A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes creating a segment organization, which includes a configuration profile. The method also includes attaching the configuration profile to a server in the segment organization. The method further includes sending the attached configuration profile to a database in a physical network.

A system for managing traffic between servers, the system may include first tier switches that are coupled to the servers; second tier switches that are coupled to the first tier switches and to third tier switches; and controllers. Wherein each first tier switch comprises first queues. Wherein each second tier switch comprises second queues. The controllers are configured to control a traffic between the first tier switches and the second tier switches attributed to the traffic between the servers, (a) on, at least, a queue granularity; (b) while controlling some first queues to provide buffer extension to some second queues, and (c) while controlling some second queues to provide buffer extension to some first queues.

Apparatuses and methods include receiving, by a switch, a packet; creating, by the switch, one or more copies of the packet; selecting, by the switch, a plurality of servers; and separately forwarding, by the switch, the packet and the one or more copies to the plurality of servers.

A method of sending data to a switch fabric includes assigning a destination port of an output module to a data packet based on at least one field in a first header of the data packet. A module associated with a first stage of the switch fabric is selected based on at least one field in the first header. A second header is appended to the data packet. The second header includes an identifier associated with the destination port of the output module. The data packet is sent to the module associated with the first stage. The module associated with the first stage is configured to send the data packet to a module associated with a second stage of the switch fabric based on the second header.

Efficient and highly-scalable network solutions are provided that each utilize deployment units based on Clos networks, but in an environment such as a data center of Internet Protocol-based network. Each of the deployment units can include multiple stages of devices, where connections between devices are only made between stages and the deployment units are highly connected. In some embodiments, the level of connectivity between two stages can be reduced, providing available connections to add edge switches and additional host connections while keeping the same number of between-tier connections. In some embodiments, where deployment units (or other network groups) can be used at different levels to connect other deployment units, the edges of the deployment units can be fused to reduce the number of devices per host connection.

A method includes identifying within a network topology, by an apparatus, a plurality of network devices; and establishing by the apparatus, a multiple tree topology comprising a first multicast tree and a second multicast tree, the first and second multicast trees operable as redundant trees for multicast traffic in the network topology, the establishing including: allocating a first of the network devices as a corresponding root of the first multicast tree, allocating a first group of intermediate devices from the network devices as first forwarding devices in the first multicast tree, allocating a second group of intermediate devices as belonging to first leaf devices in the first multicast tree, and allocating terminal devices of the network devices as belonging to the first leaf devices, and allocating a second of the network devices as the corresponding root of the second multicast tree, allocating the second group of intermediate devices as second forwarding devices in the second multicast tree, allocating the first group of intermediate devices as belonging to second leaf devices in the second multicast tree, and allocating the terminal devices as belonging to the second leaf devices.

Systems and methods for supporting a single logical IP subnet across multiple independent layer 2 subnets in a high performance computing environment. A method can provide, at a computer including one or more microprocessors, a logical device, the logical device being addressed by a layer 3 address, wherein the logical device comprises a plurality of network adapters, each of the network adapters comprising a physical port, and a plurality of switches. The method can arrange the plurality of switches into a plurality of discrete layer 2 subnets. The method can provide a mapping table at the logical device.

Embodiments of this application disclose a route advertisement method and a route generation method, to improve route convergence efficiency and reduce a packet loss rate. The route advertisement method includes: A first network device obtains routing information of a destination device. The first network device generates a first route advertisement message, where the first route advertisement message includes the routing information of the destination device, a routing prefix, and first indication information. The first network device sends the first route advertisement message to a second network device. The first route advertisement message is used to indicate the second network device to generate a route to the destination device based on the routing information of the destination device. The first indication information is used to indicate the second network device to iterate, to a route corresponding to the routing prefix, the route to the destination device.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a network logical layering method based on Routing In Fat Tree (RIFT) protocol, a network logical layering device, a network device and a storage medium. By exchanging Link Information Element (LIE) packets and Topology Information Element (TIE) packets with other devices, a network device can enable the other devices in the network to know a topology supported by the present device and to know neighbor information and Metric information of the present device in the supported topology, and the network device can also know the topologies supported by the other devices in the network and the neighbor information and the Metric information of the other devices in the corresponding topologies. Thus, the device can calculate a topology route corresponding to the topology supported thereby.

This application discloses a method for forwarding a packet in a data center network. A first device obtains an original packet, and adds a first source label to the original packet to obtain a first packet. The first source label includes a forwarding type, an indication field, and an interface sequence. The forwarding type indicates that the first packet supports source label forwarding, the interface sequence indicates a first source label forwarding path of the original packet, and the indication field indicates information that is about an outbound interface and that should be read from the interface sequence. The first device sends the first packet to a next-hop switch through the outbound interface corresponding to the first source label forwarding path. The next-hop switch receives the first packet, and forwards the first packet based on the first source label.