Abstract: A network element includes processing circuitry configured to cause the network element to determine whether a received information packet is a special packet based on a domain header of the received information packet, extract a first value from the domain header of the received information packet in response to determining that the received information packet is a special packet, and modify a forward information base at the network element based on the domain header and the first value.

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 control over fragmentation of packets in communication networks are described. Various example embodiments for supporting control over fragmentation of packets in communication networks may be configured to support control over fragmentation of Internet Protocol (IP) packets. Various example embodiments for supporting control over fragmentation of IP packets in communication networks may be configured to support control over fragmentation of an IP packet based on inclusion of an IP fragmentability header, including information indicative as to whether the IP packet is permitted to be fragmented, within the IP packet. The IP packet may include a header and a payload, where the header includes an IP packet header and the IP fragmentability header including the information indicative as to whether the IP packet is permitted to be fragmented and, optionally, additional information.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for machine learning-based user sentiment prediction using audio and video sentiment analysis. One method comprises obtaining audio sensor data and video sensor from at least one sensor associated with a user; applying the audio sensor data to a first machine learning model that analyzes an audio sentiment of the user to provide an audio sentiment score; applying the video sensor data to a second machine learning model that analyzes a video sentiment of the user to provide a video sentiment score; applying the audio sentiment score and the video sentiment score to an ensemble model that determines an aggregate sentiment score based on the audio sentiment score and the video sentiment score; and initiating an automated remedial action based on the aggregate sentiment score. An output of the ensemble model can be applied to a feedback agent that updates the first and/or second machine learning models.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting message processing are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting message processing are configured to support message processing by a processor. Various example embodiments for supporting message processing by a processor are configured to support message processing by the processor based on dynamic control over processor instruction sets of the processor.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting rerouting of packets in communication networks are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting rerouting of packets in communication networks may be configured to support rerouting of packets based on common node protection. Various example embodiments for supporting rerouting of packets based on common node protection may be configured to support rerouting of source routed packets in packet switched networks. Various example embodiments for supporting rerouting of packets based on common node protection may be configured to support rerouting of source routed packets based on segment routing (SR). Various example embodiments for supporting rerouting of packets based on common node protection may be configured to support rerouting of source routed packets based on SR-Traffic Engineering (SR-TE).

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting reliability of an overlay are presented herein. Various example embodiments for supporting reliability of an overlay may support reliable delivery of overlay packets. Various example embodiments for supporting reliable delivery of overlay packets may support reliable delivery of overlay packets of a label switching protocol. Various example embodiments for supporting reliability of an overlay may 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 for supporting stateless multicast in communication networks are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting stateless multicast in communication networks may be configured to support stateless multicast in a packet distribution network that supports traffic engineering (TE). Various example embodiments for supporting stateless multicast in a packet distribution network that supports TE may be configured to support stateless multicast in a stateless multicast domain with TE. Various example embodiments for supporting stateless multicast in a stateless multicast domain with TE may be configured to support stateless multicast in a stateless IP multicast domain with TE, which may be referred to herein as a stateless IP multicast TE domain.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting an in-band control plane are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting an in-band control plane may be configured to support an in-band control plane in a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network. Various example embodiments for supporting an in-band control plane in an MPLS network may be configured to support an in-band control plane in an MPLS network by supporting exchange of control protocol packets of control protocols as MPLS packets, such that the control protocol messaging is in-band along the MPLS data plane itself. Various example embodiments for supporting an in-band control plane in an MPLS network may be configured to support an in-band control plane in an MPLS network by supporting communication of MPLS packets that encapsulate control protocol messages of control protocols with an MPLS label which indicates that the payloads of the MPLS packets carry the control protocol messages of the control protocols.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting source routing are presented herein. Various example embodiments for supporting source routing may be configured to support source route compression for source routing. Various example for supporting source route compression for source routing may be configured to support source route compression for source routing based on use of shadow addresses. Various example for supporting source route compression for source routing based on use of shadow addresses may be configured to support source routing of packets based on use of shadow addresses of hops in place of actual addresses of hops to encode source routes within source routed packets, thereby compressing the source routes within the source routed packets and, thus, providing source route compression.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting source routing are presented herein. Various example embodiments for supporting source routing may be configured to support source route compression for source routing. Various example for supporting source route compression for source routing may be configured to support communication of a source routed packet over a path from an ingress node to an egress node over a network, wherein the network includes a set of network elements having a respective set of network element identifiers sharing a common prefix, wherein the source routed packet has encoded therein a source route block including the common prefix and an offset list, wherein the offset list includes a set of offset values associated with respective ones of the network elements of the path and configured to be combined with the common prefix to recover the network element identifiers of the respective ones of the network elements of the path.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting stateful explicit paths are presented herein. Various example embodiments for supporting stateful explicit paths may be configured to support communication of a packet along a path in an Internet Protocol (IP) network from a first node to a second node, wherein the path includes a set of hops, wherein the packet includes a tuple configured to identify the path, wherein the tuple includes a first IP address of the first node, a second IP address of the second node, and a path identifier of the path, wherein the path identifier of the path is a unique identifier assigned to the path, wherein the communication of the packet along the path from the first node to the second node is supported based on state information configured to map the tuple to a next hop in the set of hops of the path.

