Abstract: An architecture for distributing routing updates via a broadcast channel is disclosed. A routing fountain (“RF”) is configured to receive routing information updates. The routing information updates include network addressing information, changes to a routing structure of a network, or general information regarding the network. One or more routing fountain subscriber (“RFS”) nodes are configured to send routing information updates to the RF and receive routing information updates from a routing distribution channel (“RDC”). Broadcast equipment is configured to receive routing information updates from the RF and broadcast the received routing information updates to the one or more RFS nodes via the RDC.

Abstract: A Software Defined Network (SDN) includes a plurality of forwarding devices and a routing control device located separate from the forwarding devices. The routing control device, establishes paths to and from the network forwarding devices. Using such paths, forwarding devices send the routing control device information reflecting the topology if the network. Embodiments disclosed herein enable automatic discovery of the topology of the network and the paths to and from the routing control device.

Abstract: A computer system, method and program for routing. A router receives a message packet, and in response, the router reads a payload in the message packet to identify an application that sent the message packet or a user of the application that sent the message packet, as identified from the reading of the payload. The router determines a routing path for the message packet based at least in part on the identity of the application that sent the message packet or the user of the application that sent the message packet. The router forwards the message packet to a next hop in the routing path which was determined.

Abstract: The present application is directed towards distributing multicast routing packets in a cluster environment utilizing link aggregation. In a cluster environment, a plurality of devices may be connected to an upstream router or switch as a single “virtual” device having a plurality of connections as part of a link aggregation group, allowing the router to easily and efficiently distribute packets among the connections. Multicast routing packets may be sent via only a single connection of the link aggregation group, and accordingly, a recipient device may distribute the multicast routing packet to other devices. To distinguish between a newly received routing packet from the router and an internally distributed routing packet from a first device, the first device may insert a predetermined identifier into a MAC address of the routing packet.

Abstract: Method for direct access to information stored in the nodes of a packet switching network comprises the steps of: collecting the pointers, corresponding to which the information required for processing the packets belonging to one and the same flow is stored in each node of the network;—constructing a distributed linked data structure (DLDS) in which the pointers are contained inside packets (PI, P2, P3) that traverse the DLDS-aware routers constituting the path between sender (A) and receiver (B) of the flow;—use of the DLDS data structure for direct access to the information stored in a DLDS-aware router, using a pointer of the DLDS contained in the packet in transit;—selection of the pointer of the DLDS contained in the packet in transit based on its position inside said packet, said position being equal to the serial number of the DLDS-aware router in the flow path, and checking of validity by consistency tests.

Abstract: A method implemented in a Software Defined Networking (SDN) network for flow table lookup parallelization is disclosed. The SDN network contains at least a SDN controller and at least a forwarding element and the SDN network utilizes a plurality of flow tables to perform lookup for forwarding traffic. The method starts with determining dependency of flow tables within the forwarding element using a set of dependency determination rules. A dependency graph is then constructed based on determined dependency of flow tables. A dependency degree count for each flow table within the forwarding element is determined based on the dependency graph. Based on the dependency degree count determination for each flow table, a plurality of parallel lookup groups (PLGs) for the forwarding element is formed, where each parallel lookup group contains one or more flow tables having a same dependency degree count.

Abstract: A system for interfacing a client system in a first network domain with a Provider Link State Bridging (PLSB) domain includes at least two Backbone Edge Bridges (BEBs) of the PLSB domain. Each BEB is an end-point of a connection in the first network domain to the client system and an end-point of at least a unicast path in the PLSB domain. An inter-node trunk is provided in the PLSB domain for interconnecting the BEBs. A phantom node is defined in the PLSB domain and is notionally located on the inter-node trunk. Each of the BEBs is configured such that: an ingress packet received from the client system via the connection in the first network domain is forwarded through a path notionally rooted at the phantom node; and an egress packet destined for the client system is forwarded to the client system through the connection in the first network domain.

Abstract: A network element is configured to reduce the synchronization costs for implementing Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) Nonstop routing (NSR). The reduced synchronization costs are achieved by reducing the number of acknowledgement messages that are needed to be sent though reliable inter-process communication (IPC) between the active OSPF instance and the standby OSPF instance. The number of acknowledgement messages is reduced by tracking the link state advertisements (LSAs) that have been sent by the active OSPF instance to the standby OSPF instance and by the standby OSPF replying with an acknowledgement of only the last LSA in a group of LSAs received from the active OSPF instance, where the group can have a variety of boundaries such as a group of LSAs in an IPC message. This avoids having a significant number of acknowledgement messages sent through the IPC.

