Juniper Networks, Inc.

Adrian John Farrel

John E Drake

Eric C Rosen

William Stuart Mackie

Ravi I Singh

Yimin Shen

In some examples, a computing device comprises a first service function instance to apply a service function and a service function forwarder to: receive a first layer 3 routing protocol route advertisement that includes service function instance data for a second service function instance, the service function instance data indicating a service function type and a service identifier for the service function instance; receive a second layer 3 routing protocol route advertisement that includes service function chain data for a service function chain, the service function chain data indicating a service path identifier and one or more service function items; and send, to the second service function instance and based at least on determining a service function item of the one or more service function items indicates the second service function instance, a packet classified to the service function chain.

Distributing service function chain data and service function instance data in a network

In one example, a stitching point routing device, which stitches a previous segment of an end-to-end label-switched path (LSP) to a next segment of the end-to-end LSP, includes network interfaces configured to receive packets via the previous segment and send packets via the next segment, and one or more processors configured to determine whether the next segment supports entropy labels, determine whether a packet received from the previous segment is encapsulated by a label stack including an entropy label, when the next segment does not support entropy labels and when the packet is encapsulated by the label stack including the entropy label, remove the entropy label from the label stack, when the next segment supports entropy labels and when the packet is not encapsulated by the label stack including the entropy label, add an entropy label to the label stack, and forward the packet along the next segment.

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Llangollen, United Kingdom

Adrian John Farrel