LSPs in an MPLS network may be configured to support scalability of LSPs of various FEC types. Various example embodiments for supporting scalability of LSPs in an MPLS network may be configured to support scalability of Prefix FEC based LSPs spanning across multiple routing domains. Various example embodiments for supporting scalability of LSPs in an MPLS network may be configured to support scalability of LSPs for various FEC types that enable aggregation of ranges of FECs by aggregate FECs.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting reliability of an overlay are presented herein. Various example embodiments for supporting reliability of an overlay may be configured to support reliable delivery of overlay packets. Various example embodiments for supporting reliable delivery of overlay packets may be configured to support reliable delivery of overlay packets of a label switching protocol. Various example embodiments for supporting reliability of an overlay may be configured to support reliable delivery of overlay packets based on a reliable transport layer. The reliable transport layer may be provided using a reliable transport layer protocol. The reliable transport layer protocol may be a connection-oriented protocol, may be configured to support flow control, may be configured to support congestion control, or the like.

Abstract: Various example embodiments of a processor are presented. Various example embodiments of a processor may be configured to support split programmability of resources of a processor frontend of the processor. Various example embodiments of a processor are configured to support split programmability of resources of a processor frontend of the processor in a manner enabling assignment of split programmable resources of the frontend of the processor to control blocks of a program being executed by the processor. Various example embodiments of a processor are configured to support split programmability of micro-operations (UOPs) cache (UC) resources of the frontend of the processor (which may then be referred to as a split programmable (SP) UC (SP-UC), where it may be referred to as “split” since there are multiple UCs and may be referred to as “programmable” since selection of the active UC from the set of multiple UCs is controllable by the program executed by the processor).

Abstract: A software defined networking (SDN) controller or routers in a network determine unicast paths from an ingress router to egress routers from the network based on quality-of-service (QoS) metrics for links between routers of the network. A subset of the unicast paths is associated with a multicast flow based on one or more QoS criteria for the multicast flow. A router pushes a label stack onto a packet of the multicast flow. The label stack includes labels that identify the subset of the unicast paths. The packet including the label stack is multicast through the network to the egress routers. Routers that receive the multicast packet selectively modify the label stack in the packet based on the labels that identify the subset of the unicast paths. The routers selectively forward the packet based on the labels.

Abstract: A first router determines a designated router (DR) from a set of routers that are interconnected by a network based on a border gateway protocol (BGP). The set includes the first router. In response to the first router being the DR, the first router forms adjacencies with non-DR routers from the set and distributes reachability advertisements from the set of routers to the non-DR routers in the set. In response to the first router not being the DR, the first router forms an adjacency with the DR. The first router then conveys reachability advertisements to the DR and receives reachability advertisements from the routers in the set via the DR. The DR is determined based on receiving information at the first router indicating an identity of the DR, e.g., configuration information received from a controller, or by electing a DR based on priority values assigned to the routers and advertised in messages transmitted by the routers.

Abstract: A first router receives a targeted message that is unicast from a second router that is multiple network hops away from the first router. The first router establishes a transport layer connection between the first router and the second router in response to the targeted message. The first router then establishes a session over the transport layer connection. The session operates according to a border gateway protocol (BGP). In some cases, the targeted message includes information such as an IP address of the first router, a transport layer parameter, an ASN associated with the second router, and an identifier of the routing protocol associated with the second router. A frequency of targeted messages exchanged by the first and second routers is reduced in response to a duration of the session increasing and turned off if the duration exceeds a threshold duration.