Abstract: A novel method for logically routing a packet between a source machine that is in a first logical domain and a destination machine that is in a second logical domain is described. The method configures a managed switching element as a second-level managed switching element. The method configures a router in a host that includes the second-level managed switching element. The method communicatively couples the second-level managed switching element with the router. The method causes the router to route a packet when the router receives a packet from the first logical domain that is addressed to the second logical domain.

Abstract: Techniques are described for providing encryption and authentication for different types of routing protocol communications based on a variety of factors. A method comprises configuring, on a network router, a set of logical interfaces for communicating routing protocol messages with one or more peer routing devices, maintaining a set of security associations that define corresponding authentication information and encryption information for the routing protocol messages, and maintaining one or more descriptor sets that each specify a set of criteria, wherein, for at least one of the descriptor sets, the set of criteria specifies one of the logical interfaces of the network router. The method further comprises selecting one of the descriptor sets having criteria that match an individual flow, selecting one of the security associations based on the selected descriptor set, and applying the selected security association to secure the outbound flow of the routing protocol messages.

Abstract: Systems and methods are presented to collect raw data from a plurality of servers and nodes on a network. A Distributed Enterprise Collection Bus (DECB) architecture is employed at various points on a network. The DECB comprises a collector unit that is protocol agnostic, an orchestration unit, a rule database, a filtering unit, and a distribution unit. Packets of raw data such as Call Detail Records (CDRs) generated by switching centers are received, and distributed to relevant destinations. Relevant destinations include data warehouses, mediation, analytics, etc. The goal is to alleviate collection and filtration duties of the source and destination.

Abstract: A network device including a classifier and a processor. The classifier is configured to select a plurality of packets according to a rule. The rule describes a characteristic associated with the plurality of packets selected by the classifier. The processor is configured to, during runtime, execute a program to compare a portion of the plurality of packets to one or more predetermined patterns. During the runtime, one or more additional predetermined patterns can be added to the program for comparison with a portion of one or more of the plurality of packets selected by the classifier without having to reboot the network device.

Abstract: A femtocell, a femtocell gateway and an access rejection method thereof are provided. A wireless network system comprises a wireless device, a plurality of the femtocells, the femtocell gateway and a core network server. The wireless device has a Subscriber Identification and the core network server stores a Closed Subscribers Group Identification of the femtocells. The femtocell gateway receives an access rejection message corresponding to the Subscriber Identification of the wireless device from the core network server, and transmits the access rejection message to the femtocells. Each femtocell records the Subscriber Identification in a rejection list thereof, and it is capable of adding/deleting Subscriber Identifications in its rejection list.

Abstract: A system and/or method includes a collector module configured to collect route parameters from a selected node of a plurality of nodes in the network, wherein the route parameters from the selected node are indicative of a first route to a destination address and a second route to the destination address; and a route processor configured to determine a first intermediate node along the first route communicatively coupled to the destination address and a second intermediate node along the first route communicatively coupled to the destination address, based at least in part on the collected route parameters.

Abstract: A method of operating a packet network includes the step of selecting one of a plurality of candidate gateways to connect a multimedia communication session between the packet network and a TDM network. The packet network has a source node of the multimedia communication session, and the TDM network has a destination of the multimedia communication session. The candidate gateways interconnect the packet network and the TDM network. The selecting step includes comparing end-to-end congestions for bearer traffic between the source node and different candidate gateways of the plurality.

Abstract: A method for processing a network packet is used for a routing apparatus. The routing apparatus includes a forwarding engine module and a core module. In the method, a network packet from a source interface is received. Whether or not the network packet meets a Network Address Translation (NAT) packet condition is determined. Subsequently, the following steps are executed when the network packet meets the NAT packet condition. In these steps, transmission information of the network packet is read and a NAT mapping table is searched by using the transmission information. When a mapping entry corresponding to the transmission information is found in the NAT mapping table, the method involves enabling the forwarding engine module to update the header of the network packet according to the NAT forwarding information of the corresponding mapping entry and set a destination interface of the network packet.

Abstract: Systems and methods of determining viewership information are provided. A method of determining viewership information includes determining viewership information from multicast routing table data associated with one or more edge routers of a media content delivery service. Each edge router of the one or more edge routers is adapted to transmit media content streams to multiple devices via a first network. The method also includes sending data related to the viewership information to a requesting device via a second network.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for managing packets in a packet switched network include, in at least one aspect, a device including: an input to receive a packet from one of a plurality of network devices, the plurality of network devices configured to communicate with one or more others of the network devices using a plurality of packets; and circuitry configured to control packet switching of the plurality of packets, at least one packet including: a switch tag including a tag portion embedded with switching information and an extended tag portion embedded with additional switching information, the switching information and the additional switching information configured to control a switching pattern associated with the at least one packet.