Abstract: A router includes a memory configured to store a plurality of label spaces for each label space type used in a communication system. The plurality of label spaces store labels that identify virtual links between nodes of the communication system. The router also includes a processor configured to allocate a plurality of label space identifiers to the plurality of label spaces and to route packets based on labels and label space identifiers included in the packets. The router further includes a transceiver configured to transmit or receive the packets including the labels and the label space identifiers.

Abstract: Various embodiments providing for an indicator (termed the “Traffic Category Indicator,” TCI) to be encoded into packets, different values of which can be used, e.g., to distinguish Traffic Engineered (TE) packets and non-TE packets. In an example embodiment, the TCI can be used, e.g., to configure a network node to implement different packet queues, on each link, for TE packets and non-TE packets. In embodiments corresponding to the DiffServ TE paradigm, a node can be configured to implement different queues within each Forwarding Class for each link, said different queues distinguished by different respective TCI values. Example benefits of TCI include, but are not limited to fate separation of TE and non-TE packets in a node. The TCI concept can beneficially be applied to different packet-switching technologies supporting Source Routing, such as the IP, MPLS, Ethernet, etc.

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: Various example embodiments for supporting communications for a network (e.g., a local area network (LAN), a virtual LAN (VLAN), or the like) based on use of an identifier of the network are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting communications for a VLAN based on use of a VLAN identifier (VID) of the VLAN are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting communications of a VLAN based on use of a VID of the VLAN may be configured to support use of a variable sized encoding of the VID (denoted herein as an xVID). Various example embodiments for supporting communications of a VLAN based on use of an xVID for the VLAN may be configured to support use of an xVID that is encoded using a set of fixed-sized identifier units where a number of fixed-sized identifier units used to encode the VID in the xVID is based on the VID.

Abstract: Automated topology-discovery processes, wherein topology-related information is exchanged among the nodes of a network using data-plane headers of transmitted packets, and without relying on conventional control-plane topology-discovery protocols. For such “control-plane-less” topology discovery, a discovery-enabling Topology Discovery Header (TDH) may be encoded as an extension of the data-plane header. Such TDH can be used, e.g., to carry various types of pertinent information typically relied-upon by the relevant network entities for topology-discovery purposes. In some embodiments, topology discovery is fully migrated from the control plane to the data plane and is substantially integrated into the corresponding Packet Switching Technology. Due to this migration, some features of some conventional control protocols may not be critically needed in the corresponding communication networks.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting selection of a transport protocol for use in supporting a label distribution protocol in a label switching network are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting selection of a transport protocol for use in supporting a label distribution protocol in a label switching network may be configured to support multiple transport protocol options for use in supporting use of the label distribution protocol between a pair of label switched routers in the label switching network. Various example embodiments for supporting selection of a transport protocol for use in supporting a label distribution protocol in a label switching network may be configured to use the selected transport protocol to support various aspects of the label distribution protocol (e.g., establishment of a label distribution protocol session based on the label distribution protocol, label distribution based on the label distribution protocol, and so forth).

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting stateless multicast communications in a communication system are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting stateless multicast communications may be configured to support stateless multicast communications in a label switching network (e.g., a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network, an MPLS—Traffic Engineered (TE) network, or the like) based on a network label space. Various example embodiments for supporting stateless multicast communications based on a network label space may be configured to support assignment, from a network label space of a network, of a set of labels for nodes of the network and for adjacencies of the network. Various example embodiments for supporting stateless multicast communications based on a network label space may be configured to support assignment of node labels from the network label space for nodes of the network and assignment of adjacency labels from the network label space for adjacencies of the network.

Abstract: At a router, at least one memory and computer program code stored therein are configured to, with at least one processor, cause the router to: determine source router identification information for a tunnel traversing the router based on a routable source IP address for the tunnel; determine destination router identification information for the tunnel based on a routable destination IP address for the tunnel; program a bit string entry for the tunnel in a Bit Index Forwarding Table (BIFT) for tunnels from a source router to a plurality of destination routers, the BIFT being indexed based on the source router identification information and at least a portion of the destination router identification information; and route packet data received at the router according to the BIFT.