Abstract: Variable preemption for label-switched paths (LSP) tunnels includes provisioning a label-switched path (LSP) tunnel at a first bandwidth with a first priority value; and provisioning one or more different priority values at one or more of (1) corresponding one or more bandwidths such that a current priority value of the LSP tunnel is set based on a current bandwidth value of the LSP tunnel and (2) redial failure attempts such that the current priority value of the LSP tunnel is set based on a number of the redial failure attempts. The priority values can include one of a Setup Priority, a Holding Priority, and a combination thereof. The one of the Setup Priority, the Holding Priority, and the combination thereof can be based on RFC 3209.

Abstract: A regulation method and device intended to resorb congestion on a mesh communication network including a plurality of node devices using powerline communications, a route request being sent by a source node device and copies of the route request being relayed by gradual broadcasting by intermediate node devices. The intermediate node device is able to send messages on at least one frequency band by powerline and over a radio channel, and by means of the intermediate node device: detects a congestion situation, identifies route requests as being important, relays only copies of the important relay requests on a frequency band and over the radio channel, and relays copies of the non-important route requests on a frequency band or over the radio channel.

Abstract: A networking device can include a packet processing pipeline circuit and a processor. The packet processing pipeline circuit can be configured to implement a data plane and the processor can be configured to implement a control plane. The packet processing pipeline circuit and the processor can also be configured to send a plurality of heartbeat packets on multiple paths to a second networking device. The data plane can produce and send the heartbeat packets to the second networking device within a heartbeat period. The data plane may send a second plurality of heartbeat packets on multiple paths to the second networking device with a second heartbeat period. The heartbeat packets can have unique packet five tuples that include an IP address of the second networking device.

Abstract: Intelligent distribution of packet flows may be provided. Compute resource data may be received. Next, packets may be classified into flows that may be persistently mapped to compute resources for a lifetime of the flows. Based on the compute resource data, the flows may then be allocated to the compute resources.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media coupled to the one or more processors. The one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform operations including receiving a user credential from a remote access client within a network and communicating the user credential to an authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) server within the network. The operations also include receiving a user attribute from the AAA server and generating a contextual label based on the user attribute. The contextual label includes routing instructions associated with traffic behavior within the network. The operations further include advertising a control message, which includes the contextual label, to the remote access client.

Abstract: Systems and methods for managing a network are disclosed. One method can comprise receiving data having information identifying a first path to a destination, wherein the information facilitates transmission of the data to a next-hop of the first path. A congestion state of the first path can be determined. If the first path has a congested state, a second path to the destination can be determined, wherein the second path has a non-congested state. The information of the data can be updated to identify the second path to the destination, wherein the updated information facilitates transmission of the data to a next-hop of the second path.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a communication method and system for converging a 5th-Generation (5G) communication system for supporting higher data rates beyond a 4th-Generation (4G) system with a technology for Internet of Things (IoT). The present disclosure may be applied to intelligent services based on the 5G communication technology and the IoT-related technology, such as smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car, connected car, health care, digital education, smart retail, security and safety services. Methods and systems for handling encoding of radio capability information of UE using RACS. A method disclosed herein includes encoding radio capability information of a user equipment (UE) in formats of multiple radio access technologies (RATs) that have been supported by a public land mobile network (PLMN) in which the UE is registered.

Abstract: The communication apparatus includes a wireless communication unit and a determination unit. The wireless communication unit selectively connects to and communicates with a plurality of wireless communication networks in which at least one of a frequency band and a wireless communication method is different from each other. The determination unit determines whether to switch to another wireless communication network among the plurality of wireless communication networks on the basis of a communication status of at least any one of communication of layer 2, layer 3, layer 4, and layer 7 performed via any one of the plurality of wireless communication networks.

Abstract: Embodiments of this application disclose a path fault detection method and apparatus, a related device, and a storage medium, and belong to the field of communication technologies. In embodiments of this application, a return path is determined according to a forward path. In a path fault detection process, the return path through which a fault detection packet fed back by a tail node to a head node passes includes the forward path. In this way, if the head node receives the fault detection packet fed back by the tail node, it indicates that the forward path is not faulty.

