Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (publ)

Infinera Corporation

Ramesh Subrahmaniam

Ravi Manghirmalani

Madhukar Anand

Ramesh Mishra

Sanjoy Bardhan

Radhakrishna Valiveti

Wassim Michel Haddad

Heikki Mahkonen

Balaji Balasubramanian

Stuart D Elby

Soumya Roy

Methods, devices, and systems for mapping transport segment labels to packet network endpoints using a mapping server. In some implementations, an end point address in an edge domain is received from an edge router, a mapping of one of the end point address to a transport segment label is received from a network device, the mapping is stored in a non-transitory memory device, and the mapping is transmitted to the edge router.

End point mapping service to assist transport segment routing

A method and system for flow tracing for use in a packet-optical network is disclosed herein. A device in the packet-optical network may receive a packet including a header and payload. The device may read intent information from the header, and translate the intent information to generate a device-specific action in an optical layer to provide one or more globally unique identifiers (IDs) associated with the device. The device may execute the device-specific action in the optical layer to generate a response including the globally unique IDs corresponding to the intent, where the response forms part of the flow trace. The device may associate the response with the intent, and encode the response for downstream data forwarding. The device may further add multi-layer proof-of-transit (POT) information to the response that may be used to securely verify the path indicated in the SmartFlow flow trace.

Packet-optical in-band telemetry (POINT) flow tracing and proof-of-transit

Systems, methods, and devices for determining a property of, or isolating a fault in, a transport segment. A packet portion test packet can be transmitted over a packet portion of a transport segment. Packet portion results can be received in response to the packet portion test packet. A transport portion test packet can be transmitted over a transport portion of the transport segment. Transport portion results can be received in response to the transport portion test packet. The packet portion results and the transport portion results can be correlated to generate correlated test results. The correlated test results can be processed to determine the property of, or isolate the fault in, the transport segment.

Transport segment OAM routing mechanisms

A method and system for packet-optical in-band telemetry (POINT) that may be used in a packet-optical network is disclosed herein. An intermediate POINT device may receive a packet including at least a header and a payload at a packet layer. The POINT device may read intent information from the header, and the intent information may indicate a type of telemetry data to be collected. The POINT device may translate the intent information from the packet layer to generate a device-specific action in an optical layer to the type of telemetry data indicated by the intent. The POINT device may execute the device-specific action in the optical layer to generate a response corresponding to the intent, associate the response with the intent, and encode the response in the packet layer for downstream data forwarding.

Packet-optical in-band telemetry (POINT) framework

Systems, methods, and devices for managing latency in a network with a plurality of switches, each switch having client side ports and line side ports. A required bandwidth for each link between connected pairs of the plurality of switches is received. A client-side capacity value for each switch is received. An initial undersubscription factor is calculated based on the required bandwidths and the client-side capacity values. A desired undersubscription factor is calculated for each switch based on the initial undersubscription factor and the client side capacity values. A desired bandwidth is calculated for each link between connected pairs of the plurality of switches based on the required bandwidths and the desired undersubscription factors.

Managing latencies in data center interconnect switches using spare line side bandwidth and multiple paths inside the data center

A packet optical network may include a packet optical gateway node that is configured to advertise a segment label to other nodes in the network where the segment label is used by a source node in place of a conventional segment routing label when the source node generates the list of labels included in the header of a data packet while establishing a path through a network. The segment label differs from a conventional segment routing label in that the segment label indicates the L0/L1 device or path as opposed to the L2/L3 device indicated by a conventional segment routing label.

Systems, apparatus, and methods for segment routing of optical signals

Systems and methods for discovery of a controller in an OpenFlow network may include using an OpenFlow capable switch to discover the controller without the help of other components, such as DHCP. The link discovery protocol may be configured on the switch and the discovery process may use an out-of-band or an in-band communication. In one example, a link discovery protocol packet is sent out of all ports of a switch that meet the eligibility criteria. The response is guaranteed because of a TTL like mechanism in the packet. Each port on a switch that receives this link discovery protocol packet takes an action depending on its current state.

