Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080225723 | Optical Impairment Aware Path Computation Architecture in PCE Based Network - An apparatus comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a path computation request comprising at least one path computation constraint, and determining whether there is a path through an optical network that satisfies the path computation constraints. Also disclosed is an apparatus configured to process a data structure comprising a flags field comprising at least one flag having one of an active state or an inactive state, wherein each flag is representative of an optical quality constraint. | 09-18-2008 |
20080267072 | Data Communications Network for the Management of an Ethernet Transport Network - A communications network comprising a plurality of nodes supporting connection-oriented traffic and connectionless traffic, wherein management traffic between the nodes is propagated as connectionless traffic having a common management identifier. Also disclosed is a communications network component comprising logic that supports connection-oriented traffic and Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN)-based connectionless traffic, wherein the logic propagates management messages as VLAN-based connectionless traffic having a unique VLAN identifier (VID). Included is a communications network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising provisioning a unique VID for management messages, and selectively propagating management messages with the unique VID. | 10-30-2008 |
20080267080 | Fault Verification for an Unpaired Unidirectional Switched-Path - A communications network comprises a first node and a second node. The communications network further comprises an unpaired switched-path between the first and second nodes. Connectivity of the unpaired switched-path is tested by the first node transmitting a probe message along the unpaired switched-path and waiting to receive a probe message response as connectionless traffic from the second node. Also disclosed is a communications network component comprising logic that selectively verifies connectivity of a unidirectional communication path based on a probe message transmitted as connection-oriented traffic along the unidirectional communication path and a time limit in which to receive a probe message response as connectionless traffic. Also disclosed is a communications network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method. The method comprises selectively transmitting a probe message along a unidirectional connection-oriented path and waiting to receive a virtual local area network (VLAN)-based probe message response. | 10-30-2008 |
20080267088 | Optimal Path Selection for Accessing Networked Applications - An efficient and user-friendly application service access method utilizing network dynamic conditions and application traffic requirements. This method allows applications to register their servers' location information and traffic requirements with the network and provides an optimal connection to application service without specifying an application server location for an end user and based on network conditions and application requirements. | 10-30-2008 |
20080270588 | Verifying Management Virtual Local Area Network Identifier Provisioning Consistency - A communications network, comprising a plurality of nodes supporting connection-oriented traffic and connectionless traffic, wherein management traffic between the nodes is propagated as connectionless traffic having a unique management traffic Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) identifier (VID), and wherein at least one node is configured to perform a Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) exchange operation to enable detection of inconsistent provisioning of the Management VID in at least one node. Also disclosed is a communications network component, comprising logic that enables connection-oriented traffic and VLAN-based connectionless traffic, wherein the logic propagates management messages as VLAN-based connectionless traffic having a management VID, and wherein the logic enables detection of inconsistent management VIDs in a network. | 10-30-2008 |
20080279103 | Network Availability Enhancement Technique for Packet Transport Networks - A packet communications network that transports a plurality of traffic over a plurality of server transport paths from a source to a destination, the network comprising: using a load distribution method to distribute each instance of traffic to an individual transport path, thereby avoiding reordering at the destination; enabling all the transport paths to carry the traffic; allowing the network to provision a preferred traffic distribution through a policy setting; and redistributing the traffic when a condition on one of the transport paths changes. Also disclosed is a composite transport group component comprising: a processor configured to implement a method comprising: receiving a server trail failure notification message; and performing a dynamic redistribution of traffic over a plurality of server trails, thereby transporting substantially all of the traffic associated with a class of traffic transported over the server trail associated with the server trail failure notification message. | 11-13-2008 |
20080291919 | Traffic Distribution and Bandwidth Management for Link Aggregation - An apparatus comprising a plurality of ingress ports, a routing logic coupled to the ingress ports, and a plurality of egress ports coupled to the routing logic, wherein the routing logic is configured to transport a plurality of data frames associated with a plurality of data flows from the ingress ports to the egress ports, and wherein the apparatus associates at least some of the data flows with a bandwidth. Included is a network component configured to implement a method comprising distributing a plurality of data flows to a plurality of links in a link aggregation group (LAG) using bandwidth information associated with the data flows. | 11-27-2008 |