Abstract: Example implementations relate to determining router and computing device performance. An example non-transitory machine-readable medium can include instructions executable by a processor to capture, from an agent device on a computing device of a network, computing device data and network connectivity data associated with the computing device and filter data associated with connectivity to non-WiFi networks from the captured computing device data and network connectivity data. The instructions can be executable to filter out-of-network data from the captured computing device data and network connectivity data, correlate the filtered data with wireless router performance data, and determine router and computing device performances based on the correlation.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed towards a hardware accelerator engine that supports efficient mapping of convolutional stages of deep neural network algorithms. The hardware accelerator engine includes a plurality of convolution accelerators, and each one of the plurality of convolution accelerators includes a kernel buffer, a feature line buffer, and a plurality of multiply-accumulate (MAC) units. The MAC units are arranged to multiply and accumulate data received from both the kernel buffer and the feature line buffer. The hardware accelerator engine also includes at least one input bus coupled to an output bus port of a stream switch, at least one output bus coupled to an input bus port of the stream switch, or at least one input bus and at least one output bus hard wired to respective output bus and input bus ports of the stream switch.

Abstract: A system for transmitting and receiving signals having varying frequencies along a power line within a vehicle is provided. A transceiver is configured to transmit output signals to and receive input signals from various electronic systems on a vehicle along a power line at a first frequency. A frequency control circuit determines whether the destination system for the output signal is configured to receive the output signal at the first frequency or a different frequency and modulates the frequency of the output signal if necessary. The frequency control circuit also determines, prior to receipt by the transceiver, whether the input signal has the first frequency or different frequency and modulates the frequency of the input signal if necessary.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device makes a determination that user application experience is degraded for a client endpoint of an online application due to a current path in a network that conveys application traffic associated with the online application. A device identifies a bypass path in the network for the application traffic. The device provisions an optimization gateway along the bypass path to forward the application traffic from the client endpoint to the online application. The device causes an endpoint agent executed by the client endpoint to send the application traffic to the optimization gateway for forwarding to the online application via the bypass path.

Abstract: A method of determining the presence of a loopback in one or more networks comprises storing information related to a test instance; sending a loopback detection beacon (LPDB) containing information related to the test instance from a port on an originating device; monitoring the port for a predetermined time period to detect LPDBs arriving at the port during the predetermined time period; and determining whether a detected LPDB contains information corresponding to the stored information, to detect the presence of a loopback. The method may determine whether a detected loopback is a port loopback, a tunnel loopback or a service loopback. The stored information related to the test instance may be deleted if an LPDB arriving at the port and containing information corresponding to the stored information is not detected within the predetermined time period.

Abstract: Systems and methods for blocking spoofed traffic within communications networks include obtaining, at a computing system, routing information for an autonomous system of a communications network, the routing information identifying Internet Protocol (IP) addresses associated with the autonomous system. In response to receiving the routing information, the computing system generates a prefix list based on the routing information, the prefix list including one or more prefixes encompassing the IP addresses identified by the routing information. The computing system then transmits instructions to a network device of the communications network configured to cause the network device to update a filter function of the network device based on the prefix list such that the network device permits network traffic that originates from IP addresses within the prefixes of the prefix list.

Abstract: In an example method, an instruction to begin monitoring incoming traffic of a multicast data flow is received by a router. The instruction is received from a downstream router. The example method further includes monitoring incoming traffic of the multicast data flow. At least partly in response to determining that an expected amount of the incoming traffic of the multicast data flow is being received at the router, reporting to a network administrator device, a location of the router in the multicast data flow. Further, at least partly in response to determining that an expected amount of the incoming traffic of the multicast a data flow is not being received, sending, by the router and to an upstream router, an instruction to begin monitoring incoming traffic of the multicast data flow.

Abstract: An ingress network device may receive a core domain network segment identifier associated with a core domain network of the multi-domain network. The ingress network device may receive location data of an egress network device associated with a second leaf domain network of the multi-domain network, wherein the location data may include data identifying the core domain network segment identifier, a second leaf domain network segment identifier associated with the second leaf domain network, and an egress network device segment identifier associated with the egress network device. The ingress network device may store the core domain network segment identifier and the location data, and may utilize the core domain segment identifier and the location data to route traffic to the egress network device.

