Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes a server running a virtualization platform, the virtualization platform including logic adapted for creating one or more virtual machines (VMs) and logic adapted for managing a virtual switch (vSwitch), a controller in communication with the server, the controller including logic adapted for assigning a media access control (MAC) address and a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier (ID) to each of the one or more VMs, wherein a specific tenant to which the one or more VMs belongs is indicated using a tenant ID derived from the VLAN ID, the MAC address, or a combination thereof. Other systems, methods, and computer program products are also described according to more embodiments.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method for quantized congestion notification in a virtual networking system comprising multiple virtual networks (VNs). Each VN comprises at least one virtual machine (VM) configured to generate one or more packet flows. Each packet of each packet flow is tagged with a congestion notification (CN) tag. Each packet flow is mapped to a corresponding virtual tunnel end point (TEP) that distributes each packet of the packet flow. A congestion notification message (CNM) is generated for each congestion point (CP) associated with each packet flow. Each CP is mapped to a corresponding TEP that distributes each CNM for the CP, wherein the corresponding VTEP forwards the CNM to a VM contributing to packet congestion at the CP.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for classifying traffic in an overlay network includes a processor adapted for executing logic, logic adapted for receiving an overlay packet, logic adapted for determining at least one characteristic of the overlay packet and/or one or more inner packets of the overlay packet in order to classify the overlay packet, logic adapted for associating a flow identifier to the overlay packet, logic adapted for determining one or more policies to associate with the flow identifier, wherein the one or more policies are based on the at least one characteristic of the overlay packet and/or the one or more inner packets of the overlay packet, and logic adapted for storing the flow identifier in a header of the overlay packet. More systems, methods, and computer program products for classifying traffic in an overlay network are presented in accordance with other embodiments.

Abstract: Implementation of a secure network may be provided by analyzing packet traffic for sensitive information. Network processing elements found to be processing sensitive information may be classified as needing higher security. The classified network processing elements may be moved into a group of secure network processing elements.

Abstract: A distributed fabric system comprises a plurality of independent network elements interconnected by inter-switch links and assigned to a same group. Each network element includes a switching chip, a processor, and memory storing program code that is executed by the processor. The program code of each network element includes a device configuration (DC) stacking module and a switch discovery protocol (SDP) module. The SDP module of each network element, when executed, discovers each other network element in the group and elects one of the network elements as a master network element. The SDP module of the master network element, when executed, sends messages to the DC-stacking module of the master network element. Each sent message identifies one of the network elements in the group. The DC stacking module of the master network element, when executed, maintains a record of all network elements that are currently members in the group.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a system includes at least one switching distributed line card (DLC) configured to apply Access Control Lists (ACLs) on each switching interface of the at least one switching DLC to direct certain received packets to at least one appliance DLC to have deep packet inspection services performed on the certain received packets, and at least one central switch fabric coupler (SFC) in communication with the at least one switching DLC, where the at least one appliance DLC and the at least one switching DLC are connected to the at least one central SFC. Other systems, methods and computer program products for providing scalable virtual appliance cloud (SVAC) services are described in more embodiments.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a system includes a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor, the logic being configured to identify a security issue affecting a first peer in one or more secure transmission control protocol/user datagram protocol (TCR/UDP) sessions, inform a second peer about the security issue using the first peer of the one or more TCP/UDP sessions, and perform at least one action in response to identifying and/or being informed about the security issue. In another embodiment, a method for providing a secure TCP/UDP session includes identifying a security issue affecting a first peer in one or more TCP/UDP sessions, informing a second peer about the security issue using the first peer of the one or more TCP/UDP sessions, and performing at least one action in response to identifying and/or being informed about the security issue.

Abstract: A distributed fabric system has distributed line card (DLC) chassis and scaled-out fabric coupler (SFC) chassis. Each DLC includes a network processor and fabric ports. Each network processor of each DLC includes a fabric interface in communication with the fabric ports of that DLC. Each SFC includes at least one fabric element and SFC fabric ports. A fabric communication link connects each SFC fabric port to one DLC fabric port. Each fabric communication link includes cell-carrying lanes. Each fabric element of each SFC detects connectivity between each SFC fabric port of that SFC and one DLC fabric port over a fabric communication link. Each SFC includes program code that reads connectivity matrix from fabric element chips and sends connection information corresponding to the detected connectivity from that SFC to a central agent. A network element includes the central agent, which, when executed, constructs a topology of the distributed fabric system from the connection information sent from each SFC.

