Big Switch Networks, Inc.

Arista Networks, Inc.

Michael Theodore Stolarchuk

Sandip K Shah

Srinivasan Ramasubramanian

Rajneesh Bajpai

Robert Wesley Sherwood

Robert K Vaterlaus

Carl D Roth

Andreas Wundsam

Alok Shankar

A packet forwarding network may include switches that forward network packets between end hosts. A monitoring network may be coupled to the forwarding network. A controller may control switches in the monitoring network to forward network packets tapped from the forwarding network to network flow information generation circuitry. The controller may provide configuration information such as record description information to the network flow information generation circuitry. Based on the configuration information, the network flow information generation circuitry may dynamically generate instructions that generate network flow information records. A set of network flow information records may be stored in a repository at the network flow information generation circuitry. The repository may include hash values associated with each of the stored network flow information records. By dynamically generating instructions to populate network flow information records, extraneous generalized instructions may be omitted and network flow information may be more efficiently generated.

Systems and methods for generating network flow information

First and second controllers implemented on computing equipment may be used to control switches in a network. The switches may forward network packets between end hosts. The second controller may identify first and second redundant partitions of switches in the network that are each coupled to all of the end hosts. The first controller may instruct the first partition to install software while the second partition forwards network traffic and may instruct the second partition to install software while the first partition forwards network traffic. The first controller may install the software while the second controller is active and the second controller may install the software while the first controller is active. In this way, the switches and controllers may be provided with an uninterrupted software upgrade and packets may be forwarded between end hosts during the software upgrade without introducing packet loss or other noticeable reductions in network performance.

Systems and methods for performing uninterrupted network upgrades with controllers

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Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America

Michael Theodore Stolarchuk