Cisco Technology, Inc.

Ahmed Refaat Bashandy

Clarence Filsfils

Syed Kamran Raza

David Delano Ward

Carlos M Pignataro

Stefano Benedetto Previdi

Nagendra Kumar Nainar

Zafar Ali

Rakesh Gandhi

Jaganbabu Rajamanickam

Jisu Bhattacharya

Bhupendra Yadav

Faisal Iqbal

Patrice Brissette

Eric C Rosen

Darren Russell Dukes

Jayaraman R Iyer

Faisal Mushtaq

Nagendra Kumar

Pierre Jean Rene Francois

Manas Barooah

Maciej Konstantynowicz

Steven W Ulrich

Stevano B Previdi

In one embodiment, a service chain data packet is instrumented as it is communicated among network nodes in a network providing service-level and/or networking operations visibility. The service chain data packet includes a particular header identifying a service group defining one or more service functions, and is a data packet and not a probe packet. A network node adds networking and/or service-layer operations data to the particular service chain data packet, such as, but not limited to, in the particular header. Such networking operations data includes a performance metric or attribute related to the transport of the particular service chain packet in the network. Such service-layer operations data includes a performance metric or attribute related to the service-level processing of the particular service chain data packet in the network.

Segment routing network signaling and packet processing

In one embodiment, packets are forwarded in a network based on multiple compact forwarding identifiers represented in a single 128-bit Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) address, such as, but not limited to being in the destination address field of the IPv6 header (e.g., possibly in an extended IPv6 header). One embodiment follows the forwarding order of these multiple compact forwarding identifiers by respectively placing them in the single IPv6 address from high-order to lower-order bit positions. In one embodiment, a compact forwarding identifier prefix is part of the address represented by each compact forwarding identifier, typically with the compact forwarding identifier prefix stored in the highest-order bit positions. One embodiment uses a longest prefix matching operation to match the compact forwarding identifier to be used in determining how to next process the packet.

Forwarding of packets in a network based on multiple compact forwarding identifiers represented in a single internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) address

In one embodiment, a Segment Routing network node provides efficiencies in processing and communicating Internet Protocol packets in a network. This Segment Routing node typically advertises (e.g., using Border Gateway Protocol) its Segment Routing processing capabilities, such as Penultimate Segment Pop (PSP) and/or Ultimate Segment Pop (USP) of a Segment Routing Header (including in the context of a packet that has multiple Segment Routing Headers). Subsequently, an Internet Protocol Segment Routing packet having multiple Segment Routing Headers is received. The packet is processed according to a Segment Routing function, with is processing including removing a first one of the Segment Routing Headers and forwarding the resultant Segment Routing packet. The value of the Segments Left field in the first Segment Routing Header identifies to perform PSP when the value is one, to perform USP when the value is zero, or to perform other processing.

Providing efficiencies in processing and communicating internet protocol packets in a network using segment routing

An apparatus and method is disclosed for segment routing (SR) over label distribution protocol (LDP). In one embodiment, the method includes a node receiving a packet with an attached segment ID. In response, the node may attach a label to the packet. Thereafter, the node may forward the packet with the attached label and segment ID to another node via a label switched path (LSP).

Segment routing over label distribution protocol

In one embodiment, segment routing (SR) network processing of packets is performed which includes operations signaling and processing of packets in manners providing processing and/or memory efficiencies. One embodiment includes acquiring a segment routing particular packet by a particular router in a network. Responsive to the particular router data plane ascertained during fast path processing by a fast path processing unit that the segment routing particular packet is to be Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) processed by a different processing unit in the particular router, communicating a time stamp of a current time and the segment routing particular packet including a segment routing header that includes OAM signaling from said fast path processing to the different processing unit, with fast path processing being hardware-based packet processing by the fast path processing unit. The segment routing particular packet is OAM processing by the different processing unit.

In one embodiment, segment routing (SR) network processing of packets is performed on packets having a segment identifier structure providing processing and/or memory efficiencies. Responsive to an identified particular segment routing policy, the particular router retrieves from memory a dynamic segment routing identifier portion of the particular SR policy that includes a SR node value and a SR function value. The SR function value identifies segment routing processing to be performed by a router in the network identified based on the SR node value. A segment routing discriminator is independently identified, possibly being a fixed value for all segment identifiers in the network. Before sending into the network, a complete segment identifier is added to the particular packet by combining the segment routing discriminator with the dynamic segment routing identifier portion. The particular packet including the complete segment identifier is sent into the network.

Segment routing network processing of packets including packets having a segment identifier structure providing processing and/or memory efficiencies

In one embodiment, a Segment Routing network node provides efficiencies in processing and communicating Internet Protocol packets in a network. An Internet Protocol (IP) packet, possibly a Segment Routing packet, is received by a node in a network, which updates the packet according to a corresponding Segment Routing Policy, that includes an ordered list of Segment Identifiers comprising, in first-to-last order, a first Segment Identifier followed by one or more subsequent Segment Identifiers. The updating of the packet includes setting the Destination Address to the first Segment Identifier, and adding said one or more subsequent Segment Identifiers, but not the first Segment Identifier, in a first Segment Routing Header. The updated packet is sent into the network without the first Segment Identifier being added to a Segment Routing Header in response to the Segment Routing Policy.

Segment routing network processing of packets including operations signaling and processing of packets in manners providing processing and/or memory efficiencies

Growing community of inventors

Milpitas, CA, United States of America

Ahmed Refaat Bashandy