Future Wei Technologies, Inc.

Huawei Technologies Co., Limited

Lucy Yong

Linda Dunbar

Robert Sultan

T Benjamin Mack-Crane

Young Lee

Weiguo Hao

Steve Yao

Yang Peilin

Peter J Ashwood-Smith

Zhenbin Li

Donald Eggleston Eastlake, Iii

Katherine Zhao

Susan Hares

Donald Eastlake

Donald E Iii Eastlake

T Mack-Crane Benjamin

A network apparatus comprising a trunk end point associated with an Ethernet-tree (E-Tree) service in a network domain and configured to forward a frame that comprises a tag according to the tag in the frame, wherein the tag in the frame is a root tag that indicates a root source of the frame or a leaf tag that indicates a leaf source of the frame, and wherein the trunk end point is coupled to a second end point associated with the E-tree service outside the network domain.

Enhanced hierarchical virtual private local area network service (VPLS) system and method for Ethernet-Tree (E-Tree) services

A method implemented by a service function forwarder (SFF) comprises receiving, by a receiver of the SFF, a service chain packet comprising a loop prevention field, the loop prevention field comprising a plurality of bits indicating whether an error has occurred during packet transmission, and determining, by a processor of the SFF, whether to forward the service chain packet based on a value in the loop prevention field being less than a predefined parameter, the predefined parameter based on a number of bits (n) in the loop prevention field.

Service function chaining and overlay transport loop prevention

A first network element (NE) comprises a receiver configured to receive a tunnel redirection request message from a second NE, wherein the tunnel redirection request message is a request to re-route packets to a third NE instead of the second NE, wherein the tunnel redirection request message comprises an address of the third NE and a first destination address, wherein the packets comprise the first destination address. A processor of the NE is coupled to the receiver and configured to add an outer header and an encapsulation header to a first subset of the packets, wherein the outer header comprises the address of the third NE, and wherein the encapsulation header comprises an identifier of an encapsulation protocol supported by the third NE, and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the first subset of the packets to the third NE via an overlay tunnel, and transmit a second subset of packets to the second NE.

Internet control message protocol enhancement for traffic carried by a tunnel over internet protocol networks

A first network element (NE) implemented as a network virtualization edge (NVE) includes a receiver configured to receive a packet comprising a destination address, a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to obtain a tunnel identifier of an overlay tunnel that communicatively couples a second NE to a third NE on an overlay path toward the destination address, add the tunnel identifier to an encapsulation header of the packet, and add an address of the second NE to an outer header of the packet, and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the packet to the second NE, wherein the packet is forwarded from the second NE to the third NE via the overlay tunnel identified by the tunnel identifier.

System and method for tunnel stitching transport

Enhanced hierarchical virtual private local area network service (VPLS) system and method for ethernet-tree (E-tree) services

A data packet forwarding method including receiving, by a network node, a data packet that comprises a bit string, a BFIR identifier (ID), and a multicast replication path (MRP) ID, wherein the BFIR ID identifies an ingress network node for a multicast group, and wherein the MRP ID identifies the multicast group, identifying an entry in a BIER Replication Path Cache Table (BRCT) using the BFIR ID and the MRP ID, wherein the entry identifies a replication neighbor (NBR) list associated with the BFIR ID and the MRP ID, and forwarding the data packet in accordance with the replication NBR list.

Bit index explicit replication forwarding using replication cache

Service function chaining is a sequence of service function instances that traffic flows need to traverse through in order. Those service function instances are not required to reside on the direct path and traffic flow, but steered through network nodes. Service function instances and network nodes process the packets that carry a service function chain (SFC) header. The packets are encapsulated by a virtual network overlay header and forwarded through the service function instances in an SFC. The SFC header in specific format will prompt the network nodes to re-route the packets in the traffic flow using destination based forwarding or path based forwarding method in the packet network as well as an SDN controller and/or in-band control plane, and able to carry the metadata with the packets.

Service function chaining in a packet network

A method forwarding data traffic based on a service chain policy for distributed gateway located within a network virtualization edge (NVE). The NVE may receive, within a first virtual overlay network, a data packet destined for a destination tenant end point located in a second virtual overlay network. The NVE may determine that a network service function is unavailable to treat the data packet between the first virtual overlay network and the second virtual overlay network. In order to route the data packet, the NVE may obtain a service chain policy that provides the location of a network node configured to treat the data packet with the network service function. The NVE may transmit the data packet toward the network node. A service chain policy may correspond to a sequence of network nodes that represents a path to the destination tenant end point.

