Abstract: Migrating a network service that is currently being performed by a first device to be performed by a second device includes: instructing the second device to notify an upstream network device to forward traffic that is to be serviced by the network service to the second device instead of to the first device, the network service being associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) address; and instructing the first device to migrate the network service to the second device, wherein the migration includes moving or copying state information associated with an existing flow currently serviced by the first device to the second device; the existing flow being an existing flow between a client application and a network application.

Abstract: Providing a distributed network service includes: receiving network traffic at a first physical device; and executing a service engine to participate in the distributed network service. The distributed network service is provided to at least the first target application instance executing in a first VM on the first physical device, and a second target application instance executing in a second VM on a second physical device; and a shared state of the distributed network service is maintained with respect to the first physical device and the second physical device.

Abstract: Providing a distributed network service includes: receiving network traffic at a first physical device; and executing a service engine to participate in the distributed network service. The distributed network service is provided to at least the first target application instance executing in a first VM on the first physical device, and a second target application instance executing in a second VM on a second physical device; and a shared state of the distributed network service is maintained with respect to the first physical device and the second physical device.

Abstract: In a network with at least a first device already configured to provide a network service to a network application, scaling service capacity includes: configuring one or more second devices to provide the network service to the network application. In embodiments where an upstream network device supports Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) routing, the upstream network device is configured, including storing a plurality of paths to reach an address associated with a network application, wherein the plurality of paths are equal in cost. In embodiments where the upstream network device does not support ECMP routing, the second device is configured not to respond to an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) request associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the network application, and the first device is instructed to perform load balancing on network traffic destined for the network application among the first device and the one or more second devices.

Abstract: Migrating a network service that is currently being performed by a first device to be performed by a second device includes: instructing the second device to notify an upstream network device to forward traffic that is to be serviced by the network service to the second device instead of to the first device, the network service being associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) address; and instructing the first device to migrate the network service to the second device, wherein the migration includes moving or copying state information associated with an existing flow currently serviced by the first device to the second device; the existing flow being an existing flow between a client application and a network application.

Abstract: Migrating a network service that is currently being performed by a first device to be performed by a second device includes: instructing the second device to notify an upstream network device to forward traffic that is to be serviced by the network service to the second device instead of to the first device, the network service being associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) address; and instructing the first device to migrate the network service to the second device, wherein the migration includes moving or copying state information associated with an existing flow currently serviced by the first device to the second device; the existing flow being an existing flow between a client application and a network application.

Abstract: Load balancing includes receiving, from a client, a connection request to establish a connection with a server; determining load balancing state information based at least in part on the connection request; synchronizing the load balancing state information across a plurality of service engines using a distributed data store service, the distributed data store service being configured to: determine whether in a distributed data store there is an existing entry that corresponds to the load balancing state information; in the event that it is determined that in the distributed data store there is no existing entry that corresponds to the load balancing state information, atomically create a new entry based on the load balancing state information; and distributing the connection to a selected server among a plurality of servers, the selected server being selected based at least in part on the load balancing state information.

Abstract: In a network with at least a first device already configured to provide a network service to a network application, scaling service capacity includes: configuring one or more second devices to provide the network service to the network application. In embodiments where an upstream network device supports Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) routing, the upstream network device is configured, including storing a plurality of paths to reach an address associated with a network application, wherein the plurality of paths are equal in cost. In embodiments where the upstream network device does not support ECMP routing, the second device is configured not to respond to an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) request associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the network application, and the first device is instructed to perform load balancing on network traffic destined for the network application among the first device and the one or more second devices.

Abstract: In a network with at least a first device already configured to provide a network service to a network application, scaling service capacity includes: configuring one or more second devices to provide the network service to the network application. In embodiments where an upstream network device supports Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) routing, the upstream network device is configured, including storing a plurality of paths to reach an address associated with a network application, wherein the plurality of paths are equal in cost. In embodiments where the upstream network device does not support ECMP routing, the second device is configured not to respond to an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) request associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the network application, and the first device is instructed to perform load balancing on network traffic destined for the network application among the first device and the one or more second devices.