Abstract: A base station central unit (CU) sends, to a base station distributed unit (DU), a request message for a context configuration of a wireless device, wherein the request message comprises one or more identifiers of closed access groups that the wireless device is allowed to access; and a field indicating that the wireless device is only allowed to access a cell that is associated with at least one closed access group. The base station CU receives from the base station DU, an acknowledge message comprising cell configuration parameters of one or more cells for the context configuration of the wireless device, wherein the one or more cells are associated with at least one first closed access group.

Abstract: An apparatus in a mobile communication network combines information from monitoring IP flows carrying latency sensitive content passing the apparatus and information about the application behavior and target Quality of Experience (QoE) or target connectivity characteristics such as Quality of Service (QoS) from the application to provide ongoing predictions of QoE/QoS. In some cases, the apparatus exploits a probe on a device to generate traffic for learning flow characteristics not obtained from monitoring application IP flows in the network. Embodiments disclosed herein can be used to predict quality metrics for many applications where jitter/latency is a factor affecting perceived quality, such as QoE for a human consumer or QoS for machine type communications. The embodiments are applicable to the analysis of traffic carrying conversational speech.

Abstract: This application discloses a transmission path fault processing method and apparatus, and a system, to resolve a problem that a packet fails to be forwarded because a previous-hop node of a faulty node cannot process a stitching label. The method includes: receiving, by a first network device, a stitching label and a stitching label stack list corresponding to the stitching label that are sent by a stitching network device; determining, in a process of sending a packet through a primary path, that the stitching network device is faulty, where the packet includes a label stack list, and the stitching network device is a next-hop network device of the first network device; and replacing, by the first network device, the stitching label in the label stack list with the stitching label stack list, and switching, based on the updated label stack list, the packet to a backup path for sending.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device obtains, from a plurality of routers in a network, a set of routing policies that collectively specify a first set of paths in the network, a second set of paths in the network, and time periods during which traffic is to be rerouted from one of the first set of paths to one of the second set of paths in the network. The device identifies overlapping path segments of the second set of paths in the network. The device makes, based in part on the overlapping path segments, a prediction that two or more of the set of routing policies will cause congestion along paths with overlapping path segments. The device adjusts, based on the prediction, the set of routing policies, to avoid causing the congestion.

Abstract: There is provided a method and apparatus for management of internet protocol (IP) flow records in a wireless communication network. The method and apparatus can provide for the compression and aggregation of the IP flow records for subsequent transmission, thereby reducing bandwidth necessary for transmission thereof.

Abstract: A control plane (CP) device switching method includes that when a user plane (UP) device in a forwarding-control separation system detects that performance of communication between the UP device and an active CP device does not meet a normal communication condition, and performance of communication between the UP device and a standby CP device meets the normal communication condition, the UP device sends a switching request to the standby CP device. When detecting that a quantity of UP devices that each send the switching request is greater than or equal to a first quantity threshold, the standby CP device may indicate each UP device in the forwarding-control separation system to switch to the standby CP device.

Abstract: A method and system for packet tracing is described. In one embodiment, a method includes selecting a packet for tracing through a cluster of a plurality of nodes. The method includes preparing the packet for tracing by generating a cluster-wide unique ID, associating the unique ID with the packet, generating a running counter, and associating the counter with the packet. The method includes generating a first record buffer on a first node of the plurality of nodes and recording the unique ID and an initial value of the counter. The method includes recording a description of an operation performed on the packet in the first record buffer along with a value of the counter. The method also includes transferring the packet to a second node, along with the unique ID, the value of the running counter, and an attribute that indicates that the packet is to be traced.

Abstract: A system transports a plurality of UDP datagrams from a sending application to a receiving application by creating a TCP tunnel between a TCP sending-end and a TCP receiving-end, encapsulating the datagrams in TCP packets at the TCP transmitting-end, transmitting the TCP packets via the TCP tunnel to the TCP receiving-end over a network using a TCP/IP protocol, and extracting the datagrams from the TCP packet and forwarding the extracted datagrams to the receiving application. The TCP tunnel may provide the same delay and responsiveness as UDP protocol. The TCP receiving-end may detect when a packet is missing and request retransmission when a packet is missing, so that the TCP sending-end retransmits the missing packets. The transmitting of TCP packets to the TCP receiving-end continues when the receiving-end detects a missing packet, so that there is no lag in the forwarding of the extracted datagrams. Retransmitted packets may be discarded.