20080291922 | Method of Preventing Transport Leaks in Hybrid Switching Networks by Extension of the Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) - An apparatus comprising a processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a first data structure comprising a first virtual local area network identifier (VID) and a first forwarding type, comparing the first VID and a first forwarding type with a second VID and a second forwarding type in a second data structure, and reporting a misprovisioned data structure if the first VID is the same as the second VID and the first forwarding type is not the same as the second forwarding type. Also disclosed is a method comprising implementing a network protocol to forward provisioning information in a plurality of VID Tables corresponding to a plurality of nodes, and analyzing the provisioning information to detect misprovisioned nodes. | 11-27-2008 |
20080291927 | Policy Based and Link Utilization Triggered Congestion Control - An apparatus comprising a plurality of ingress ports coupled to a plurality of upstream nodes, the ingress ports having an incoming data rate; and a plurality of egress ports coupled to the ingress ports and an aggregated link comprising a plurality of links, the aggregated link having a bandwidth capacity, wherein at least some of the upstream nodes reduce their data transfer rates to a rate greater than zero when the incoming data rate is greater than or about equal to the aggregated link's bandwidth capacity. Also disclosed is a network component comprising a processor configured to implement a method comprising varying a plurality of transmission rates at a rate greater than zero, wherein the transmission rates correspond to a plurality of nodes that send data over an aggregated link. | 11-27-2008 |
20090063708 | Load Distribution and Redundancy Using Tree Aggregation - A network comprising a plurality of trees each comprising at least one ingress leaf node, at least one interior node, and at least one egress leaf node, wherein at least some of the ingress leaf nodes and the egress leaf nodes are common to the trees, and wherein the ingress leaf node is configured to transport data to the egress leaf node using any of the trees is disclosed. Also disclosed is a network component comprising a processor configured to implement a method comprising selecting one of a plurality of trees associated with information contained within a frame, directing the frame to the selected tree, and maintaining a filtering database (FDB) entry in an interior node in the unselected tree or trees. | 03-05-2009 |
20090086754 | Content Aware Connection Transport - A network comprising an ingress layer processor (LP) coupled to a connection carrying a composite communication comprising a plurality of component communications, a composite connection coupled to the ingress LP and comprising a plurality of parallel component connections, wherein the composite connection is configured to transport the component communications using the component connections, and an egress LP coupled to the composite connection and configured to transmit the composite communication at a connection point. Also disclosed is a network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a connection carrying a plurality of component communications, reading a communication distinguishing fixed point (CDFP) from at least some of the component communications, and accessing a table associating at least some of the CDFPs with at least one component connection. | 04-02-2009 |
20090185569 | Composite Transport Functions - A network comprising a first layer processor (LP) configured to distribute a plurality of component communications to a plurality of component connections using a distribution table comprising a plurality of component communication identifiers (CCIDs) and the component connection associated with each CCID, a second LP configured to collect the packets from the component connections, and a composite connection coupled to the first LP and the second LP, wherein the composite connection comprises a plurality of the component connections and is configured to transport the component communications using the component connections, and wherein the distribution table and composite connection are configured such that component communications associated with at least the same CCID of a component communication takes the same path from the first LP to the second LP as from the second LP to the first LP. | 07-23-2009 |
20090252179 | Encapsulating Large Ethernet Frames - A method comprising receiving a data frame, encapsulating the received data frame into a reflected frame message (RFM) encapsulated frame, and if the received data frame causes the RFM encapsulated frame to exceed a maximum service data unit size, either the data frame is truncated or the data frame is split into two smaller frames and those two smaller frames are encapsulated by two separate RFM frames, wherein if a truncation flag is set to be true, the data frame is truncated to be encapsulated in one RFM. | 10-08-2009 |
20090268739 | Transparent Bypass and Associated Mechanisms - A network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising transparently snooping a path control message comprising a first path identifier, wherein the path control message is sent between a plurality of routers and is not intended for the network component, analyzing a plurality of frames each comprising a second path identifier, and diverting at least some of the frames away from at least one of the routers, wherein the second path identifier in the diverted frames matches the first path identifier. Included is a method comprising configuring a bypass path by snooping a control frame comprising a label switched path (LSP) identifier, and routing a plurality of data frames associated with the LSP identifier to the bypass path without routing any subsequent control frames associated with the LSP identifier to the bypass path. | 10-29-2009 |
