Cisco Technology, Inc.

Debashis Patnala Rao

Yibin Yang

Norman William Finn

Chia Alex Tsai

Chiajen Tsai

Nagabhushan K Channabasappa

Shyam N Kapadia

Vipin Jain

Suran Saminda De Silva

Jason David Notari

Alex Tsai

Viral Rajeshbhai Barot

Minjie Lin

Palathingal Frank

Vijay Gopal Krishnan

Techniques and architecture are described for initializing, reviewing/approving, and deploying changes within a network. Each change is associated with a particular change ticket. When a change needs to be rolled back, the original change ticket may be analyzed to determine what actions need to be performed to roll back the change. A plan of the needed actions may then be presented to a reviewer in a rollback ticket. The original change ticket may be cancelled and a new ticket, e.g., the rollback ticket, may be prepared that includes the plan for the rollback, e.g., the one or more actions needed to roll back the initial change. In configurations, a change ticket may include multiple changes and thus, for rollback, either all the changes associated with the change ticket may be rolled back or only the last change or action that was initially made may be rolled back.

Methods for network change tracking and rollback of changes based on change tickets

In one embodiment, a multiple spanning tree (MST) region is defined in a network, where the MST region includes a plurality of network nodes interconnected by links. A MST cluster is defined within the MST region, where the MST cluster includes a plurality of network nodes selected from the plurality of network nodes of the MST region. A network node of the MST cluster generates one or more MST bridge protocol data units (BPDUs) that present the MST cluster as a single logical entity to network nodes of the MST region that are not included in the MST cluster, yet enables per-multiple spanning tree instance (per-MSTI) load balancing of traffic across inter-cluster links that connect network nodes included in the MST cluster and network nodes of the MST region that are not included in the MST cluster.

Level of hierarchy in MST for traffic localization and load balancing

In one embodiment, a method includes detecting a change in network topology and broadcasting a transient unconditional unpruning message to multiple nodes in the network. The message is configured to instruct each of the nodes receiving the message to start a phase timer in response to the broadcast message; unprune its operational ports; and, upon expiration of the phase timer, prune its ports in accordance with the results of a pruning protocol.

Transient unpruning for faster layer-two convergence

A leaf switch of a switch fabric includes multiple ports to connect with respective ones of multiple servers. Virtual local area networks (VLANs) are configured on the leaf switch. Dynamic creation of virtual ports is enabled on the leaf switch for at least one of the VLANs on an as needed basis. The leaf switch receives from a particular server connected to a corresponding one of the ports a notification message that a virtual machine is hosted on the particular server. Responsive to the notification message, the leaf switch dynamically creates a virtual port that associates the corresponding one of the ports with the at least one of the VLANs.

Dynamic virtual port instantiation for scalable multitenant network

In one embodiment, a protocol state associated with a port of a network device is determined to have expired. A port group of which the port is a member is determined, the port group including ports that share one or more common characteristics. A policy is applied to the ports of the port group to determine whether one or more other ports in the port group also have a corresponding protocol state protocol that has expired. In response to one or more other ports in the port group also having a corresponding protocol state that has expired, expiration of the protocol state is determined to be a false positive and no further action is taken based on expiration of the protocol state. When expiration of the protocol state is not determined to be a false positive, further action is taken based on expiration of the protocol state.

Technique for false positives prevention in high availability network

In one embodiment, a layer-2 network that includes a cloud switch is partitioned into a plurality of segments, each segment including one or more cloud switch domains that are coupled via a logical port to a corresponding one of a plurality of internal logical shared media links. One of the internal logical shared media links is provisioned as a hub. One or more remaining internal logical shared media links are defaulted to be spokes. A spanning tree protocol (STP) is executed within each segment. The logical port of each cloud switch domain advertises a pseudo root bridge identifier (ID) to cause the internal logical shared media link to appear attached to a Root. The advertised pseudo root bridge ID of the hub is chosen to have a higher priority than the pseudo root bridge ID of the spokes to establish a hub and spoke relationship among the segments.

Interconnecting segmented layer two network for cloud switching

In one embodiment, a method includes detecting a change in network topology and broadcasting a transient unconditional unpruning message to all nodes in the network. The message is configured to instruct each network element receiving the message to start a phase timer in response to the broadcast message; unprune its operational ports; and, upon expiration of the phase timer, prune its ports in accordance with the results of a pruning protocol.

Growing community of inventors

Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Debashis Patnala Rao