Metaswitch Networks Limited

Alan Elder

Jonathan Harrison

Steve Balls

Gawain Bosworth

Jon Harrison

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a method of operating a service provider network node in a service provider network, comprising: establishing an interface between a control plane processing part and a data plane processing part for routing of control packets at the data plane processing part; at the control plane processing part, generating a control packet for routing through the service provider network; and at the control plane processing part, sending the control packet to the data plane processing part via the interface, to cause the data plane processing part to route the control packet through the service provider network using the one or more routing tables maintained by the data plane processing part in response to receiving the control packet from the control plane processing part via the interface.

Operating a service provider network node

The invention provides a method and apparatus for managing operation of a spanning tree protocol process in a network bridge. This comprises setting the network bridge to either an active mode or a defer mode in which a spanning tree protocol process is not run in response to a triggering event. The system remains in the defer mode for a period of time in which no further operations of the state machines will take place, before reverting to the active mode and normal processing of triggering events is carried out.

Spanning tree protocol

A system and method of operating a network node configured as part of a link aggregation system. The system includes a plurality of first network nodes and a plurality of second network nodes for providing connectivity to first and second networks respectively, and a plurality of links between the first network nodes and the second network nodes. The network node is configured as one of the first network nodes. The network node may be set in one of an active operation mode and a standby operation mode based at least in part on a comparison of a priority with one or more received priorities. The priority may be based on connectivity to an active second network node or links available for selection. The network node may determine that it is isolated from the first network and indicate that isolation in control messages sent to second network nodes.

Operating a network node configured as part of a link aggregation system

The invention relates to managing operation of a spanning tree protocol process in a network bridge having a central controller and one or more port controllers, each for controlling one or more ports of said network bridge. The spanning tree protocol process comprises a plurality of state machines including a Port Information state machine. The Port Information state machine comprises an UPDATE state and a plurality of other states. The invention involves running a Protocol Manager on a central controller, wherein the Protocol Manager owns the UPDATE state such that updates are carried out by the Protocol Manager. The Neighbor Managers on each of the port controllers owns the plurality of other states of the Port Information state machine, such that updates are carried out by the respective Neighbor Manager on said port controller. This allows the Protocol Manager and the Neighbor Managers to operate without having to force one to pause whilst work is done on the other.

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Enfield, United Kingdom

Alan Elder