20100226368 | Transport Multiplexer - Mechanisms to Force Ethernet Traffic From One Domain to Be Switched in a Different (External) Domain - A network comprising a switch configured to switch traffic between a plurality of external interfaces via a plurality of virtual interfaces associated with the external interfaces, wherein the traffic comprises a plurality of external virtual local area network (VLAN) identifiers (VIDs) associated with the external interfaces to select the virtual interfaces, and wherein the virtual interfaces are configured to forward traffic based on an internal VID that is assigned to the traffic independent of the external VID. Also disclosed is a network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a frame from a physical port, obtaining an external VID from a VLAN tag in the frame, removing the VLAN tag from the frame, selecting a virtual interface based on the external VID, and delivering the frame to the selected virtual interface. | 09-09-2010 |
20100272108 | Media Access Control Bridging in a Mesh Network - A network comprising a switch configured to learn a source address (SA) for a source node with a source port that receives a frame comprising the SA if the SA is not previously learned on another port and to subsequently forward any frame comprising a destination address (DA) for a destination node that matches the learned SA on the source port associated with the SA. A network comprising a switch configured to flood a frame received on a receiving port if the frame comprises a DA that is not previously learned on a source port and to distinguish the flooded frame from other forwarded frames by labeling the flooded frame, wherein the frame is flooded on a plurality of ports. A method comprising disabling a plurality of filtering database (FDB) entries that correspond to a plurality of addresses that are associated with a port, and sending the addresses in a control frame. | 10-28-2010 |
20110164501 | Ingress Node Controlled Path Impairment Protocol - An apparatus comprising a node configured to transmit operation, administration, and maintenance (OAM) connectivity frames, wherein the node adds an impairment notification indication to some, but not all of OAM connectivity frames transmitted by the node, wherein the impairment notification indication indicates the node's desire to receive notification of an impairment condition along the path. A network component comprising a receiver unit configured to receive multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) Ping frames, a circuit logic configured to add a downstream link impairment indication to responses to the MPLS Ping frames, wherein the downstream link impairment indication comprises a type and a severity level for a path impairment condition, and a transmitter unit configured to transmit the responses to the transmitted MPLS Ping frames. | 07-07-2011 |
20110243029 | Method For Measuring Throughput For a Packet Connection - An apparatus comprising a first node configured to couple to a second node, wherein the first node is further configured to exchange a plurality of timestamps recording transmission times and at least one of a plurality of octet counts and a plurality of frame counts with the second node to perform throughput measurements, and wherein the at least one of the plurality of octet counts and the plurality of frame counts correspond to a packet flow between the first node and the second node and are used to calculate throughput for the packet flow based on a time interval of the exchanged at least one of the plurality of octet counts and the plurality of frame counts that is determined using the timestamps. | 10-06-2011 |
20110268124 | Encapsulating Large Ethernet Frames - A method comprising receiving a data frame, encapsulating the received data frame into a reflected frame message (RFM) encapsulated frame, and if the received data frame causes the RFM encapsulated frame to exceed a maximum service data unit size, either the data frame is truncated or the data frame is split into two smaller frames and those two smaller frames are encapsulated by two separate RFM frames, wherein if a truncation flag is set to true, the data frame is truncated and the truncated data frame is encapsulated in one RFM. | 11-03-2011 |
20110292813 | Faults Propagation and Protection for Connection Oriented Data Paths in Packet Networks - A communications network comprising components configured to implement a method comprising analyzing a path between a first end point and a second end point, and identifying a partial fault along the path is disclosed. Also disclosed is a method for communicating information within a network, the method comprising: defining a path traversing a plurality of nodes, receiving a fault report from an intermediate node, determining whether the fault report affects the path, and responsive to the determination that the fault report affects the path, transmitting the fault report to an upstream or downstream node in the path. | 12-01-2011 |
20110317703 | Asymmetric Network Address Encapsulation - A network component comprising a receiver configured to receive an outgoing frame from a local host, a logic circuit configured to map a destination address (DA) for a target host in the outgoing frame to a DA for a target location of the target host and encapsulate the outgoing frame using the DA for the target location, and a transmitter configured to receive a pre-encapsulated outgoing frame from a local switch, and send the pre-encapsulated outgoing frame to a gateway at a target location, wherein the transmitter does not encapsulate frames received from local switches and decapsulates an incoming frame from a remote gateway destined towards local hosts. | 12-29-2011 |
