Cisco Technology, Inc.

Riaz Khan

Peter Geoffrey Jones

Atri Indiresan

Manas Pati

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to dynamic shadow operations configured to dynamically shadow data-plane resources in a network device. In some embodiments, the dynamic resource shadow operations are used to locally maintain a shadow copy of data plane resources to avoid having to read them through a bus interconnect. In other embodiments, the dynamic shadow framework is used to provide memory protection for hardware resources against SEU failures. The dynamic shadow framework may operate in conjunction with adaptive memory scrubbing operations. In other embodiments, the dynamic shadow infrastructure is used to facilitate fast boot-up and fast upgrade operations.

Dynamic hardware resource shadowing and memory error protection

An embodiment is directed to switchover operations with a mobile virtualized network device in a mobile device. The mobile virtualized hardware switchover operations may be used to selectively and temporarily provide virtualized control-plane operations to the data-plane of a non-redundant network device undergoing an upgrade or a reboot of its control plane. A non-redundant network device may operate hitless, or near hitless, operation even when its control plane is unavailable.

Near-hitless upgrade or fast bootup with mobile virtualized hardware

An exemplary method is disclosed that facilitate the on-demand creation of an exemplary instrumented network device in a cloud infrastructure, remote server, evaluation platform, or customized testing server and to form a stack between the instrumented network device as a debug network device and a target network device. The control plane of the target network device then switches over, via a switchover operation, to the control plane of the debug network device, while the data-plane of the target network device continues to operate. Once switched over, the instrumentation (e.g., hardware or software) of the control plane or debug network device facilitates the debug, optimization, profile, and/or recovery of the physical network device, even in a live network.

System and method to debug, optimize, profile, or recover network device in live network

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to protocol state transition and/or resource state transition tracker configured to monitor, e.g., via filters, for certain protocol state transitions/changes or host hardware resource transitions/changes when a host processor in the control plane that performs such monitoring functions is unavailable or overloaded. The filters, in some embodiments, are pre-computed/computed by the host processor and transmitted to the protocol state transition and/or resource state transition tracker. The protocol state transition and/or resource state transition tracker may be used to implement a fast upgrade operation as well as load sharing and or load balancing operation with control plane associated components.

Methods and systems to track protocol and hardware resource state transitions

Methods and systems for fast upgrade or reboot for network device

An embodiment is directed to switchover operations with a virtualized network device in a cloud or remote infrastructure. The virtualized hardware switchover operations may be used to selectively and temporarily provide virtualized control-plane operations to the data-plane of a non-redundant network device undergoing an upgrade or a reboot of its control plane. A non-redundant network device may operate hitless, or near hitless, operation even when its control plane is unavailable.

Growing community of inventors

Milpitas, CA, United States of America

Riaz Khan