Rather than using a large number of transceivers (transmitter/receiver pairs) operating in parallel, Access Points with multiple channels are used to aggregate, or stack, transmitted response communications, e.g., transmitting multiple acknowledgements (ACKs) in a single packet to one or more sources of received packets. The method includes sending on a plurality of channels, by each of a plurality of respective first nodes, a communication to a second node, receiving on the plurality of channels, by the second node, the communication from each of the plurality of first nodes and sending, by the second node, a transmission that contains a response to each communication that was successfully received from each of the plurality of first nodes. The response to each of the plurality of first nodes is part of a single message sent by the second node.

A method includes intercepting a first data packet being transmitted from a domain name system (DNS) server to a first client device, the first data packet being a DNS response, extracting a first internet protocol (IP) address and a first hostname from the first data packet, and storing the first IP address and the first hostname in a first entry of an identification table.

A method includes intercepting a first data packet being transmitted from a domain name system (DNS) server to a first client device, the first data packet being a DNS response, extracting a first internet protocol (IP) address and a first hostname from the first data packet, and storing the first IP address and the first hostname in a first entry of an identification table.

Embodiments for handling multidestination traffic in a network are described. The multidestination traffic includes packets that are in transit to a multihomed destination in the network. Upon determining the destination is multihomed, a network switch determines a hash value from a selection of header values in the network traffic and uses the hash value to determine if the network switch is a designated forwarder for the multihomed destination. The network switch handles the network traffic according a designated forwarder status.

Embodiments for handling multidestination traffic in a network are described. The multidestination traffic includes packets that are in transit to a multihomed destination in the network. Upon determining the destination is multihomed, a network switch determines a hash value from a selection of header values in the network traffic and uses the hash value to determine if the network switch is a designated forwarder for the multihomed destination. The network switch handles the network traffic according a designated forwarder status.

An example method is provided for a host to perform load balancing for multiple network interface controllers (NICs) configured as a team. The method may comprise the host detecting egress packets from a virtualized computing instance supported by the host for transmission to a destination via the team. The method may also comprise the host selecting one of the multiple NICs from the team based on load balancing weights associated with the respective multiple NICs. Each load balancing weight may be assigned based on a network speed supported by the associated NIC, and different load balancing weights are indicative of different network speeds among the multiple NICs in the team. The method may further comprise the host sending, via the selected one of the multiple NICs, the egress packets to the destination.

A software-defined network (SDN) rule modification counter system provides counters that track all changes and edits to rules at SDN controllers and SDN switches on an SDN. The system compares counters at the SDN controller and SDN switch to determine if they match. If the counters do not match, a change has been made to the rules. With the addition of rule edit statistics the SDN controller will now have visibility that a rule modification was performed. The SDN controller then verifies that the state of the device is the same as its expected state as a secondary integrity check. Based on the rule modification notification, changes to a central rules table at the SDN controller and changes to rule settings at the SDN switch are made according to pre-programmed logic.

A software-defined network (SDN) rule modification counter system provides counters that track all changes and edits to rules at SDN controllers and SDN switches on an SDN. The system compares counters at the SDN controller and SDN switch to determine if they match. If the counters do not match, a change has been made to the rules. With the addition of rule edit statistics the SDN controller will now have visibility that a rule modification was performed. The SDN controller then verifies that the state of the device is the same as its expected state as a secondary integrity check. Based on the rule modification notification, changes to a central rules table at the SDN controller and changes to rule settings at the SDN switch are made according to pre-programmed logic.

Apparatus, systems and methods may be used to monitor data flows and to select and track particularly large data flows. A method of tracking data flows and identifying large-data (“elephant”) flows comprises extracting fields from a packet of data to construct a flow key, computing a hash value on the flow key to provide a hashed flow signature, entering and/or comparing the hashed flow signature with entries in a flow hash table. Each hash table entry includes a byte count for a respective flow. When the byte count for a flow exceeds a threshold value, the flow is added to a large-data flow (“elephant”) table and the flow is then tracked in the large-data flow table.

This disclosure describes methods, apparatus, and systems related to: identifying, at a first wireless communication station, one or more second wireless communication stations within a predetermined proximity of the first wireless communication station; determining, at the first wireless communication station, one or more second wireless communication stations identified within the predetermined proximity of the first wireless communication station for which a multicast frame is intended; generating, at the first wireless communication station, a bit map comprising a hashed identifier of each of the one or more second wireless communication stations for which the multicast frame is intended, wherein the bit map is included in the multicast frame; and causing to transmit, by the first wireless communication station, the multicast frame from the first wireless communication station to the one or more second wireless communication stations for which the multicast frame is intended.