20120008528 | Layer Two Over Multiple Sites - An apparatus comprising a service network, and a plurality of Layer 2 sites connected by the service network via a plurality of gateways, wherein the gateways are configured to map a plurality of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of a plurality of hosts under a plurality of virtual local area networks (VLANs) in a plurality of Layer 2 sites to a plurality of addresses (e.g. MAC or others) of the corresponding gateways inform the other gateways in the other Layer 2 sites of the mapped IP addresses under each of the VLANs in the local Layer 2 sites, and forward data frames originated from the hosts in the local Layer 2 sites to the other gateways in the other Layer 2 sites when the data frames' destinations are residing in the other Layer 2 sites. | 01-12-2012 |
20120014386 | Delegate Gateways and Proxy for Target Hosts in Large Layer 2 and Address Resolution with Duplicated Internet Protocol Addresses - An apparatus comprising a plurality of district boundary bridges (DBBs) in a plurality of second network districts configured to couple to a plurality of core bridges in a core network district and to a plurality of end-stations in the second network districts via a plurality of intermediate switches in the second network districts; wherein the core bridges and the DBBs are aware of a plurality of Media Access Control (MAC) addresses of the DBBs but are not aware of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and MAC addresses of the end-stations, and wherein the IP addresses of the end-stations are mapped in a directory service (DS) in the core network district to the MAC addresses of the corresponding DBBs in the corresponding second network districts of the end-stations. | 01-19-2012 |
20120014387 | Virtual Layer 2 and Mechanism to Make it Scalable - An apparatus comprising a service network and a plurality of Layer 2 networks at a plurality of different physical locations coupled to the service network via a plurality of edge nodes at the Layer 2 networks, wherein the edge nodes are configured to maintain a plurality of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of a plurality of hosts across the Layer 2 networks, and wherein the IP addresses of the hosts in each of the Layer 2 networks are mapped by the other Layer 2 networks to a Media Access Control (MAC) address of each of the edge nodes in the same Layer 2 networks of the hosts. | 01-19-2012 |
20120027014 | Transport Multiplexer-Mechanisms to Force Ethernet Traffic From One Domain to Be Switched in a Different (External) Domain - A network comprising a switch configured to switch traffic between a plurality of external interfaces via a plurality of virtual interfaces associated with the external interfaces, and wherein the traffic comprises a plurality of external virtual local area network (VLAN) identifiers (VIDs) associated with the external interfaces to select the virtual interfaces. Also disclosed is a network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a frame from a physical port, obtaining an external VID from a VLAN tag in the frame, removing the VLAN tag from the frame, selecting a virtual interface based on the external VID, and delivering the frame to the selected virtual interface. | 02-02-2012 |
20120063306 | Use of Partitions to Reduce Flooding and Filtering Database Size Requirements in Large Layer Two Networks - A network component, comprising a memory unit comprising a filtering database (FDB), wherein the FDB comprises a medium access control (MAC) address and a Virtual Local Area Networks (VLAN) Identifier (VID) pair for each of a plurality of end-stations associated with an edge-district partition of a network, wherein the edge-district partition is associated with the network component, and wherein the FDB comprises a wildcard FDB entry corresponding to each VLAN associated with the network component, and a logic unit coupled to the ingress ports and the egress ports, wherein the logic unit is configured to reduce flooding in the edge-district partition of the network; wherein the logic unit is configured to forward a received frame, having a destination MAC address and a VID for which there is not an exact match in the FDB, towards a core-bridge without flooding based on the wildcard entry in the FDB. | 03-15-2012 |
20120114329 | Optical Impairment Aware Path Computation Architecture in PCE Based Network - An apparatus comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a path computation request comprising at least one path computation constraint, and determining whether there is a path through an optical network that satisfies the path computation constraints. Also disclosed is an apparatus configured to process a data structure comprising a flags field comprising at least one flag having one of an active state or an inactive state, wherein each flag is representative of an optical quality constraint. | 05-10-2012 |
20120147896 | Method of Supporting an Open Provider Backbone Network - An apparatus comprising a first interface configured to transmit or receive backbone traffic, a second interface configured to transmit or receive non-backbone traffic, and a third interface in communication with the first interface and second interface, the third interface configured to multiplex or demultiplex the backbone traffic and the non-backbone traffic is disclosed, wherein the backbone traffic is traffic that will be, is, or has been B-tagged. Also disclosed is a node comprising a processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a first data stream comprising backbone traffic, receiving a second data stream comprising non-backbone traffic, and multiplexing the first data stream with the second data stream. | 06-14-2012 |
20120263177 | METHOD FOR MANAGING CUSTOMER EDGE DEVICE AUTOMATICALLY AND PE DEVICE - A method for managing a customer edge device includes: receiving, by a UNI set in a third-party operator network, an E-LMI packet sent by a VUNI set in a service provider network, where the VUNI is configured to manage a RUNI correlated with an EVC in the third-party operator network; converting, by the UNI, a unicast DMAC address in the E-LMI packet into a multicast DMAC address; and sending, by the UNI, the converted E-LMI packet to a CE device connected with the UNI. The E-LMI packet sent by the VUNI set in a service provider network may penetrate the third-party operator network, so that the management information of the service provider network can be transmitted to the CE device that is connected with the third-party operator network through the UNI. | 10-18-2012 |
