A network element includes circuitry and multiple ports. The multiple ports are configured to connect to a communication network. The circuitry is configured to receive multiple packets from the communication network via one or more input ports, and store the received packets in a buffer of the network element, to schedule transmission of the packets stored in the buffer to the communication network via one or more output ports, and in response to a request to provide a snapshot of at least a portion of the buffer, to mirror for transmission, via one or more dedicated ports, only a part of the portion that was received in the network element prior to the request.

A system for admission and flow control is disclosed. In some embodiments, the system includes a switch for routing network traffic, having multiple classes of service (CoSs), from multiple ingress ports to one or more of multiple egress ports. The system also includes multiple ingress-level class of service queues (InCoS-Qs) and one or more egress-level class of service queues (EgCoS-Qs), each InCoS-Q and EgCoS-Q corresponding to one of CoSs. The switch is configured to detect congestion in a particular EgCoS-Q, corresponding to a particular CoS, the particular EgCoS-Q being associated with a particular host; identify an InCoS-Q corresponding to that particular CoS, and associated with that particular host; and block that InCoS-Q, while allowing routing of the network traffic from one or more InCoS-Qs corresponding to that particular CoS, the one or more InCoS-Qs corresponding to one or more other hosts.

Devices and methods of providing performance measurements (PMs) for Network Function Virtualization are generally described. A Virtual Network Function (VNF) PM job is scheduled at a VNF and VNF PM data received in response. From the VNF PM data, it is determined that virtualized resource (VR) management may be a cause of poor VNF performance. A VR PM job is scheduled and results in VR PM data. The VR PM and VNF PM data are analyzed to determine whether to increase the VR at the VNF. If an increase is determined, a request for the increase is transmitted from an element manager to a VNF manager or the VNF PM and/or VR PM data are provided to a Network Manager (NM) for the NM to request the increase by a Network Function Virtualization Orchestrator (NFVO).

An internal flow traffic controller of a multi-core processing system redirects packets among a plurality of processing cores with stateful flow awareness. The packets belong to flows of network traffic at a packet forwarding node of a 5G network or beyond. The internal flow traffic controller may include a memory storing computer-executable instructions; and a processor configured to execute the computer-executable instructions. The internal flow traffic controller is configured to distribute new incoming flows of network traffic to one of the plurality of processing cores; identify, based on an imbalance among the plurality of processing cores, an overloaded processing core to rebalance; identify a subject flow to move from the overloaded processing core; identify a target processing core with a lowest utilization; and migrate processing of the subject flow from the overloaded processing core to the target processing core.

Methods for balancing storage data traffic in a system in which at least one computing device (server) coupled to a converged network accesses at least one storage device coupled (by at least one adapter) to the network, systems configured to perform such methods, and devices configured to implement such methods or for use in such systems. Typically, the system includes servers and adapters, and server agents implemented on the servers and adapter agents implemented on the adapters are configured to detect and respond to imbalances in storage and data traffic in the network, and to redirect the storage data traffic to reduce the imbalances and, thereby to improve the overall network performance (for both data communications and storage traffic). Typically, each agent operates autonomously (except in that an adapter agent may respond to a request or notification from a server agent), and no central computer or manager directs operation of the agents.

For managing a traffic overload in a software defined network having an SDN controller, when an indication of a traffic overload is received, there are steps of identifying traffic flows which contribute to this, identifying nodes of the network controllable by the SDN controller and located along a path of the identified traffic flows before the location of the traffic overload. The SDN controller is used to control the identified nodes to control the identified traffic flows to reduce the traffic overload. By using the SDN controller to control the reduction compared to diverting suspicious traffic flows to a separate external security server, the extra network resources used for carrying the diverted traffic flows are not needed, the separate security server is not needed, and the risk of such diverted traffic flows themselves causing overloads is reduced. It can be applicable to a range of causes of overload, including denial of service attacks.

When a user of a mobile device attempts to use an application having high data demands, the mobile device queries its cellular data provider to determine currently available data transfer rates, based on the geographic location of the mobile device and the demands on the cellular base station from which the mobile device is being served. If the base station is experiencing data congestion, which is likely to result in a less than optimum user experience, the mobile device displays a warning to the user suggesting that the user postpone usage of the application or try using the application in a different geographic location that is experiencing less congestion.

In some examples, a method can include monitoring data traffic along an uplink port and along at least a subset of a plurality of host ports, determining whether the uplink port is oversubscribed based on the monitored data traffic, determining whether a given host port of the at least a subset of host ports is receiving excessive data traffic in response to determining that the uplink port is oversubscribed, and flagging a host port that is determined to be receiving excessive data traffic.

Some embodiments of the invention provide a network forwarding element that can be dynamically reconfigured to adjust its data message processing to stay within a desired operating temperature or power consumption range. In some embodiments, the network forwarding element includes (1) a data-plane forwarding circuit (data plane) to process data tuples associated with data messages received by the IC, and (2) a control-plane circuit (control plane) for configuring the data plane forwarding circuit. The data plane includes several data processing stages to process the data tuples.

Methods for balancing storage data traffic in a system in which at least one computing device (server) coupled to a converged network accesses at least one storage device coupled (by at least one adapter) to the network, systems configured to perform such methods, and devices configured to implement such methods or for use in such systems. Typically, the system includes servers and adapters, and server agents implemented on the servers and adapter agents implemented on the adapters are configured to detect and respond to imbalances in storage and data traffic in the network, and to redirect the storage data traffic to reduce the imbalances and, thereby to improve the overall network performance (for both data communications and storage traffic). Typically, each agent operates autonomously (except in that an adapter agent may respond to a request or notification from a server agent), and no central computer or manager directs operation of the agents.