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 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 network includes a first node having a processor that incorporates a U-turn indicator into a header of an Internet protocol (IP) packet for transmission along a first path towards a second node. The U-turn indicator indicates that the first node expects to receive the IP packet back from the second node. The first node also includes a transceiver that transmits the IP packet including the header having the U-turn indicator along the first path. In some cases, the transceiver (or another transceiver in another node) receives a packet comprising a U-turn indicator. The processor (or another processor in another node) detects the U-turn indicator in a header of the IP packet. The processor forwards the IP packet along a path to a destination node that does not include the node that originally transmitted the IP packet or drops the IP packet depending on whether an alternate path is identified.

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.

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: 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 multi-domain packet distribution networks. Various example embodiments for supporting stateless multicast in communication networks may be configured to support stateless multicast in multi-domain packet distribution networks which may be based on Internet Protocol (IP). Various example embodiments for supporting stateless multicast in a multi-domain packet distribution network may be configured to support multicast of packets based on use of internal multicast packets for multicast communication of the multicast packets within sub-domains of the multi-domain packet distribution network and use of external multicast packets for unicast communication of the multicast packets across or between sub-domains of the multi-domain packet distribution network.

Abstract: An ethernet bridge is configured for deployment in a network. The ethernet bridge includes a memory configured to store a first identifier that uniquely identifies the ethernet bridge within the network. The ethernet bridge also includes a transceiver configured to receive a first data link layer packet. The ethernet bridge further includes a processor configured to selectively forward the first data link layer packet based on whether a first recorded route for ethernet (RRE) in the first data link layer packet includes the first identifier. Selectively forwarding the first data link layer packet includes dropping the first data link layer packet in response to the first identifier being in the first data link layer packet or pushing the first identifier onto the first RRE in the first data link layer packet in response to the first identifier not being in the first data link layer packet.

Abstract: A client and a server negotiate a version of a protocol that supports multiplexed connections using a connectionless transport layer protocol, such as a QUIC protocol that is supported for a connection between the client and the server. The connection can support one or more streams. The client embeds a first extension in a cryptographic handshake. The first extension includes a structure that indicates a set of protocols supported by the client at a set of layers. The client and the server then concurrently negotiate a subset of the protocols and a subset of the layers that are supported by the client and the server. Data is tunneled from the subset of the protocols and the subset of the layers over the connection between the client and the server. The data is tunneled using stream frames that include the data, a first field having a value indicating a layer type, and a second field having a value indicating a protocol type.

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 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: A source of a transmission control protocol (TCP) connection includes a processor to establish the TCP connection based on a TCP source port number and a TCP destination port number associated with a destination. The processor also generates a TCP shim header including the TCP source port number and the TCP destination port number. The processor further generates a plurality of TCP headers including a plurality of proxy port numbers and a shim port number that indicates the TCP shim header. The source also includes a transceiver to transmit a plurality of packets comprising the plurality of TCP headers and the TCP shim header. The destination of the TCP connection includes a processor configured to establish the TCP connection and a transceiver to receive the plurality of packets via the TCP connection.

Abstract: A source of a transmission control protocol (TCP) connection includes a processor to establish the TCP connection based on a TCP source port number and a TCP destination port number associated with a destination. The processor also generates a TCP shim header including the TCP source port number and the TCP destination port number. The processor further generates a plurality of TCP headers including a plurality of proxy port numbers and a shim port number that indicates the TCP shim header. The source also includes a transceiver to transmit a plurality of packets comprising the plurality of TCP headers and the TCP shim header. The destination of the TCP connection includes a processor configured to establish the TCP connection and a transceiver to receive the plurality of packets via the TCP connection.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting secure communications via secure sessions in communication systems are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting secure communications via secure sessions in communication systems may be configured to support mechanisms in a session layer protocol which enable communications of any communication protocol at any communication protocol layer to be transported over a session layer session (e.g., tunneling any data link protocol, any network layer protocol, any transport layer protocol, and/or any application layer protocol transparently over the session layer protocol), which enable multiple communications of one or more communication protocols of one or more communication protocol layers to be transported over a single session layer session (e.g.

Abstract: A client and a server negotiate a version of a protocol that supports multiplexed connections using a connectionless transport layer protocol, such as a QUIC protocol that is supported for a connection between the client and the server. The connection can support one or more streams. The client embeds a first extension in a cryptographic handshake. The first extension includes a structure that indicates a set of protocols supported by the client at a set of layers. The client and the server then concurrently negotiate a subset of the protocols and a subset of the layers that are supported by the client and the server. Data is tunneled from the subset of the protocols and the subset of the layers over the connection between the client and the server. The data is tunneled using stream frames that include the data, a first field having a value indicating a layer type, and a second field having a value indicating a protocol type.

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 use of local label spaces of nodes of the label switching network for encoding of an explicit path tree for the multicast communications within the multicast communications. Various example embodiments for supporting stateless multicast communications in a label switching network based on use of local label spaces of nodes of the label switching network may be configured to support use of local label spaces of nodes of the label switching network by using network-wide unique node identifiers to uniquely identify nodes with which the node and adjacency labels of the explicit path tree are associated.

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: 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.