Abstract: Hybrid security architecture (HSA) provides a platform for middlebox traversal in the network. The HSA decouples the middlebox control from network forwarding. More specifically, such embodiments may receive a data packet having a packet header including an Ethernet header identifying source and destination addresses in the network. A traffic type of the data packet is determined. Then, layer-2 forwarding information, which encodes a set of non-forwarding network service provider middleboxes in the network to be traversed by the data packet, is determined based on the traffic type. The layer-2 forwarding information is inserted into the Ethernet header and the data packet is forwarded into the network. The data packet will then traverse, according to the layer-2 forwarding information, a sequence of the middleboxes in the network, wherein at least one non-forwarding network service will be provided by each of the middleboxes to the data packet in a sequence.

Abstract: Techniques are described for maintaining a forwarding information base (FIB) within a packet-forwarding engine (PFE) of a router, and programming a packet-forwarding integrated circuit (IC) with a hardware version of the FIB. Entries of the hardware version identify primary forwarding next hops and backup forwarding next hops for the LSPs, wherein the packet-forwarding IC includes a control logic module and internal selector block configured to produce a value indicating a state of the first physical link. The selector block outputs one of the primary forwarding next hop and the backup forwarding next hop of the entries for forwarding the MPLS packets based on the value in response to the packet-processing engine addressing one of the entries of the FIB for the LSPs. Packets are forwarded with the PFE to the one of the primary forwarding next hop and the backup forwarding next hop output by the selector block.

Abstract: A method of merging Distributed Hash Table (DHT) rings in heterogeneous network domains, where each domain includes a DHT ring. Upon determining that a node is common to first and second DHT rings on the same hierarchical level and having at least one Overlay Router in common, a link is started between a node in the first DHT ring and a node in the second DHT ring by establishing an indirect link through the common node. An indirect link is created between the first and second DHT rings, and virtual links are created to DHT rings positioned higher in the DHT ring hierarchy until all the DHT rings are merged into a single logical ring.

Abstract: A method comprising receiving a request from a network component to find a backup ingress node for an ingress node of a point-to-multipoint (P2MP) label switched path (LSP), determining a plurality of candidate backup ingress nodes that satisfy a plurality of constraints, including being an edge node in the ingress node's domain and having a direct link to the ingress node, a path to each next hop node of the ingress node of the P2MP LSP, and a path from a source node that communicates with the ingress node, wherein the determination is in response to receiving the request, selecting the backup ingress node from the candidate backup ingress nodes that has a minimum cost of paths from the source node to the next hop nodes via the backup ingress node; and sending a reply to the network component that indicates the selected backup ingress node.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an edge device of a core network may receive a plurality of packets from a peripheral network having a plurality of active connections to the core network, where each packet has a destination address and a source address. The edge device may compute a hash on the destination address or the source address of each packet, and determine whether the computed hash corresponds to the edge device. In response to the computed hash not corresponding to the edge device, the edge device may drop the packet, and in response to the computed hash corresponding to the edge device, the edge device may process the packet to forward the packet, where the dropping and processing load balances the plurality of packets over the active connections and prevents formation of loops in the core network.

Abstract: Disclosed are a unified method and apparatus to classify, route, and process injected data packets into a network so as to belong to a plurality of logical networks, each implementing a specific flow of data on top of a common physical network. The method allows to locally identify collectives of packets for local processing, such as the computation of the sum, difference, maximum, minimum, or other logical operations among the identified packet collective. Packets are injected together with a class-attribute and an opcode attribute. Network routers, employing the described method, use the packet attributes to look-up the class-specific route information from a local route table, which contains the local incoming and outgoing directions as part of the specifically implemented global data flow of the particular virtual network.

Abstract: A method performed by a provider edge device includes generating pseudo-wire tables based on virtual private local area network service advertisements from other provider edge devices, where the provider edge device services customer edge devices, and establishing pseudo-wires with respect to the other provider edge devices, based on the pseudo-wire tables, where the pseudo-wires include an active pseudo-wire and at least one standby pseudo-wire with respect to each of the other provider edge devices. The method also includes generating and advertising VPLS advertisement to the other provider edge devices, detecting a communication link failure associated with one of the customer edge devices in which the provider edge device services, and determining whether the at least one standby pseudo-wire needs to be utilized because of the communication link failure.