20130223454 | Delegate Forwarding and Address Resolution in Fragmented Network - A method for forwarding data within a virtual network instance comprising a plurality of end nodes using a designated forwarding node, wherein the method comprises maintaining a plurality of complete forwarding information for all of the end nodes within the virtual network instance, receiving a data packet destined for any of the end nodes in the virtual network instance, and forwarding the data packet based on the forwarding information, wherein the virtual network instance comprises a plurality of end nodes, and wherein the designated forwarding node is directly connected to some of the end nodes within the virtual network instance. | 08-29-2013 |
20130227108 | Balancing of Forwarding and Address Resolution in Overlay Networks - A network node comprising a processor configured to maintain a plurality of mapping entries for one or more virtual network instances, receive a data packet within a first virtual network instance, wherein the data packet comprises an inner destination address, match the inner destination address with one of the mapping entries, obtain an outer destination address that corresponds to the matched mapping entry, encapsulate the data packet with the outer destination address, and forward the encapsulated data packet based on the outer destination address, wherein the mapping entries maps out all of the addresses for a plurality of end nodes that participate in the first virtual network instance. | 08-29-2013 |
20130322443 | SDN Facilitated Multicast in Data Center - A method implemented by a controller in a software defined network (SDN), the method comprising sending, to an overlay edge node, a query message comprising a client specific multicast address, receiving, from the overlay edge node, one or more report messages corresponding to the query message, wherein each of the one or more report messages comprises an address of each of one or more virtual machines (VMs) coupled to the overlay edge node, and updating membership of a multicast group, which is identified by the client specific multicast address, such that the one or more VMs are members in the updated membership of the multicast group. | 12-05-2013 |
20140006585 | Providing Mobility in Overlay Networks | 01-02-2014 |
20140078905 | Ingress Node Controlled Path Impairment Protocol - An apparatus comprising a node configured to transmit operation, administration, and maintenance (OAM) connectivity frames, wherein the node adds an impairment notification indication to some, but not all of OAM connectivity frames transmitted by the node, wherein the impairment notification indication indicates the node's desire to receive notification of an impairment condition along the path. A network component comprising a receiver unit configured to receive multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) Ping frames, a circuit logic configured to add a downstream link impairment indication to responses to the MPLS-Ping frames, wherein the downstream link impairment indication comprises a type and a severity level for a path impairment condition, and a transmitter unit configured to transmit the responses to the transmitted MPLS-Ping frames. | 03-20-2014 |
20140233569 | Distributed Gateway in Virtual Overlay Networks - A method for distributing the inter-network forwarding policies to a distributed gateway located within a network virtualization edge (NVE). The NVE may receive a data packet within a first virtual overlay network and determine that the data packet is destined for a destination end point located within a second virtual overlay network. The NVE may validate the data packet corresponds to an inter-network forwarding policy stored within the distributed gateway and forward the data packet to the second virtual overlay network. Alternatively, the NVE may forward the data packet toward a gateway or query the corresponding policy from a controller if no corresponding inter-network forwarding policy is located on the distributed gateway. A distributed gateway may receive the forwarding policies from a designated gateway or from a centralized controller. | 08-21-2014 |
20140307744 | Service Chain Policy for Distributed Gateways in Virtual Overlay Networks - A method forwarding data traffic based on a service chain policy for distributed gateway located within a network virtualization edge (NVE). The NVE may receive, within a first virtual overlay network, a data packet destined for a destination tenant end point located in a second virtual overlay network. The NVE may determine that a network service function is unavailable to treat the data packet between the first virtual overlay network and the second virtual overlay network. In order to route the data packet, the NVE may obtain a service chain policy that provides the location of a network node configured to treat the data packet with the network service function. The NVE may transmit the data packet toward the network node. A service chain policy may correspond to a sequence of network nodes that represents a path to the destination tenant end point. | 10-16-2014 |
20150078387 | Asymmetric Network Address Encapsulation - A network component comprising a receiver configured to receive an outgoing frame from a local host, a logic circuit configured to map a destination address (DA) for a target host in the outgoing frame to a DA for a target location of the target host and encapsulate the outgoing frame using the DA for the target location, and a transmitter configured to receive a pre-encapsulated outgoing frame from a local switch, and send the pre-encapsulated outgoing frame to a gateway at a target location, wherein the transmitter does not encapsulate frames received from local switches and decapsulates an incoming frame from a remote gateway destined towards local hosts. | 03-19-2015 |