Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for autonomous relay of statistics from a network device to a network controller of a software-defined networking (SDN) network are described. The network controller is operative to transmit a message including a statistics profile, where the statistics profile includes a type of data to be collected associated with a behavior of a flow at the network device and a set of one or more criteria; where the message causes the network device to transmit a statistics message associated with one or more flows when the one or more flows satisfy at least one criterion from the set of one or more criteria, where the statistics message includes data collected at the network device associated with a behavior of the one or more flows as identified by the type of data to be collected included in the statistics profile.

Abstract: A method, in a network controller of a control plane in a software defined network (SDN) coupled to a network element (NE) of a data plane in the SDN, of resynchronizing forwarding table entries of the NE according to forwarding table entries of the network controller is disclosed. The method includes causing the NE to update a first subset of forwarding table entries from a set of one or more of forwarding table entries to include a post-synchronization indicator. The method continues with causing the NE to delete, following the update of the first subset of forwarding table entries, a second subset of zero or more forwarding table entries from the set of forwarding table entries, where each forwarding table entry from the second subset includes a pre-synchronization indicator.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for autonomous relay of statistics from a network device to a network controller of a software-defined networking (SDN) network are described. The network controller is operative to transmit a message including a statistics profile, where the statistics profile includes a type of data to be collected associated with a behavior of a flow at the network device and a set of one or more criteria; where the message causes the network device to transmit a statistics message associated with one or more flows when the one or more flows satisfy at least one criterion from the set of one or more criteria, where the statistics message includes data collected at the network device associated with a behavior of the one or more flows as identified by the type of data to be collected included in the statistics profile.

Abstract: A method in a network controller coupled to a network device of a software defined network (SDN), of modifying forwarding table entries of the network device is described. The method includes constructing a first message including a flow profile associated with a plurality of flows and an install profile command, where the flow profile includes a flow profile identifier, and a set of default parameter values that are common for the plurality of flows. The method continues with causing the network device to install the flow profile associated with the plurality of flows.

Abstract: A method, in a network controller of a control plane in a software defined network (SDN) coupled to a network element (NE) of a data plane in the SDN, of resynchronizing forwarding table entries of the NE according to forwarding table entries of the network controller is disclosed. The method includes causing the NE to update a first subset of forwarding table entries from a set of one or more of forwarding table entries to include a post-synchronization indicator. The method continues with causing the NE to delete, following the update of the first subset of forwarding table entries, a second subset of zero or more forwarding table entries from the set of forwarding table entries, where each forwarding table entry from the second subset includes a pre-synchronization indicator.