Vmware, Inc.

Juniper Networks, Inc.

Marc-Andre Bordeleau

Ojas Gupta

Raja Kommula

Jeremy Tidemann

Robert Kidd

Georgios Oikonomou

Constantine Polychronopoulos

Edward Choh

Thayumanavan Sridhar

Mingjie Zhao

Lyubov Nesteroff

Yelena Kozlova

Arda Akman

Jeremy Alan Tidemann

Fatima Rafiqui

Constantine Dimitrios Polychronopoulos

Robert Edward Kidd

Edward Wai Hong Choh

Constantine Polychronopoulo

Georgio Oikonomou

An example network provisioning system includes a provisioning portal that is configured to: receive, from a client device, a selection of a service template specifying network service attributes for a communication service, receive a selection of one or more tracking areas, receive a selection of one or more subscribers, and generate a service order based on the network service attributes for the communication service, the one or more tracking areas, and the one or more subscriber. The network provisioning system is configured to provision the communication service in accordance with the service order.

Communication services ordering and provisioning

Some embodiments of the invention provide novel methods for performing services on data messages passing through a network connecting one or more datacenters, such as software defined datacenters (SDDCs). The method of some embodiments uses service containers executing on host computers to perform different chains (e.g., ordered sequences) of services on different data message flows. For a data message of a particular data message flow that is received or generated at a host computer, the method in some embodiments uses a service classifier executing on the host computer to identify a service chain that specifies several services to perform on the data message. For each service in the identified service chain, the service classifier identifies a service container for performing the service. The service classifier then forwards the data message to a service forwarding element to forward the data message through the service containers identified for the identified service chain. The service classifier and service forwarding element are implemented in some embodiments as processes that are defined as hooks in the virtual interface endpoints (e.g., virtual Ethernet ports) of the host computer's operating system (e.g., Linux operating system) over which the service containers execute.

Distributed service chain across multiple clouds

A computing device is configured to: obtain information of tracking areas including a first and second tracking area, the first tracking area comprising first cells and the second tracking area comprising second cells; generate a user interface with a visualization of the tracking areas, the user interface comprising first cell user interface elements visually representing the first cells and second cell user interface elements visually representing the second cells; output the user interface for display at a display device; receive user input indicative of filtering criteria; generate a modified user interface by modifying at least one of the first cell user interface elements or the second user interface elements to visually indicate the first tracking area satisfies the filtering criteria and the second tracking area does not satisfy the filtering criteria; and output the modified user interface for display at the display device.

Radio access network tracking area visualization management and monitoring

Some embodiments provide a novel method for adjusting a path for a packet flow from a source machine to a destination machine in a network. The method of some embodiments identifies a condition at a first forwarding element along a first path traversed by the packet flow through the network. The first path traverses through a hardware, second forwarding element before the first forwarding element. In some embodiments, the second forwarding element includes a programmable data plane circuit. The method, in some embodiments, uses an application programming interface (API) of the programmable data plane circuit to provide a set of parameters to the data plane circuit that cause the data plane circuit to forego selecting the first path to forward the packets of the packet flow to the destination machine and instead to select a second path, not traversing the first forwarding element, to the destination machine.

Dynamic multipathing using programmable data plane circuits in hardware forwarding elements

Some embodiments of the invention provide a novel method of performing network slice-based operations on a data message at a hardware forwarding element (HFE) in a network. For a received data message flow, the method has the HFE identify a network slice associated with the received data message flow. This network slice in some embodiments is associated with a set of operations to be performed on the data message by several network elements, including one or more machines executing on one or more computers in the network. Once the network slice is identified, the method has the HFE process the data message flow based on a rule that applies to data messages associated with the identified slice.

Forwarding element with physical and virtual data planes

Some embodiments provide a method for establishing multiple virtual service networks over multiple datacenters. The method configures, for each virtual service network of the plurality of virtual service networks, a set of machines distributed across the datacenters to implement an ordered set of network services for the virtual service network. The method configures multiple service network selectors executing within the datacenters to receive a data message, select one of the virtual service networks for the data message based on analysis of contents of the data message, determine a location within the datacenters for a machine implementing a first network service of the ordered set of network services for the selected virtual service network, and transmit the data message to the machine implementing the first network service.

Virtual service networks

Distributed fault tolerant service chain

Some embodiments provide a method for a network slice selector. From an electronic device, the method receives a connection initiation message for a connection between the electronic device and a network domain. The method exchanges a set of connection initiation messages with the electronic device to set up the connection. The method receives a data message belonging to the connection from the electronic device. The method selects one of multiple network slices to which the electronic device has access as the network slice for the connection based on analysis of the received data message. The method forwards the data message and subsequent data messages belonging to the connection onto the selected network slice to be delivered to the network domain.

Stateful network slice selection using slice selector as connection termination proxy

Forwarding element slice identifying control plane

Performing slice based operations in a data plane circuit

Some embodiments provide a method for a first network slice selector that assigns data messages to a first set of network slices that each comprises an ordered set of network services. The method receives a data message originating from an electronic endpoint device. A second network slice selector previously (i) assigned the data message to a first network slice of a second set of network slices and, (ii) based on the assignment of the data message to the first network slice, provided the data message to the first network slice selector. The method assigns the data message to a second network slice from the first et of network slices. The method provides the data message to a first network service of the selected second network slice.

Hierarchical network slice selection

Performing ingress side control through egress side limits on forwarding elements

Growing community of inventors

Shawinigan, Canada

Marc-Andre Bordeleau