A method and system for transmitting and receiving data packets between two network nodes via one or more end-to-end connections. An interface is provided for selecting one or more possible end-to-end connection(s) or established end-to-end connection(s). The method and system may further comprise receiving a policy, wherein one or more selected end-to-end connections are established based, at least in part, on the policy. The policy may also restrict or promote selection of certain established end-to-end connection(s) via the interface provided. The selected and established end-to-end connection(s) are used for transmitting and receiving data packets.

Methods of optimizing transmission of data from a client to a remote data center are disclosed, as well as systems and computer program products related to the same. An exemplary method comprises: receiving data, at a first intervening data center, transmitted from a client and addressed to a terminal data center, wherein the first intervening data center and the terminal data center are selected from a plurality of connected data centers; and transferring the data, from the first intervening data center through one or more additional intervening data centers selected from the plurality of connected data centers, until the data reaches the terminal data center; wherein each data center in the plurality of data centers independently selects a connected data center to transfer the data to based upon the amount of latency and/or bandwidth available at the connected data center.

Methods of optimizing transmission of data from a client to a remote data center are disclosed, as well as systems and computer program products related to the same. An exemplary method comprises: receiving data, at a first intervening data center, transmitted from a client and addressed to a terminal data center, wherein the first intervening data center and the terminal data center are selected from a plurality of connected data centers; and transferring the data, from the first intervening data center through one or more additional intervening data centers selected from the plurality of connected data centers, until the data reaches the terminal data center; wherein each data center in the plurality of data centers independently selects a connected data center to transfer the data to based upon the amount of latency and/or bandwidth available at the connected data center.

In one example, a service function forwarder of a service function chain enabled domain receives, from a classifier of the service function chain enabled domain, network traffic assigned to a service function path that includes at least one service node configured to apply a service function to the network traffic. The service function forwarder forwards the network traffic along the service function path. The service function forwarder receives, from the at least one service node, instructions for dynamically assigning a particular service function path to predicted network traffic that the at least one service node predicts will be triggered by the network traffic. The service function forwarder forwards the instructions to the classifier.

In some examples, a maximum transmission unit (MTU) is installed by a Software-Defined Network (SDN) controller on a controlled network node for traffic along a datapath in an SDN. The installed MTU can, for example, be selected from MTU sizes in an MTU database for nodes along the datapath. For example, the installed MTU can be selected as the largest allowable MTU size based on the nodes of the datapath.

Approaches for aggregating ports of switch connected to ports of a target node, are described. In one example, for a fiber channel exchange received from a host node, for a target node a plurality of target node ports of the target node associated with the virtual port are determined. The fiber channel exchange comprises a sequence of frame. Once the plurality of target node ports are determined, a first frame is directed to one target node port selected from the plurality of the target node ports, where the one target node port is selected based port selection criteria. Based on the directing of the first frame, subsequent frames of the fiber channel exchange to the selected one target node port are also directed.

A method and system for transmitting and receiving data packets between two network nodes via one or more end-to-end connections. An interface is provided for selecting one or more possible end-to-end connection(s) or established end-to-end connection(s). The method and system may further comprise receiving a policy, wherein one or more selected end-to-end connections are established based, at least in part, on the policy. The policy may also restrict or promote selection of certain established end-to-end connection(s) via the interface provided. The selected and established end-to-end connection(s) are used for transmitting and receiving data packets.

In one example, a service function forwarder of a service function chain enabled domain receives, from a classifier of the service function chain enabled domain, network traffic assigned to a service function path that includes at least one service node configured to apply a service function to the network traffic. The service function forwarder forwards the network traffic along the service function path. The service function forwarder receives, from the at least one service node, instructions for dynamically assigning a particular service function path to predicted network traffic that the at least one service node predicts will be triggered by the network traffic. The service function forwarder forwards the instructions to the classifier.

A call between a calling party and a called party, one or both of whom may be subscribers to Internet Telephony (IT) services, commences upon the receipt of a call dialed by the calling party to the Plain Old Telephony Service (POTS) number associated with the calling party. A first hub receives the call and routes it to the called party if that party is not an IT services subscriber that is currently on line. If the called party is an IT services subscriber that is on-line, the call is received at an Internet Services Provider serving the called party. The ISP converts the call to an IT format if the call is not already in that format and thereafter delivers the call to the called party.

Efficiency of communication to a root device is improved. A broadcast hello packet including a hierarchical number is received; the hello packets of one or more devices are collected and an own-device-hierarchical-number is set to a value by adding one to the smallest number of the hierarchical numbers; each device having a hierarchical number smaller than the own-device-hierarchical-number by one is retained as a parent device; each device having the same hierarchical number as the own-device-hierarchical-number is retained as a sibling device; each device having a hierarchical number larger than the own-device-hierarchical-number by one or more is retained as a child device; an indication of the retaining as the parent device, as the sibling device, and as the child device are each transmitted so as to reach the parent device, the sibling device, and the child device; and a hello packet including the own-device hierarchical number is broadcast.