Arista Networks, Inc.

Eswaran Baskaran

Hugh Weber Holbrook

Francois Labonte

Kartik Chandran

Michael Kerby Chen

Sriram Sellappa

Ramakrishna Shivaramaiah Paduvalli

Peter Delevoryas

Michael Chen

Embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods for updating packet processing rules of network devices. A request to update a first set of rules stored in the memory with a second set of rules is received. Upon determining the update from the first set of rules to the second set of rules satisfies a defined condition, the first set of rules in the memory is updated with the second set of rules. Upon determining the update from the first set of rules to the second set of rules does not satisfy the defined condition, the update from the first set of rules to the second set of rules is decomposed into a first set of operations and a second set of operations and the first set of rules in the memory are updated with the second set of rules.

Staging in-place updates of packet processing rules of network devices to eliminate packet leaks

Each switch unit in a networking system shares its local state information among other switch units in the networking system, collectively referred to as the shared forwarding state. Each switch unit creates a respective set of output queues that correspond to ports on other switch unites based on the shared forwarding state. A received packet on an ingress switch unit operating in accordance with a first routing protocol instance can be enqueued on an output queue in the ingress switch; the packet is subsequently processed by the egress switch unit, operating in accordance with a second routing protocol instance that corresponds to the output queue.

Networking system having multiple components with multiple loci of control

Upgrading packet processing rules in a network device with a replacement set of rules includes generating an edit sequence that represents edit operations to transform an already-installed old set of rules into the replacement rules. The edit sequence is used to identify a subsequence of rules that is common to both the old rules and the replacement rules. A merged list is generated by a combination of the old rules, the replacement rules, and the common subsequence of rules. The merged list is downloaded to the network device, overwriting the old rules in bottom-up fashion allowing packet processing to continue concurrently using the old rules.

Hitless upgrade of packet processing rules

A method and network device for enabling in-place policy updates. Specifically, the method and network device disclosed herein entail effecting the removal and/or insertion of policies on the network device while minimizing a window in which active policies may be disrupted by the policy updates. Further, in-place policy updates call upon the ordered-shifting of content stored across data structure elements. Through ordered-shifting, policy updates can utilize limited memory resources, on the network device, more efficiently over existing methodologies. Additionally, policy updates can also be committed faster, thereby allowing more policy updates to be processed with a fixed time window.

Method and network device for enabling in-place policy updates

A method for traffic forwarding in a network is provided. The method includes matching a destination IP (Internet protocol) address (DIP) of a packet, in a forwarding information base (FIB) table to point to a next-hop group for the packet, in a first matching operation. The method includes redirecting the packet to a differing next-hop group, responsive to matching each of the next-hop group for the packet and a field of the packet in a second matching operation, wherein the field marks the packet as belonging to a class of service. The method includes routing the packet to a next node, in accordance with the next-hop group or the differing next-hop group as determined for the packet. A network element is also provided.

Growing community of inventors

Los Altos, CA, United States of America

Eswaran Baskaran