Abstract: An example method for independently verifying a transit point in a network environment is provided and includes receiving, at a transit point in a packet network, at least two radio signals from corresponding different radio sources, receiving, at the transit point, a sampling request in an packet message, and transmitting in another packet message a sample of the at least two radio signals such that by comparing the sample with an expected sample, a location of the transit point is determined. The expected sample can comprise another sample of the at least two radio signals that would have been received by the transit point at an expected location at a time of receipt of the sampling request, and if the expected sample matches the sample, the transit point is determined to be at the expected location.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus in a network determines particular metadata to communicate infrastructure information associated with a particular packet to another apparatus in the network. The apparatus sends into the network the particular packet including a metadata channel, comprising said particular metadata, external to the payload of the particular packet. Examples of infrastructure metadata carried in a packet include, but are not limited to, information defining service chaining for processing of the packet, contextual information for processing of the packet, specific handling instructions of the packet, and operations, maintenance, administration (OAM) instrumentation of the packet.

Abstract: In one embodiment, operations analysis of packet groups identified based on timestamps is performed. One embodiment includes sending a plurality of sent timeframe groups of a plurality of time-stamped packets from a first packet network node towards a second packet network node in a network and recording first information associated with each of the plurality of said sent timeframe groups of the plurality of time-stamped packets. The second network node receives a plurality of received timeframe groups of a received plurality of time-stamped packets of said sent plurality of time-stamped packets and recording second information associated with each of the plurality of said received timeframe groups of the received plurality of time-stamped packets. Operations analysis based on one or more operations characteristics of said first information and said second information to produce analysis results.

Abstract: In one embodiment, micro-loops are avoided in ring topologies of packet switching devices by changing the order of propagation of link state information concerning failed communications between a particular packet switching device and a neighbor packet switching device. In one embodiment, the particular packet switching device communicates link state information of a high cost of the particular communications (e.g., in the direction from particular to neighbor packet switching devices) such that this link state information will propagate towards the particular packet switching device from at least from the furthest packet switching device in the ring topology that is currently configured to forward packets having a destination address of the neighbor packet switching device through the particular packet switching device.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a method comprises determining a set of protected components that are associated with a notifying node; determining a single network repair address for the set of protected components, wherein the single network repair address is for use in response to unavailability of any of the protected components when transmitting network traffic to the notifying node; assigning the single network repair address to each of the protected components; wherein the notifying node is an internetworking device and wherein the method is performed by one or more processors.

Abstract: In one embodiment, micro-loops are avoided in ring topologies of packet switching devices by changing the order of propagation of link state information concerning failed communications between a particular packet switching device and a neighbor packet switching device. In one embodiment, the particular packet switching device communicates link state information of a high cost of the particular communications (e.g., in the direction from particular to neighbor packet switching devices) such that this link state information will propagate towards the particular packet switching device from at least from the furthest packet switching device in the ring topology that is currently configured to forward packets having a destination address of the neighbor packet switching device through the particular packet switching device.

Abstract: In one embodiment, probe-packet discovery of entropy values causing specific paths to be taken through a network is performed. One embodiment sends, from a first network node to a second network node in a network, a plurality of Equal Cost Multipath (ECMP) path-taken probe packets, each with a different entropy label, to determine a particular entropy label for each particular ECMP path of a plurality of different ECMP paths between the first network node and the second network node that will cause a packet including the particular entropy label to traverse said particular ECMP path. The ECMP paths taken by the plurality of ECMP path-taken probe packets is analyzed to determine one or more entropy labels for each different ECMP path of the plurality of different ECMP paths that will cause a packet including one of said one or more entropy labels to traverse said different ECMP path.

Abstract: In one embodiment, packet labels are used to identify synchronization groups of packets, such as for, but not limited to, performing processing of packets based on their corresponding synchronization group, as the synchronization label of a packet may define a current characteristic of the packet stream which is taken into account performing processing related to the packet. A plurality of synchronization groups of packets are generated and sent, by a first packet switching device, to a second packet switching device, with each particular packet of the plurality of synchronization groups of packets including a same synchronization label in a label stack of said particular packet that is different than a synchronization label used with another of the plurality of synchronization groups of packets, and with each synchronization group of the plurality of synchronization groups of packets including a plurality of packets.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a maintenance intermediate point (MIP) receives a packet traveling along a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) label switched path (LSP) that extends from a first maintenance end point (MEP) to a second MEP. The receiving MIP decrements a time-to-live (TTL) value in a header of the packet. In response the TTL value in the header of the packet equaling a particular value, the receiving MIP examines an associated channel header (ACH) field in an operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM) message stored in a payload of the packet, and determines a particular OAM function to perform based on a code in the ACH field. The receiving MIP performs the particular OAM function.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device samples actual service traffic at a device in a computer network, and generates real-time statistics on distribution of various packet header parameters of the sampled traffic that influence forwarding in the computer network. As such, the device may generate and transmit synthetic measurement traffic according to the distribution. For instance, in one embodiment, the synthetic traffic may be a replay of actual service traffic with an indication that the replayed traffic is synthetic, while in another embodiment, newly generated synthetic measurement traffic may have packet header parameters substantially matching the sampled traffic.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a receiver device determines that it accepts flow entropy, and accordingly determines a set of entropy labels the receiver device is accepting. After transmitting the set of entropy labels from the receiver device to one or more sender devices, the receiver device may then receive packets from the one or more sender devices with selected particular entropy labels from the set of entropy labels. In another embodiment, a sender device receives from a receiver device a set of entropy labels the receiver device is accepting. As such, when determining a packet to forward to the receiver device with flow entropy, the sender device may select a particular entropy label from the set of entropy labels for that receiver device, and transmits the packet device to the receiver device with the selected particular entropy label.