Systems and methods for discovery of a controller in openflow networks

A scheme for virtualizing a remote physical device, e.g., customer premises equipment (CPE), at a cloud-based data center connected to a network. In one embodiment, a virtual switch operating at the CPE is operative to monitor device events at the CPE. When a device is connected to a CPE port, a virtual device port is created that is operative with a Software Defined Network (SDN) architecture. Responsive to an indication that a new SDN-compliant virtual device port is created, an SDN controller is operative to facilitate creation of a data tunnel between the CPE's virtual switch and a virtual switch of the data center.

System and method for virtualizing a remote device

A method for providing network performance monitoring using a performance database manager (PDM) is disclosed. A PDM has a PDM state manager, a communications server (COM server), a communications client (COM client), and an application database (AppDB). The PDM is configured to communicate with a network controller and a switch running a service monitoring (SERMON) client. A list of one or more switches, one or more hosted services, and one or more applications is determined. A request for service monitoring (SERMON) data is received from one or more applications running on a network controller. The request is sent to a SERMON client. A response is received from the SERMON client.

Method and apparatus for providing network applications monitoring

A method and apparatus for providing network performance monitoring using a switch running a service monitoring (SERMON) client is disclosed. A request for SERMON metrics is received from a performance database manager (PDM). The request is sent to the SERMON server designated in the request. The SERMON server is running in a service host. A reply is received from the SERMON server. The reply is sent to the PDM. A method and apparatus for providing network performance monitoring using a service host running a service monitoring (SERMON) server is disclosed. In one embodiment, a request is received from a SERMON client. SERMON data is collected using a kernel thread. The collected data is sent in a reply to the SERMON client.

A method and apparatus for providing network performance monitoring is disclosed. At least one application is run on a network controller. The at least one application running on the network controller sends a request for performance data information to a performance database manager (PDM). A response to the request for performance data information is received from the PDM. A method for determining a service path using network performance monitoring data is disclosed. Performance data is determined for one or more applications. A service path is assigned by steering traffic to a particular instance of each of the one or more applications using the performance data. The steered traffic is forwarded to a next application based on a current position along a service path.

A method is executed by a controller in a software defined network to conserve bandwidth over the software defined networking (SDN) network by compressing Internet protocol (IP) headers of data packets traversing the SDN network. The IP headers of the data packets remain compressed as the data packets traverse the SDN network. The ingress switch is an entry point for the data packets as the data packets traverse the SDN network. The egress switch is an exit point for the data packets as the data packets traverse the SDN network. The method includes configuring a flow table of the ingress switch to forward the data packets to a header compressor module in the ingress switch, configuring the ingress switch to instantiate the header compressor module, and configuring a group table of the ingress switch to manage forwarding of the data packets toward the egress switch.

Extending the reach and effectiveness of header compression in access networks using SDN

A method of connecting a network forwarding element may include transmitting a first connection request from the forwarding element to a first network controller. After transmitting the first connection request, a rejection message may be received from the first network controller at the network forwarding element, with the rejection message being responsive to the first connection request and with the rejection message including an address of a second network controller. Responsive to receiving the rejection message, a second connection request may be transmitted from the network forwarding element to the second network controller. Related forwarding elements and controllers are also discussed.

Methods of redirecting network forwarding elements and related forwarding elements and controllers

A method may be provided to operate a forwarding element in a forwarding plane of a network including the forwarding plane and a control plane. The method may include receiving a packet through an input/output port of the forwarding element and attempting to match the packet with a flow table of the forwarding element. Responsive to the packet missing a match with the flow table, the forwarding element may attempt to match the packet with a shadow table of the forwarding element. Responsive to the packet matching with the shadow table, a new flow rule may be installed in the flow table based on a matching shadow rule from the shadow table. Related forwarding elements are also discussed.

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Ramesh Subrahmaniam