Abstract: Connected gateway servers relay an electronic message from a first client device to a second client device by storing the message in respective user message queues associated with the sender and/or recipient of the message and then sending the message along a sequence of gateway servers to a gateway server that hosts the second client device. Upon receiving the electronic message at a first gateway server, a second gateway server that is hosting the second client device is identified and a sequence of gateway servers starting at the first gateway server and ending at the second gateway server is determined. Each gateway server in the sequence relays the message to the following gateway server in the sequence while maintaining user message queues. Failure of the last gateway server in the sequence results in the penultimate gateway server in the sequence assuming the responsibility of hosting the second client device.

Abstract: A method for testing terminals includes determining a quantity of terminals to be tested; testing each terminal to be tested in a testing environment and obtaining a quantity of testing results; each testing result includes an actual transmitting power and/or a receiving signal strength; obtaining a first fitting function based on the actual transmitting power, and/or obtaining a second fitting function based on the receiving signal strength; and controlling a target terminal to transmit signals, calculating an actual transmitting power of the target terminal by the first fitting function, and/or controlling the target terminal to receive signals, calculating a receiving signal strength of the target terminal by the second fitting function. A computer apparatus and a non-transitory computer readable medium for testing terminals are also disclosed.

Abstract: A system for simulating lost data packets. The system includes a first hardware register storing data for fast factors. The fast factors include factors that are time independent with respect to particular data packets. A second hardware register stores slow factors. The slow factors include factors that are time dependent on data packets. Synchronization hardware is coupled to the second hardware register and synchronizes the slow factors with specific data inputs based on dependencies on the data packets. A hardware adder is coupled to the first hardware register and the second hardware register to compute a link budget. The link budget is used in determine probability of loss of data packets. A hardware processor coupled to the hardware adder determines, based on the link budget, if a data packet should be dropped, and when the data packet should be dropped, drops the data packet for simulating a network physical layer.

Abstract: A network access control system and a method are disclosed. In a step of generating a transmission control protocol (TCP) session between a terminal and a gateway (or a server), the TCP session is authenticated, and whether or not to generate the TCP session is determined on the basis of a result of the authentication, thereby preventing, in advance, a target application within the terminal from bypassing control of an access control application and transmitting a data packet to a destination network through an authorized tunnel.

Abstract: A VPN is established between a client and a remote server. Data is partitioned into a plurality of packets. The packets are encrypted and scheduled for transmission over a cellular and a Wi-Fi connection. Scheduling of the packets is dynamically adjusted. Addresses of the encrypted packets are translated to match network addresses of respective physical interfaces. Packets are transmitted from the client to the server based on the scheduling. A packet that is transmitted on one of the connections and is subsequently lost is subsequently transmitted on the other connection.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a plurality of inputs comprising data corresponding to a plurality of network elements, confirming presence of a given network element of the plurality of network elements on at least one network, and adding the given network element to a network element database. The method also includes interfacing with one or more network integration services of a plurality of network integration services to receive data corresponding to the given network element. The network element database is automatically updated with the received data, and the interfacing is performed via a message bus.

Abstract: An ingress network device may receive a core domain network segment identifier associated with a core domain network of the multi-domain network. The ingress network device may receive location data of an egress network device associated with a second leaf domain network of the multi-domain network, wherein the location data may include data identifying the core domain network segment identifier, a second leaf domain network segment identifier associated with the second leaf domain network, and an egress network device segment identifier associated with the egress network device. The ingress network device may store the core domain network segment identifier and the location data, and may utilize the core domain segment identifier and the location data to route traffic to the egress network device.

Abstract: [Problem] The base station includes a plurality of radio communication units configured to individually support a plurality of communication capabilities, and performs, for a terminal station that is connected to the base station, control for selecting a radio communication unit based on a communication scheme supported in the terminal station. [Solution] Provided is a radio communication method for a radio communication system including a plurality of base stations provided with a plurality of radio communication units for which different communication schemes are settable, and a terminal station configured to perform radio communication with the radio communication unit of the base station by using a specific communication scheme.

