Cisco Technology, Inc.

Francisco M Matus

Kit Chiu Chu

Thomas James Edsall

Navindra Yadav

Krishna Doddapaneni

Satyam Sinha

Sameer Merchant

Sarang M Dharmapurikar

Michael R Smith

Mohammadreza Alizadeh Attar

Janakiramanan Vaidyanathan

Adam Hutchin

Luca Cafiero

Zhiping Yang

Mahesh Srinivasa Maddury

Georges Akis

Victor Odisho

Wanli Wu

Ganlin Wu

Alexandru Seibulescu

Kit Chiu

Mahesh Maddury

The subject technology addresses a need for improving utilization of network bandwidth in a multicast network environment. More specifically, the disclosed technology provides solutions for extending multipathing to tenant multicast traffic in an overlay network, which enables greater bandwidth utilization for multicast traffic. In some aspects, nodes in the overlay network can be connected by virtual or logical links, each of which corresponds to a path, perhaps through many physical links, in the underlying network.

Multicast multipathing in an overlay network

Aspects of the subject disclosure relate to methods for detecting a link failure between the first network device and a destination node, receiving a data packet addressed to the destination node, and rewriting encapsulation information of the first data packet. Subsequent to rewriting the encapsulation information of the first data packet, the first data packet is forwarded to a second network device (e.g., using updated address information in the packet header), wherein the second network device is paired with the first network device in the virtual port channel. In certain aspects, systems and computer readable media are also provided.

Virtual port channel bounce in overlay network

Aspects of the subject technology relate to solutions for transporting network traffic over an overlay network. A first tunnel endpoint in an overlay network can receive an encapsulated packet from a second tunnel endpoint. The encapsulated packet may have been encapsulated at the second tunnel endpoint based on another packet originating from a source host that is associated with the second tunnel endpoint. The encapsulated packet can include a source host address for the source host and a source tunnel endpoint address for the second tunnel endpoint. The first tunnel endpoint can then update a lookup table based on an association between the source host address and the source tunnel endpoint address.

Managing routing information for tunnel endpoints in overlay networks

Disclosed herein are methods of forwarding packets on a network, such as a leaf-spine network having leaf devices and spine devices. The methods may include receiving a packet at an ingress leaf device, and determining based, at least in part, on a header of the packet whether the packet is to be transmitted to a spine device. The methods may further include ascertaining based, at least in part, on a header of the packet whether to perform encapsulation on the packet, encapsulating the packet according to a result of the ascertaining, and then transmitting the packet to a spine device according to a result of the determining. Also disclosed herein are network apparatuses which include a processor and a memory, at least one of the processor or the memory being configured to perform some or all of the foregoing described methods.

Network fabric overlay

Apparatus, systems and methods may be used to monitor data flows and to select and track particularly large data flows. A method of tracking data flows and identifying large-data ('elephant') flows comprises extracting fields from a packet of data to construct a flow key, computing a hash value on the flow key to provide a hashed flow signature, entering and/or comparing the hashed flow signature with entries in a flow hash table. Each hash table entry includes a byte count for a respective flow. When the byte count for a flow exceeds a threshold value, the flow is added to a large-data flow ('elephant') table and the flow is then tracked in the large-data flow table.

System and method for identification of large-data flows

Presented herein are techniques for performing packet forwarding or routing using a pipeline of a plurality of tiles. A method includes receiving a packet, parsing the packet to generate a vector, passing the vector to a first tile dedicated to a first type of lookup, performing a lookup in the first tile, storing a result of the first type of lookup in the vector to obtain a first updated vector, passing the first updated vector to a second tile dedicated to a second type of lookup, performing a lookup in the second tile, storing a result of the second type of lookup in the vector to obtain a second updated vector, and transmitting the packet from the network routing device via an output port thereof selected based on the second updated vector.

Re-configurable lookup pipeline architecture for packet forwarding

Aspects of the subject disclosure provide methods for avoiding a packet bounce event in a virtual port channel (VPC). A method of the technology can include steps for detecting a link failure event (e.g., between a first network device and a destination node), and receiving a data packet addressed to the destination node. In some implementations, the method can additionally include steps for rewriting encapsulation information of the first data packet. Systems and computer-readable media are also provided.

Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for translating source addresses in an overlay network. An access switch in an overlay network, such as a VXLAN, may receive an encapsulated packet from a tunnel endpoint in the overlay network. The encapsulated packet may originate from a host associated with the tunnel endpoint and be encapsulated at the tunnel endpoint with a first source tunnel endpoint address and a destination tunnel endpoint address. The access switch may replace the first source tunnel endpoint address in the encapsulated packet with a second source tunnel endpoint address of the access switch to yield a translated packet. The access switch may then transmit the translated packet towards the destination tunnel endpoint address.

Source address translation in overlay networks

Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for managing routing information in overlay networks. A first tunnel endpoint in an overlay network may receive an encapsulated packet from a second tunnel endpoint. The encapsulated packet may have been encapsulated at the second tunnel endpoint based on another packet originating from a source host that is associated with the second tunnel endpoint. The encapsulated packet can include a source host address for the source host and a source tunnel endpoint address for the second tunnel endpoint. The first tunnel endpoint can then update a lookup table based on an association between the source host address and the source tunnel endpoint address.

The subject technology addresses the need in the art for improving utilization of network bandwidth in a multicast network environment. More specifically, the disclosed technology addresses the need in the art for extending multipathing to tenant multicast traffic in an IP overlay network, which enables the network to fully utilize available bandwidth for multicast traffic. In some examples, nodes in the overlay network may be connected by virtual or logical links, each of which corresponds to a path, perhaps through many physical links, in the underlying network.

Growing community of inventors

Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Francisco M Matus