A mechanism is disclosed for implementing conditional commands carried by network data packets. A data flow including a data packet is received. The data packet includes a conditional command. A condition and a command are obtained from the conditional command. The mechanism determines that the condition is satisfied. Based on the determination that the condition is satisfied, the command is executed to alter handling of the data flow, alter handling of the data packet, or alter a context for the data flow.

Provided are an information advertisement method and apparatus, a packet forwarding method and apparatus, a packet cancellation method and apparatus, a device, and a medium. The information advertisement method includes associating a particular topology identifier with a BIER forwarding plane in a case where a particular topology is constructed; and advertising BIER information to a network, where the BIER information carries the particular topology identifier, and the BIER information is configured to be used by a node in the network to generate a BIER forwarding table entry corresponding to the particular topology.

Provided are an information advertisement method and apparatus, a packet forwarding method and apparatus, a packet cancellation method and apparatus, a device, and a medium. The information advertisement method includes associating a particular topology identifier with a BIER forwarding plane in a case where a particular topology is constructed; and advertising BIER information to a network, where the BIER information carries the particular topology identifier, and the BIER information is configured to be used by a node in the network to generate a BIER forwarding table entry corresponding to the particular topology.

A processor-implemented method includes receiving a network topology describing a network. The method also includes receiving a set of traffic patterns for the network, and a set of network upgrade plans for the network. The method obtains a set of performance parameters from a list of bottleneck structures based on the set of traffic patterns and the network topology, for each upgrade plan. The method then selects a preferred network upgrade plan from the set of network upgrade plans based on the performance parameters.

A processor-implemented method includes receiving a network topology describing a network. The method also includes receiving a set of traffic patterns for the network, and a set of network upgrade plans for the network. The method obtains a set of performance parameters from a list of bottleneck structures based on the set of traffic patterns and the network topology, for each upgrade plan. The method then selects a preferred network upgrade plan from the set of network upgrade plans based on the performance parameters.

A novel method for fully utilizing the multicast or broadcast capability of a physical network is provided. The method identifies segments of the network within which broadcast traffic, multicast traffic, or traffic to unknown recipients (BUM traffic) is allowed or enabled. The identified segment encompasses parts of the network that the BUM traffic is able reach while excluding parts of the network nodes that the BUM traffic is unable to reach. Each identified segment includes network nodes that are interconnected by physical network hardware that supports BUM traffic. The method identifies multiple BUM traffic segments in a given network that each supports its own BUM traffic. The different BUM traffic segments are interconnected by physical network hardware that does not support BUM network traffic. Each identified segment is assigned an identifier that uniquely distinguishes the identified segment from other identified segments.

A control system including several controllers for managing several switching elements. A first controller registers a second controller for receiving a notification when a data tuple changes in a network information base (NIB) storage of the first controller that stores data for managing a set of switching elements. The first controller changes the data tuple in the NIB. The first controller sends the notification to the second controller of the change to the data tuple in the NIB. The first and second controllers operate on two different computing devices. Each controller receives logical control plane data for specifying logical datapath sets and converts the logical control plane data to physical control plane data for enabling the switching elements to implement the logical datapath sets.

Embodiments provide a method, which can implement establishment of a network function virtualization (NFV) network service chain. The method includes obtaining, by a first communications unit, a service chain rule, where the service chain rule is used to indicate service processing that needs to be performed. The method also includes obtaining, according to the service chain rule, information about a service chain through which a service route passes, where the information about the service chain is used to indicate information about a virtualized network function (VNF) through which the service route passes, and the VNF is configured for the service processing; and sending a route and resource configuration request message, where the route and resource configuration request message carries the information about the service chain, to request to perform, according to the information about the service chain, route and resource configuration for the VNF included in the service chain.

The present invention contributes to facilitating: setting for connection between a TEP in a virtual network configured by using a virtual tunnel and a virtual network; and management of the connection. A control apparatus includes: a connection detection unit configured to detect that a virtual machine has newly been connected to one of a plurality of tunnel endpoints each of which functions as an endpoint of a virtual tunnel used for a communication between virtual machines that belong to a virtual network; a virtual network determination unit configured to determine a virtual network to which the detected virtual machine belongs on the basis of information in which virtual machines and virtual networks are associated with each other; and a tunnel endpoint control unit configured to cause, if the tunnel endpoint has not participated in the determined virtual network, the tunnel endpoint to participate in the determined virtual network.

In a communication network with separate data planes including a control plane and a user plane, an application function is provided as a combination of an application function control plane (AF-CP) part operating in the network's control plane and an application function user plane (AF-UP) part operating in the network's user plane. The application function user plane part may be configured for the application-specific processing of user data, and instanced multiple times. The application function control plane part may be configured to support selecting an optimal instance of the application function user plane part for a particular UE.