Abstract: Load balancing includes receiving, from a client, a connection request to establish a connection with a server; determining load balancing state information based at least in part on the connection request; synchronizing the load balancing state information across a plurality of service engines using a distributed data store service, the distributed data store service being configured to: determine whether in a distributed data store there is an existing entry that corresponds to the load balancing state information; in the event that it is determined that in the distributed data store there is no existing entry that corresponds to the load balancing state information, atomically create a new entry based on the load balancing state information; and distributing the connection to a selected server among a plurality of servers, the selected server being selected based at least in part on the load balancing state information.

Abstract: Providing a distributed network service includes: receiving network traffic at a first physical device; and executing a service engine to participate in the distributed network service. The distributed network service is provided to at least the first target application instance executing in a first VM on the first physical device, and a second target application instance executing in a second VM on a second physical device; and a shared state of the distributed network service is maintained with respect to the first physical device and the second physical device.

Abstract: Providing a distributed network service includes: receiving network traffic at a first physical device; and executing a service engine to participate in the distributed network service. The distributed network service is provided to at least the first target application instance executing in a first VM on the first physical device, and a second target application instance executing in a second VM on a second physical device; and a shared state of the distributed network service is maintained with respect to the first physical device and the second physical device.

Abstract: A distributed network service platform comprises: a logical data plane configured to process packets that are received by a plurality of physical devices, transmitted by the plurality of physical devices, or both, the logical data plane being physically distributed on the plurality of physical devices; and a logical control plane configured to manage and control the logical data plane, the logical control plane comprising one or more physical control planes operating on one or more physical devices.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for mitigating the effects of slow or no drain devices on a fabric. One or more of the described embodiments can be used alone or in combination to address problems associated with inter-switch link blocking and to address the situation where flows which are not associated with slow/no drain devices suffer the negative impacts of slow or no drain devices on a fabric.

Abstract: Load balancing includes receiving, from a client, a connection request to establish a connection with a server; determining load balancing state information based at least in part on the connection request; synchronizing the determined load balancing state information across a plurality of service engines, including to invoke an atomic read-miss-create (RMC) function on a distributed data store service; and distributing the connection to a selected server among a plurality of servers according to a result of the RMC function.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method is provided for alleviating congestion in a network system. In this method, the receipt of data packets destined for a destination apparatus is detected. Flow control signals are also received with each flow control signal corresponding to a data packet. Various time periods are tracked with each time period being between the detection of the receipt of a data packet and the receipt of tracked corresponding flow control signal. An average of the time periods is calculated and this average is compared to a threshold. One or more data packets are dropped in reference to the comparison.

Abstract: Load balancing includes receiving, from a client, a connection request to establish a connection with a server; determining load balancing state information based at least in part on the connection request; synchronizing the determined load balancing state information across a plurality of service engines, including to invoke an atomic read-miss-create (RMC) function on a distributed data store service; and distributing the connection to a selected server among a plurality of servers according to a result of the RMC function.

Abstract: Various techniques can be used to handle frames within multi-stage switching fabric. For example, in one method, a frame and an associated frame header are received at a switching fabric stage. The associated frame header includes a first field and a second field. The method selects one or more fabric points of exit within the switching fabric stage, based on the second field. The first field is used to select one or more other fabric points of exit within another switching fabric stage, and thus two different fields within the associated frame header specify fabric points of exit. The method then sends the frame to the selected fabric points of exit within the switching fabric stage.

Abstract: Providing a distributed network service includes: receiving network traffic at a first physical device; and executing a service engine to participate in the distributed network service. The distributed network service is provided to at least the first target application instance executing in a first VM on the first physical device, and a second target application instance executing in a second VM on a second physical device; and a shared state of the distributed network service is maintained with respect to the first physical device and the second physical device.

Abstract: A distributed network service platform comprises: a logical data plane configured to process packets that are received by a plurality of physical devices, transmitted by the plurality of physical devices, or both, the logical data plane being physically distributed on the plurality of physical devices; and a logical control plane configured to manage and control the logical data plane, the logical control plane comprising one or more physical control planes operating on one or more physical devices.