Abstract: A network apparatus includes a customer network portion having a customer premises equipment (CPE) bridge configured to connect to internal network entities of the customer network portion and to edge bridges of a provider network portion interconnecting separate customer network portions. The CPE bridge is configured to determine a transparent local area network service (TLS) for a packet received from one of the internal network entities based on a media access control (MAC) address of a destination of the packet in a different separate customer network portion. The CPE bridge is also configured to modify the packet to indicate the determined TLS, for the provider network portion to utilize to transmit the packet based on the determined TLS to a second CPE bridge associated with the destination, without the provider network utilizing the destination MAC address.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus can include a switch fabric. The apparatus can also include a first edge device operatively coupled to an edge of the switch fabric and having a plurality of ports. The apparatus can also include a second edge device operatively coupled to the edge of the switch fabric and having a plurality of ports, the switch fabric defining a plurality of single-hop paths between the first edge device and the second edge device. The first edge device configured to send to a peripheral processing device operatively coupled to the first edge device a representation of a mapping of a portion of the plurality of ports of the first edge device and a portion of the plurality of ports of the second edge device to a plurality of ports included in a non-edge device represented within a virtual multi-hop network topology.

Abstract: A system and method for managing an IP telephony network that uses a configuration map for organizing sites in a tree-like hierarchy. The system is capable of managing the addition, removal and movement of IP telephony elements within an IP telephony network and locating services and IP telephony elements within the IP telephony network in an efficient manner.

Abstract: The present invention utilizes specific referential tables for forwarding decisions while maintaining current mechanisms of Ethernet addressing and QoS marking. The referential tables are utilized for forwarding decisions based on any and/or multiple fields within the packets simultaneously, such as, for example, incoming port number, incoming MAC, incoming VLAN, outgoing MAC, outgoing VLAN, P-bits, DSCP, MPLS label, TCP/UDP port numbers, IP, SIP, HTTP, and the like. A user can define the forwarding criteria based on any combination/permutation fields in the packet. Advantageously, the present invention removes the need to introduce explicit tunnel labels in the Ethernet frame in order to maintain the desired QoS within the network removing explicit labeling requirements.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for cached routing table management in a distributed network switch. A frame having a source address and a destination address is received. If no routing entry for the source address is found in a routing table of a switch module in the distributed network switch, then routing information is determined for the source address and a routing entry is generated. The routing table is modified to include the routing entry, based on a set of hash functions. Upon accessing the generated routing entry in the modified routing table responsive to a subsequent lookup request for the source address, the set of caches is modified to include the generated routing entry.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a packet at an interface at a network device having a plurality of interfaces connected to a plurality of links forming a bundle, performing a Reverse Path Forwarding (RPF) check on the received packet, and forwarding the packet if it passes the RPF check. The RPF check includes a lookup in an RPF table having a plurality of entries for the bundle, each of the entries including the bundle and one of the links in the bundle, and verification that the interface receiving the packet is connected to one of the links in the bundle identified in the lookup. An apparatus is also disclosed.

Abstract: A WTRU may receive a first data flow from a source device such as a correspondence node and perform a seamless IUT such that the correspondent node is unaware that the flow has been transferred to a different WTRU. The WTRU may register with a first home agent, wherein the first home agent receives a plurality of messages addressed for a home address. The home agent may forward the messages to the WTRU at a first care-of-address. The WTRU may send a binding update to the first home agent. The binding update may comprise a second traffic selector and a second action. The second action may specify that a second message of the plurality of messages is to be forwarded to a different WTRU when the second message matches the second traffic selector.

Abstract: Techniques for efficiently storing and using routing and associated next-hop information in a network device. The amount of next-hop information that is stored for routes in a routing table is reduced by reducing the amount of duplicate next-hop information that is stored by a network device.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for hash-based routing table management in a distributed network switch. A frame having a source address and a destination address is received by a switch module having bridge elements and a routing table divided into slices of buckets, each slice having a respective property and including one or more buckets. If a routing entry for the source address is found in a first slice of a first set of buckets of the routing table responsive to a lookup request for the source address, and the property of the first slice satisfies a replication condition, then the routing entry is replicated to a second set of buckets of the routing table.

