Cisco Technology, Inc.

Nortel Networks Corporation

Syed Kamran Raza

Clarence Filsfils

Zafar Ali

Ahmed Refaat Bashandy

Jisu Bhattacharya

Carlos M Pignataro

Nagendra Kumar Nainar

Rakesh Gandhi

Jaganbabu Rajamanickam

Bhupendra Yadav

Faisal Iqbal

Pablo Camarillo Garvia

Francois Clad

Sami Boutros

Patrice Brissette

Eric C Rosen

Darren Russell Dukes

Siva Sivabalan

David Delano Ward

Ijsbrand Wijnands

Muthurajah Sivabalan

Jim Guichard

Robert H Thomas

Hongyi Li

Nagendra B Kumar

Ahmed Reza

Santiago Alvarez

Robert Thomas

In one embodiment, a service chain data packet is instrumented as it is communicated among network nodes in a network providing service-level and/or networking operations visibility. The service chain data packet includes a particular header identifying a service group defining one or more service functions, and is a data packet and not a probe packet. A network node adds networking and/or service-layer operations data to the particular service chain data packet, such as, but not limited to, in the particular header. Such networking operations data includes a performance metric or attribute related to the transport of the particular service chain packet in the network. Such service-layer operations data includes a performance metric or attribute related to the service-level processing of the particular service chain data packet in the network.

Segment routing network signaling and packet processing

In one embodiment, a method includes identifying, by a network component, a first segment identifier (SID) within a SID list. The first SID includes a first SID block and a first micro SID (uSID). The method also includes initializing, by the network component, a packing list of a uSID carrier with the first uSID of the first SID and initializing, by the network component, a packing block of the uSID carrier with the first SID block of the first SID. The method further includes initializing, by the network component, a remaining packing capacity of the packing list with a carrier capacity of the first SID and initializing, by the network component, an empty compressed SID list.

Systems and methods for compressing a SID list

The present disclosure includes methods, systems, and non-transitory computer-readable media for validating data in a data structure used for forwarding packets by a network device comprising sending a data packet probe identifying a destination and including a segment ID, wherein the segment ID maps to a first interpretation by a receiving router to perform an action on the data packet probe to rewrite a portion of a destination address in a header of the data packet probe, and to redirect the data packet probe to the network device that initiated the data packet probe.

Forwarding table validation

In one embodiment, a Segment Routing network node provides efficiencies in processing and communicating Internet Protocol packets in a network. This Segment Routing node typically advertises (e.g., using Border Gateway Protocol) its Segment Routing processing capabilities, such as Penultimate Segment Pop (PSP) and/or Ultimate Segment Pop (USP) of a Segment Routing Header (including in the context of a packet that has multiple Segment Routing Headers). Subsequently, an Internet Protocol Segment Routing packet having multiple Segment Routing Headers is received. The packet is processed according to a Segment Routing function, with is processing including removing a first one of the Segment Routing Headers and forwarding the resultant Segment Routing packet. The value of the Segments Left field in the first Segment Routing Header identifies to perform PSP when the value is one, to perform USP when the value is zero, or to perform other processing.

Providing efficiencies in processing and communicating internet protocol packets in a network using segment routing

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a packet comprising a destination address in a destination address field of the packet, where the destination address including at least a first global identifier and a second global identifier, determining that the first global identifier corresponds to the first network apparatus, determining that a local identifier in the destination address is associated with the first global identifier, identifying one or more instructions associated with the local identifier, performing one or more functions instructed by the one or more instructions, updating the destination address in the destination field of the packet to an updated destination address, determining a forwarding rule associated with the packet, and forwarding the packet with the updated destination address based on the forwarding rule.

SRv6 with micro segment identifiers

In one embodiment, segment routing (SR) network processing of packets is performed which includes operations signaling and processing of packets in manners providing processing and/or memory efficiencies. One embodiment includes acquiring a segment routing particular packet by a particular router in a network. Responsive to the particular router data plane ascertained during fast path processing by a fast path processing unit that the segment routing particular packet is to be Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) processed by a different processing unit in the particular router, communicating a time stamp of a current time and the segment routing particular packet including a segment routing header that includes OAM signaling from said fast path processing to the different processing unit, with fast path processing being hardware-based packet processing by the fast path processing unit. The segment routing particular packet is OAM processing by the different processing unit.

The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for inserting micro segments into a data packet. The methods may include the steps of receiving a packet with a destination address corresponding to a Micro Segment Identifier (uSID) carrier having one or more existing micro segments followed by one or more empty micro segment positions, receiving information relating to one or more new micro segments to be inserted into the uSID carrier, the one or more new micro segments associated with a new bit length, calculating a remaining bit length of the uSID carrier, the remaining bit length associated with the one or more empty micro segment positions in the uSID carrier, wherein, if the remaining bit length is greater than or equal to the new bit length, updating the uSID carrier by inserting the new micro segments, and forwarding the packet to destinations associated with the updated uSID carrier.

Systems and methods for SRv6 micro segment insertion

In one embodiment, segment routing (SR) network processing of packets is performed on packets having a segment identifier structure providing processing and/or memory efficiencies. Responsive to an identified particular segment routing policy, the particular router retrieves from memory a dynamic segment routing identifier portion of the particular SR policy that includes a SR node value and a SR function value. The SR function value identifies segment routing processing to be performed by a router in the network identified based on the SR node value. A segment routing discriminator is independently identified, possibly being a fixed value for all segment identifiers in the network. Before sending into the network, a complete segment identifier is added to the particular packet by combining the segment routing discriminator with the dynamic segment routing identifier portion. The particular packet including the complete segment identifier is sent into the network.

Segment routing network processing of packets including packets having a segment identifier structure providing processing and/or memory efficiencies

Growing community of inventors

Kanata, Canada

Syed Kamran Raza