Abstract: In one embodiment, probe-packet discovery of entropy values causing specific paths to be taken through a network is performed. One embodiment sends, from a first network node to a second network node in a network, a plurality of Equal Cost Multipath (ECMP) path-taken probe packets, each with a different entropy label, to determine a particular entropy label for each particular ECMP path of a plurality of different ECMP paths between the first network node and the second network node that will cause a packet including the particular entropy label to traverse said particular ECMP path. The ECMP paths taken by the plurality of ECMP path-taken probe packets is analyzed to determine one or more entropy labels for each different ECMP path of the plurality of different ECMP paths that will cause a packet including one of said one or more entropy labels to traverse said different ECMP path.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus for providing clock synchronization in a packet-based network, the network having as components nodes and links therebetween and having a network topology, is arranged to compute a forward clock synchronization packet path to a synchronization destination from the network topology according to a computation rule such that the return path for a clock synchronization packet from the synchronization destination is the same as the forward path.

Abstract: A method is described of constructing a transition route in a data communication network having as components nodes and links. Upon receipt of a transition notification identifying a first component a non-neighboring node constructs a transition route around the first component. In an embodiment, a node performs detecting the first component transition; issuing a transition notification identifying the first component and recognizable by nodes configured to construct a transition route around the first component; and upon expiry of a notification transition period, issuing a transition advertisement recognizable by all nodes on the network.

Abstract: Disclosed are, inter alia, methods, apparatus, computer-readable media, mechanisms, and means for load balancing manipulation of packet flows within a transport conduit (e.g., a tunnel, pseudo wire, etc.), typically using a load balancing value which is independent of standard routing-based parameters (e.g., source address, destination address, source port, destination port, protocol type, etc.). A load balancing value is included in encapsulated packets transported across a network using a transport conduit. This load balancing value can be used to load balance the individual flows/microflows within the transport conduit.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a method comprises: receiving a data communications packet comprising one or more labels in a label stack; determining whether a table identifier is present in the label stack. In response to determining that the table identifier is present in the label stack: based, at least in part, on the table identifier, a label table is determined; a next hop for the data communications packet is determined by performing a next-hop lookup in the label table using at least one of the one or more labels; and the data communications packet is forwarded to the next hop. In an embodiment, the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a clock on a network device is initialized, and then a first timing message is received at the network device from a reference device having a first timestamp indicating when the first timing message was transmitted from the reference device. The network device may then determine and store a one-way delay from the first timestamp to a first time at which the first timing message was received at the network device. In response to restarting the clock, the network device may receive a second timing message from the reference device having a second timestamp indicating when the second timing message was transmitted from the reference device. The network device may then calibrate the clock such that a second time at which the network device received the second timing message is the second timestamp plus the stored one-way delay.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus in a network determines particular metadata to communicate infrastructure information associated with a particular packet to another apparatus in the network. The apparatus sends into the network the particular packet including a metadata channel, comprising said particular metadata, external to the payload of the particular packet. Examples of infrastructure metadata carried in a packet include, but are not limited to, information defining service chaining for processing of the packet, contextual information for processing of the packet, specific handling instructions of the packet, and operations, maintenance, administration (OAM) instrumentation of the packet.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a Time-to-Live (TTL) field of a packet is used to signal information (other than normal other than a life span of the packet or distance information relative to the network node). The packet is sent through a network, which typically includes traversing one or more intermediate nodes resulting in a modification of its TTL field (e.g., each node reduces the TTL value). After receiving the packet, a network node interprets the current value of the TTL field to identify the particular information encoded in the TTL field. Typically the current value of the TTL field is compared to a range of possible values to accommodate different TTL reductions due to different paths through a network. Signaling using the TTL value may be advantageous in networks that perform Equal-Cost-Multi-Path (ECMP) routing as the TTL value does not effect this routing.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a method comprises determining a set of protected components that are associated with a notifying node; determining a single network repair address for the set of protected components, wherein the single network repair address is for use in response to unavailability of any of the protected components when transmitting network traffic to the notifying node; assigning the single network repair address to each of the protected components; wherein the notifying node is an internetworking device and wherein the method is performed by one or more processors.