Abstract: A system for interfacing a client system in a first network domain with a Provider Link State Bridging (PLSB) domain includes at least two Backbone Edge Bridges (BEBs) of the PLSB domain. Each BEB is an end-point of a connection in the first network domain to the client system and an end-point of at least a unicast path in the PLSB domain. An inter-node trunk is provided in the PLSB domain for interconnecting the BEBs. A phantom node is defined in the PLSB domain and is notionally located on the inter-node trunk. Each of the BEBs is configured such that: an ingress packet received from the client system via the connection in the first network domain is forwarded through a path notionally rooted at the phantom node; and an egress packet destined for the client system is forwarded to the client system through the connection in the first network domain.

Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for peer-to-peer cellular communications are provided in which one or more cellular communication channels may be established between a femtocell and a plurality of communication devices. The femtocell may control routing of data between the plurality of communication devices via the one or more cellular communication channels. The femtocell may enable multicasting and/or broadcasting data from one of the communication devices to two or more remaining ones of the communication devices. The multicast and/or broadcast data may be communicated via the cellular communication channels and may be additionally communicated via an IP connection to the femtocell. Data may be communicated over the cellular communication channels in compliance with 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) standards and/or 3rd generation partnership project 2 (3GPP2) standards. The femtocell may reformat data prior to communicating it to one or more of the plurality of communication devices.

Abstract: A method including: receiving, at a video conferencing device, a packet of a video conferencing media stream, the video conferencing device including a processor; determining, by the video conferencing device, whether a length of the packet is sufficiently long to contain media; sending a request to a Look-up Table memory using the media stream ID as an input value while in parallel determining, with the processor, whether the packet is a valid media packet; in response to receiving a destination address in a media processing network from the Look-up Table memory and determining that the packet is a valid media packet, modifying, by the video conferencing device, a header of the packet with the destination address received from the Look-up Table memory; and transmitting, by the video conferencing device, the packet to the modified destination address.

Abstract: Management of congestion level, in a computer-related context, is disclosed. Also disclosed is a system generating a plurality of computer network-related tables during system operation. A number of the tables are each separately indexed by a different index. The system includes at least one tangible computer-readable medium adapted to store, at each indexed location, a swap count providing an indication of the congestion level of the indexed location. The system also includes insert logic stored as instructions on the at least one medium for execution. When executed, the insert logic is operable to: i) insert, when a predetermined condition has been satisfied, a new entry by overwriting the current entry stored in the indexed location having the lowest swap count; and ii) update the swap counts in each of the indexed locations in a manner that maintains the total swap count at least substantially constant over time.

Abstract: A Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) transport for fabric backplane enterprise servers provides for local and remote communication of storage system information between storage sub-system elements of an ES system and other elements of an ES system via a storage interface. The transport includes encapsulation of information for communication via a reliable transport implemented in part across a cellifying switch fabric. The transport may optionally include communication via Ethernet frames over any of a local network or the Internet. Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) and Direct Data Placement (DDP) protocols are used to communicate the information (commands, responses, and data) between SCSI initiator and target end-points. A Fiber Channel Module (FCM) may be operated as a SCSI target providing a storage interface to any of a Processor Memory Module (PMM), a System Control Module (SCM), and an OffLoad Module (OLM) operated as a SCSI initiator.

Abstract: Systems and methods that allow for dynamically deconfiguring, reconfiguring and/or otherwise configuring nodes (e.g., processors) in a symmetric multiprocessing system (e.g., a symmetric multiprocessor) in a manner that avoids, or at least limits, inefficiencies such as renumbering of node IDs, system reboots, SW configuration handle changes, and the like. In one arrangement, a number of modules, tables and/or the like that are configured to generate node IDs and/or convert node IDs from one form to another form can be intelligently implemented within an SMP to allow the various processes and/or components of an SMP to utilize the node IDs in a more efficient manner. For instance, as SDs in an SMP are often configured to work with CNIDs (e.g., for use in determining at which node a particular requested cache line resides), any node GNIDs that are sent to the SD for processing can first be converted into corresponding CNIDs.

Abstract: Systems and methods for communication. A network abstraction layer (NAL) is built on a public Internet, the NAL comprising an overlay network allowing a direct Internet Protocol (IP) communication between endpoints in a virtual private network (VPN) over the Internet. A network virtualization layer (NVL) is built on the NAL, the NVL comprising a VPN aggregator using DGOI protocol encryption, providing synchronization of session keys to encrypt a payload between all the endpoints over the NAL such that encrypted traffic is able to be decrypted by any endpoint for an entire session to allow instantly available communication between all the endpoints.

