A method and system are provided for continuously monitoring bandwidth utilization in real time on a backbone of a network. Prefixes using the highest traffic can be identified and additional bandwidth can be provisioned in the form of optical transponder wavelengths. The additional bandwidth can be an express path that passes directly through optical nodes (thereby bypassing transit network devices) to the destination optical node. A centralized controller can perform the monitoring of the network devices, decide that an express path needs to be generated, and control both the network device and the optical network nodes to generate the express path from the network device, through the optical network, to the destination network device. The controller can apply and remove IP static routes and IP addresses associated with an express path. Additionally, the controller can request the setup or tear-down of an optical wavelength within the optical network.

A method and system are provided for continuously monitoring bandwidth utilization in real time on a backbone of a network. Prefixes using the highest traffic can be identified and additional bandwidth can be provisioned in the form of optical transponder wavelengths. The additional bandwidth can be an express path that passes directly through optical nodes (thereby bypassing transit network devices) to the destination optical node. A centralized controller can perform the monitoring of the network devices, decide that an express path needs to be generated, and control both the network device and the optical network nodes to generate the express path from the network device, through the optical network, to the destination network device. The controller can apply and remove IP static routes and IP addresses associated with an express path. Additionally, the controller can request the setup or tear-down of an optical wavelength within the optical network.

A method performed by a node of a communications network such as a virtual routing function or policy enforcement node comprises receiving at least one packet, such as an internet protocol packet having an associated address and obtaining one or more metrics. The method involves dynamically configuring a longest-prefix match process on the basis of at least the metric(s). The dynamically configured longest-prefix match process is used with the associated address to identify an action and the identified action is applied to the packet.

A method performed by a node of a communications network such as a virtual routing function or policy enforcement node comprises receiving at least one packet, such as an internet protocol packet having an associated address and obtaining one or more metrics. The method involves dynamically configuring a longest-prefix match process on the basis of at least the metric(s). The dynamically configured longest-prefix match process is used with the associated address to identify an action and the identified action is applied to the packet.

A method performed by a packet processor comprises retrieving a first prefix length for a first lookup stage and a shorter second prefix length for a second lookup stage. The packet processor can receive instructions to program an action entry. The length of the action entry prefix is compared to the first prefix and second prefix length. If it is determined that the length of the action entry prefix is shorter than the second prefix length, the second prefix length is selected as an expanded prefix length. If it is determined that the length of the action entry prefix is longer than the second prefix length and shorter than the first prefix length, then the first prefix length is selected as the expanded prefix length. Expanded action entries are generated with expanded prefixes of the expanded prefix length and stored at the lookup stage associated with the expanded prefix length.

A packet sending method and device. The first node sets a next-hop of the routing information to a next-hop through which the first node reaches the first route source. The destination address of the routing information is the address prefix. When the second route source is superior to the first route source, the first node switches the next-hop of the routing information to a next-hop through which the first node reaches the second route source. Then, the first node adds, to a target packet, path information of a forwarding path from the first node to the second route source according to the switching operation, where a destination address of the target packet matches the address prefix. Finally, the first node forwards the target packet to the second route source through the forwarding path.

A packet sending method and device. The first node sets a next-hop of the routing information to a next-hop through which the first node reaches the first route source. The destination address of the routing information is the address prefix. When the second route source is superior to the first route source, the first node switches the next-hop of the routing information to a next-hop through which the first node reaches the second route source. Then, the first node adds, to a target packet, path information of a forwarding path from the first node to the second route source according to the switching operation, where a destination address of the target packet matches the address prefix. Finally, the first node forwards the target packet to the second route source through the forwarding path.

A first network device obtains a subnet prefix, where the subnet prefix is a destination identifier of a traffic engineering tunnel. The first network device performs data processing based on the subnet prefix.

A first network device obtains a subnet prefix, where the subnet prefix is a destination identifier of a traffic engineering tunnel. The first network device performs data processing based on the subnet prefix.

A first network device obtains a first route, where the first route includes a first route prefix. The first network device advertises a second route, where the second route includes a subnet prefix and a path identifier, and a range of the subnet prefix includes a range of the first route prefix.