Abstract: Various techniques for dynamic path selection and data flow forwarding are disclosed. For example, various systems, processes, and computer program products for dynamic path selection and data flow forwarding are disclosed for providing dynamic path selection and data flow forwarding that can facilitate preserving/enforcing symmetry in data flows as disclosed with respect to various embodiments.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed towards a configurable accelerator framework device that includes a stream switch and a plurality of convolution accelerators. The stream switch has a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports. Each of the input ports is configurable at run time to unidirectionally pass data to any one or more of the output ports via a stream link. Each one of the plurality of convolution accelerators is configurable at run time to unidirectionally receive input data via at least two of the plurality of stream switch output ports, and each one of the plurality of convolution accelerators is further configurable at run time to unidirectionally communicate output data via an input port of the stream switch.

Abstract: A system and method of propagating signal links by using artificial neural networks using a relay link selection protocol to predict an optimal link or path, providing a reliable mechanism to meet 5G-new radio requirements. The artificial neural networks used in the method classify training and testing datasets into sufficient signal strengths and insufficient signal strengths, such that paths are evaluated for predicted propagation links, and such that the strongest propagation link can be selected. Specifically, a multilayer perceptron method is used to identify and characterize new link candidates using the path loss parameter or the received signal strength, such that optimal links can be selected and updated. To determine the sufficiency of a signal, a threshold energy strength is determined (for example, a threshold of ?120 dBm can be used; any energy strength below the threshold is considered a poor propagation and is classified as an insufficient signal).

Abstract: A device may include a memory storing instructions and a processor configured to execute the instructions to receive an instruction from an administration device; identify a link selector in the instruction that corresponds to a resource attribute of a first resource that specifies how a second resource is to be controlled by the first resource; query a database of contracts between resources to determine that the second resource is available to be controlled by the first resource, based on resource contracts associated with the second resource. The processor may be further configured to generate a resource contract between the first resource and the second resource that indicates the second resource is controlled by the first resource and enable the first resource to communicate with the second resource in accordance with the generated resource contract.

Abstract: A set of discrete input/output (I/O) channels for one or more field devices may be grouped, organized, and connected to a field module device, which may connect to an electronic marshalling apparatus in a marshalling cabinet via an I/O channel. The field module acts as an intermediary, decoding messages received via the I/O channel to identify commands for discrete output (DO) channels that are then forwarded appropriately. The field module may also receive variable values carried by signals on discrete input (DI) channels and encode the values to a message that may be transmitted to the marshalling apparatus and controller, thus making the variable values on the DI channels available to the controller. The field module may store a profile including information that facilitates various smart commissioning techniques, including autosensing of tags, automatic tag binding, and automatic configuration of a control element corresponding to the field module.

Abstract: Systems and methods for provisioning and validating a network are disclosed. One method can comprise providing a first communication tunnel between a network access point and a first tunnel endpoint. Availability of the first tunnel endpoint can be determined. If the first tunnel endpoint is determined to be available, network traffic can be routed to the first tunnel endpoint. If the first tunnel endpoint is determined to be unavailable, a second communication tunnel between the network access point and a second tunnel endpoint can be provided.

Abstract: A network 50 is hierarchically divided into network devices 501 to 506, areas, and the like to be monitoring targets, and a monitoring device 100 monitors a divided monitoring target. A monitoring device of an N-th layer (here, N?2) that is an upper layer with respect to a first layer monitors information of reachability between user connection points received from a monitoring device of an (N?1)-th layer that is a lower layer and network devices connecting monitoring targets of the (N?1)-th layer making up monitoring targets of the N-th layer and connection statuses between the network devices and areas that are monitoring targets. The monitoring device determines the presence/absence of reachability between user connection points belonging to different monitoring targets of the (N?1)-th layer on the basis of this reachability and the connection statuses.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device identifies a set of probes configured between a first endpoint and a second endpoint serving an online application. Each probe has one or more characteristics and is associated with a different segment between the endpoints. The device selects a subset of the set whose associated segments are along a plurality of paths between the endpoints, based on a match between the online application and the one or more characteristics of probes in the set of probes. The device approximates a performance metric for each of the plurality of paths by aggregating performance metrics measured by probes in the subset of probes that are associated with segments of that path. The device causes traffic to be routed between the endpoints via a particular path in the plurality of paths, based on the performance metric of the particular path.