Abstract: Internet data such as Border Gateway Protocol routing information and traceroute measurements are processed to create realistic predictive models of the paths IP traffic is likely to take between any two points on the Internet, even when direct measurements of the paths is not feasible. The prediction includes three categories: topology (what paths may exist), weighting (which paths are more or less likely to be taken under varying operational circumstances), and performance (latency, loss, jitter, etc. across the predicted paths).

Abstract: Methods and systems have been provided for removing dead Access Control Entries (ACEs) in an Access Control List (ACL). In one embodiment, the dead ACEs can be detected for an egress as well as an ingress ACL. The ACEs that have a hit count above a user-specified hit count are checked for their validity. The validity of the ACE is checked, using the information based on a Forwarding Information Base (FIB). If an ACE is found to be invalid, it is considered dead. The dead ACEs are referred as candidates for removal from the ACL. If the ACE is found to be a candidate for removal, a system administrator can either warn the network administrator about the candidate for removal or delete the ACE from the ACL after a pre-defined time limit.

Abstract: A distributed switch may include a plurality of sub-switches. These sub-switches may be arranged in a hierarchy that increases the available bandwidth for transmitting multicast data frames across the switch fabric. Moreover, the distributed switch may be compatible with link aggregation where multiple physical connections are grouped together to create an aggregated (logical) link. Link aggregation requires similar data frames to use the same data path when traversing the distributed switch. With a unicast data frame, the sub-switch in the distributed switch that receives the data frame typically identifies the destination port (during a process called link selection) and forwards the data frame to the sub-switch containing that port. However, with multicast data frames, instead of the receiving sub-switch performing link selection to determine the destination port, link selection may be done by a different sub-switch or not done at all.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for cached routing table management in a distributed network switch. A frame having a source address and a destination address is received. If no routing entry for the source address is found in a routing table of a switch module in the distributed network switch, then routing information is determined for the source address and a routing entry is generated. The routing table is modified to include the routing entry, based on a set of hash functions. Upon accessing the generated routing entry in the modified routing table responsive to a subsequent lookup request for the source address, the set of caches is modified to include the generated routing entry.

Abstract: In some embodiments, the invention involves information routing in networks, and, more specifically, to defining a framework using swarm intelligence and utilization of the defined framework for routing information in the network, especially for cloud computing applications. In an embodiment, information about available information/services is pushed to network nodes using information packets (ants). Nodes requiring services send query packets (ants) and a node may send a response to a query ant when information is available. Ants may be forwarded throughout the network based on popularity of nodes, freshness of information/requests, routing table information, and requests or interest by consumer nodes captured in information routing table. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: A method and system for managing the routing of traffic within a network develops a topological address space map of the network to enable a “best route” selection process. The network is comprised of a backbone connected to a plurality of peering partners. Points on the network monitor traffic flows. A central facility analyzes the traffic flows and routes within the network and performs intelligent routing management. Intelligent routing management ensures that traffic is properly routed through preferred routes on the network, and avoids inefficient routing. Intelligent routing management also selects new routes to be injected into the network in order to further improve the accuracy of the address space map of the network. Intelligent routing management ensures that bandwidth is requested and delivered topologically closely to peering partner networks, and that traffic is carried by the backbone for long haul data distribution in both directions.

Abstract: A distributed switch may include a plurality of sub-switches. These sub-switches may be arranged in a hierarchy that increases the available bandwidth for transmitting multicast data frames across the switch fabric. Moreover, the distributed switch may be compatible with link aggregation where multiple physical connections are grouped together to create an aggregated (logical) link. Link aggregation requires similar data frames to use the same data path when traversing the distributed switch. With a unicast data frame, the sub-switch in the distributed switch that receives the data frame typically identifies the destination port (during a process called link selection) and forwards the data frame to the sub-switch containing that port. However, with multicast data frames, instead of the receiving sub-switch performing link selection to determine the destination port, link selection may be done by a different sub-switch or not done at all.

Abstract: Network topology codes are computed and used as keys to retrieve topology-specific information for isomorphic networks.

Abstract: A node is configured to receive a packet from a host device, where the packet includes a source address associated with the host device; determine that the source address is not stored by the node; generate one or more logical distances, associated with one or more nodes, based on the source address and a respective address associated with each of the nodes; determine that another node is associated with a shortest logical distance, of the one or more logical distances; and transmit the source address to the other node based on the determination that the other node is associated with the shortest logical distance, where transmitting the source address allows the other node to store the source address or enables further nodes to obtain the source address from the other node.