Service chain policy for distributed gateways in virtual overlay networks

An internet protocol (IP) traffic control method comprising receiving a message that comprises multicast group information and distribution tree root information from a tree root node in a first network area, determining the border network node is a designated forwarder for the second network area, sending an announcement message that comprises the multicast group information and the distribution tree root information within the second network area, receiving multicast group membership information for a multicast group computing a multicast group membership summary for the first network area and the second network area, sending the multicast group membership summary to first network area and the second network area, computing a distribution tree using the multicast group information and the distribution tree root information, pruning the distribution tree to generate a multicast tree, and communicating multicast data traffic between the first network area and the second network area along the multicast tree.

Multi-destination traffic control in multi-level networks

An apparatus comprising a provider edge (PE) coupled to a second PE and to a customer edge (CE) and configured to establish a Virtual Private Local Area Network (LAN) Service (VPLS) that is interconnected by either a flow aware pseudowire (PW) or a flow unaware PW and exchange a flow label indication with the second PE to enable using a flow label below a PW label on the label stack. Also disclosed is a network component comprising a processor configured to support a signaling protocol that indicates a capability to send, receive, or both a flow label over a PW configured for a Layer Two (Layer 2) Virtual Private Network (VPN), a transmitter configured to send a PW packet with a flow label to a peer network component, and a receiver configured to receive a PW packet either with a flow label or without a flow label.

System and method for virtual private local area network service to use the flow aware pseudowire

A communications network comprising components configured to implement a method comprising analyzing a path between a first end point and a second end point, and identifying a partial fault along the path is disclosed. Also disclosed is a method for communicating information within a network, the method comprising: defining a path traversing a plurality of nodes, receiving a fault report from an intermediate node, determining whether the fault report affects the path, and responsive to the determination that the fault report affects the path, transmitting the fault report to an upstream or downstream node in the path.

Faults Propagation and protection for connection oriented data paths in packet networks

A method for performing an automatic join and leave function for either a host or network using Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) signaling, the method comprising, sending a BGP join request that indicates a request to join a virtual network, receiving a BGP join response that indicates either an acceptance or a rejection of the BGP join request, adding the host to the virtual network when the BGP join response accepts the BGP join request, sending a BGP leave request that indicates a request to leave the virtual network, receiving a BGP leave response that indicates either an acceptance or a rejection of the BGP leave request, and removing the host from the virtual network when the BGP leave response accepts the BGP leave request, wherein the BGP join request comprises a quality of service (QoS) requirement and a bandwidth requirement.

Border gateway protocol extension for the host joining/leaving a virtual private network

A network component comprising a processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a request for a content from a first node, determining whether a second node is associated with the content, and facilitating the transfer of the content from the second node to the first node when the second node is associated with the content, wherein the second node is an interior node. Also disclosed is a method comprising receiving a request for a content from a first node in a network, determining whether the content is being distributed to a second node in the network, calculating a path between the second node and the first node when the content is being distributed to the second node, and establishing a connection along the path such that the content is distributed from the second node to the first node.

Content aware transport layer multicast

Disclosed is an apparatus that includes an ingress node configured to couple to an egress node and transmit a plurality of packets to one or more egress nodes, wherein at least some of the plurality of packets are cached before transmission and wherein the ingress node is further configured to retransmit a packet from the cached packets based on a request from one of the one or more egress nodes.

System and method for pseudowire packet cache and re-transmission

A communications network component comprising a processor configured to implement a method comprising sending a fault message including degradation data, wherein the degradation data indicates a bandwidth reduction associated with a partial fault is disclosed. Also disclosed is a method comprising receiving a fault message comprising degradation data associated with a fault, determining whether an available bandwidth is less than a bandwidth reserved for a plurality of connections associated with the fault, and modifying the bandwidth reserved for the connections if the available bandwidth is less than the bandwidth reserved for the connection.

Growing community of inventors

McKinney, TX, United States of America

Lucy Yong