Abstract: Embodiments support obtaining of information regarding a Bluetooth mesh network (100) operating according to a set of rules, e.g. flooding or routing, for propagating messages in the network (100). It is transmitted (204), from said test originator node (101) in accordance with said set of rules, a sequence of test messages towards said test target node (105). Each of said test messages includes: parameters comprising a test message identifier being an identifier of the test message in the sequence, and a type identifier identifying the test message as a certain type associated with said parameters.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are described for beam (or any other communication resource) failure recovery in wireless communications. A wireless device may determine if only a subset of serving beams have failed, and may perform beam failure recovery on other serving beams that have not failed.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to rate-matching a stream of bits encoded using polar codes. An exemplary method generally includes determining a mother code size (N) for transmitting an encoded stream of bits based, at least in part, on a minimum supported code rate for transmitting the encoded stream of bits (Rmin), a control information size of the encoded stream of bits (K), a number of coded bits for transmission (E), and a maximum mother code size (Nmax), encoding a stream of bits using a polar code of size (N, K) and storing the encoded stream of bits in a circular buffer, and performing rate-matching on the stored encoded stream of bits based, at least in part, on a comparison among the mother code size (N), the control information size of the encoded stream of bits (K), and the number of coded bits for transmission (E).

Abstract: Techniques for detecting inactive peers of a tunneled communication session, while allowing for a scalable tunneled protocol that includes split control plane nodes and data plane nodes are described herein. A method according to a technique described herein may include establishing a communication session between a first node and a second node in a network such that control plane traffic of the communication session flows through one or more control nodes and data plane traffic of the communication session flows through one or more data nodes different than the one or more control nodes. The method may also include receiving, at a control node, an indication from a data node that a probe message is to be generated. The probe message may be configured to determine data plane connectivity in the communication session. Additionally, the control node may generate the probe message and send it to the first node.

Abstract: A base station distributed unit receives, from a base station central unit, a request message for a context configuration of a wireless device. The request message comprises a field indicating whether the wireless device is only allowed to access a cell associated with at least one closed access group. The base station distributed unit determines, based on the request message, cell configuration parameters of one or more cells for the wireless device, wherein the one or more cells are associated with the at least one closed access group. base station distributed unit sends, to the base station central unit, an acknowledge message comprising the cell configuration parameters of the one or more cells for the wireless device.

Abstract: A method is implemented by a switch in a software defined networking (SDN) network to trace packets in a packet processing pipeline of the switch. The method includes creating a copy of a received packet to function as a trace packet. The method further includes, at each of one or more subsequent flow tables that the trace packet traverses, appending an identifier of that flow table to a recorded route of the trace packet and resubmitting the trace packet to that flow table to be processed without packet tracing. The method further includes sending, at an egress table, the trace packet to a controller along with the recorded route of the trace packet.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method, executable by a network device, that receives a packet from a network at a first port of the network device. The method further sends the packet to a second port of the network device. The second port includes an interface and a loopback function implemented at an egress of the interface. The loopback function is configured to transmit the packet back to the network device through the interface. The interface is configured to truncate the packet upon receiving the packet from the loopback function. Upon receiving the truncated packet from the interface of the second port, the method also forwards the truncated packet to a device through a third port of the network device that is coupled to the device.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed herein to formally verify a network with both physical and virtual components. The modeling and formal verification is performed by an apparatus comprising: a topology generator to generate a network model including a plurality of devices connected in a network; a flow modeler to add a rule to the network model, the rule to define a flow of network packets through the network model; a reduction mapper to identify the rules common to ones of the devices; and a mapping verifier to verify the network meets a user specification.

Abstract: A method, a device, and a system for implementing a multiplexor (mux) machine, where the method includes setting an aggregation port of a first network device to a collecting and distributing state when a mux machine of the first aggregation port of the first network device is in a collecting distributing state, starting, by the first network device, a timer, and switching the mux machine from the collecting distributing state to an attached state when the first network device determines, when the timer expires, that no Link Aggregation Control Port data unit (LACPDU) packet that is from a second network device and that indicates that an aggregation port of the second network device is in the collecting and distributing state is received.