Cisco Technology, Inc.

Other

Simon Chatterjee

Norman William Finn

Samer Salam

John Monaghan

David Alexander Ball

Iain McDade

Dezhong Cai

Christopher M North

Doron Oz

Sarel Altshuler

In one embodiment, an exploratory linktrace is initiated from an initiating network device with an exploratory linktrace message (ELM) having a target address. Each network device receiving the ELM may then propagate the ELM on a plurality of its ports to a plurality of downstream network devices based on the target address. In addition, each receiving network device returns an exploratory linktrace reply (ELR) for each of the plurality of ports, where each ELR is returned according to one or more mechanisms to mitigate stormed replies to the initiating network device.

Exploratory linktrace operations in a computer network

According to one embodiment, a first message identifying a best root node of a spanning tree may be generated. The spanning tree may be implemented by an access domain. The message may be generated independently of a spanning tree protocol instance. The first aggregation node may transmit the first message to a plurality of access nodes of the access domain. Data traffic from the plurality of access nodes may be received. Each access node of the plurality of access nodes may implement a spanning tree protocol instance that selects the best root node as a root node of the spanning tree. The data traffic may be aggregated with other data traffic of a plurality of access domains, and the aggregated data traffic transmitted to an aggregation network.

Aggregating data traffic from access domains

A method for communication includes associating respective feature chains with a plurality of interfaces of a data switch. The feature chains include service features. A respective failure policy is defined for each of one or more of the service features in each of the feature chains. Upon detecting a failure in a service feature in a feature chain associated with one of the interfaces, data packets are routed through the data switch while applying, responsively to the failure, the respective failure policy to the one of the interfaces.

Configurable resolution policy for data switch feature failures

Growing community of inventors

London, United Kingdom

Simon Chatterjee