Abstract: A distributed fabric system has distributed line card (DLC) chassis and scaled-out fabric coupler (SFC) chassis. Each DLC chassis includes a network processor and fabric ports. Each network processor of each DLC chassis includes a fabric interface in communication with the DLC fabric ports of that DLC chassis. Each SFC chassis includes a fabric element and fabric ports. A communication link connects each SFC fabric port to one DLC fabric port. Each communication link includes cell-carrying lanes. Each fabric element of each SFC chassis collects per-lane statistics for each SFC fabric port of that SFC chassis. Each SFC chassis includes program code that obtains the per-lane statistics collected by the fabric element chip of that SFC chassis. A network element includes program code that gathers the per-lane statistics collected by each fabric element of each SFC chassis and integrates the statistics into a topology of the entire distributed fabric system.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a switch includes a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor to receive details about which link aggregation (LAG) information about a first peer switch will be exchanged with the switch, send to the first peer switch, prior to receiving the LAG information about the first peer switch, details about which LAG information about the switch will be exchanged with the first peer switch, receive the LAG information about the first peer switch, store the LAG information about the first peer switch, and use the LAG information about the first peer switch and the LAG information about the switch to determine load balancing across one or more connections between the switch and the first peer switch.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to providing virtual network domain movement operations for overlay networks. One embodiment includes a method that includes determining one or more overlay network attributes (ONAs) for a plurality of virtual networks. The one or more ONAs are associated with the virtual networks. The one or more ONAs are managed as one or more portable entities by one or more of creating ONAs, deleting ONAs, moving ONAs, combining ONAs and dividing ONAs. A movement operation is performed on the one or more virtual networks among one or more servers of one or more overlay networks based on the management of the one or more ONAs.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a switch includes a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor, the logic being configured to cause the processor to receive a packet at an ingress port of the switch, forward the packet to a buffered switch when at least one congestion condition is met, where the buffered switch is configured to evaluate congestion conditions of a fabric network, and forward the packet to a low-latency switch when the at least one congestion condition is not met, where the low-latency switch includes an additional policy table provided with forwarding decisions based on the congestion conditions of the fabric network. Other switches, systems, methods, and computer program products for providing low latency packet forwarding with guaranteed delivery are described according to more embodiments.

Abstract: A distributed fabric system comprises a plurality of independent network elements interconnected by inter-switch links and assigned to a same group. Each network element includes a switching chip, a processor, and memory storing program code that is executed by the processor. The program code of each network element includes a device configuration (DC) stacking module and a switch discovery protocol (SDP) module. The SDP module of each network element, when executed, discovers each other network element in the group and elects one of the network elements as a master network element. The SDP module of the master network element, when executed, sends messages to the DC-stacking module of the master network element. Each sent message identifies one of the network elements in the group. The DC stacking module of the master network element, when executed, maintains a record of all network elements that are currently members in the group.

Abstract: To partition a distributed fabric system, at least one system port is allocated to each switching domain of multiple non-overlapping switching domains in a distributed fabric system. Multiple different look-up tables are produced, wherein each look-up table corresponds to a different switching domain of the multiple non-overlapping switching domains in the distributed fabric system. Each system port is associated with the look-up table of the multiple look-up tables that corresponds to the switching domain to which that system port is allocated. The look-up table associated with each system port has at least one table entry for each other system port allocated to the same switching domain as that system port.

Abstract: A switch for a switching network includes a plurality of ports for communicating data traffic and a switch controller that controls switching between the plurality of ports. The switch controller selects a forwarding path for the data traffic based on at least topological congestion information for the switching network. In a preferred embodiment, the topological congestion information includes sFlow topological congestion information and the switch controller includes an sFlow client that receives the sFlow topological congestion information from an sFlow controller in the switching network.

Abstract: Implementation of a secure network may be provided by analyzing packet traffic for sensitive information. Network processing elements found to be processing sensitive information may be classified as needing higher security. The classified network processing elements may be moved into a group of secure network processing elements.

Abstract: A switch includes network ports and a network processor with a fabric interface that provides SerDes (Serializer/Deserializer) channels. The network processor divides each packet received over the network ports into cells and distributes the cells across the SerDes channels. Fabric ports of the switch communicate with the fabric interface to transmit cells to and receive cells from the fabric interface. The switch is selectively configurable as a standalone switch by connecting each fabric port of the switch to another of the fabric ports of the switch, as a member of a switch stack by connecting each fabric port of the switch to a different other switch through one fabric port of that other switch, or as a member of a distributed fabric system by connecting each fabric port of the switch to a different scaled-out fabric coupler (SFC) chassis by an SFC fabric port of that SFC chassis.

Abstract: A switch for a switching network includes a plurality of ports for communicating data traffic and a switch controller that controls switching between the plurality of ports. The switch controller selects a forwarding path for the data traffic based on at least topological congestion information for the switching network. In a preferred embodiment, the topological congestion information includes sFlow topological congestion information and the switch controller includes an sFlow client that receives the sFlow topological congestion information from an sFlow controller in the switching network.

Abstract: A distributed fabric system has distributed line card (DLC) chassis and scaled-out fabric coupler (SFC) chassis. Each DLC chassis includes a network processor and fabric ports. Each network processor of each DLC chassis includes a fabric interface in communication with the DLC fabric ports of that DLC chassis. Each SFC chassis includes a fabric element and fabric ports. A communication link connects each SFC fabric port to one DLC fabric port. Each communication link includes cell-carrying lanes. Each fabric element of each SFC chassis collects per-lane statistics for each SFC fabric port of that SFC chassis. Each SFC chassis includes program code that obtains the per-lane statistics collected by the fabric element chip of that SFC chassis. A network element includes program code that gathers the per-lane statistics collected by each fabric element of each SFC chassis and integrates the statistics into a topology of the entire distributed fabric system.

Abstract: A distributed fabric system has distributed line card (DLC) chassis and scaled-out fabric coupler (SFC) chassis. Each DLC includes a network processor and fabric ports. Each network processor includes a fabric interface in communication with the fabric ports of that DLC. Each SFC includes at least one fabric element and SFC fabric ports. A fabric communication link connects each SFC fabric port to one DLC fabric port. Each fabric communication link includes cell-carrying lanes. Each fabric element detects connectivity between each SFC fabric port of that SFC and one DLC fabric port over a fabric communication link. Each SFC reads a connectivity matrix from fabric element chips and sends connection information corresponding to the detected connectivity from that SFC to a central agent. A network element includes the central agent, which, when executed, constructs a topology of the distributed fabric system from the connection information sent from each SFC.