An image processing device has a processor configured to form a virtual network, to which a function of the image processing device is allocated, and provide the function to another device connected to the virtual network.

Disclosed methods define VLAN time slots for one or more VLANs within an HCI environment. A management resource may control virtual application access to each VLAN in accordance with the VLAN time slots wherein only one virtual application may connect to the VLAN during a VLAN time slot. Disclosed methods may define VLAN time slots for each of the plurality of virtual applications. The VLAN time slots may be defined dynamically, wherein durations of the VLAN time slots may be re-calculated each VLAN cycle. A duration of the VLAN time slot for a particular virtual application may be determined based on the number of packets transmitted by the virtual application during a previous VLAN cycle. Each VLAN time slot may include an active interval, for transmitting packets, and an inactive interval. Each active interval may include a fixed duration base interval and a variable duration dynamic interval.

A bidirectional out-of-band management (OOBM) dongle comprises a serial port for receiving console traffic from a console port of a managed switch and an Ethernet port for receiving management port traffic from a management port of the managed switch. In operation, the OOBM dongle multiplexes, via an optional adapter, the console traffic and the management port traffic and generates Ethernet traffic that is then communicated, via an OOBM port on the dongle, to an OOBM switch port of an OOBM switch that acts as a power sourcing device for the OOBM dongle.

In a virtual extensible local area network (VXLAN) packet encapsulation and policy execution method, a communications device determines an application identifier for identifying an application type of an Ethernet frame, and places the application identifier in a VXLAN header. Another device may directly execute a corresponding policy based on the application identifier in the VXLAN header and without analyzing a packet.

In general, this disclosure describes a virtual router configured to enable multi-cloud service provider connectivity. The multi-cloud service provider connectivity may enable network function virtualization (NFV) services to be applied to network traffic such as enterprise traffic. The NFV services may be offsite, cloud-based NFV services or data center provider-hosted NFV services, for example. In one example, a system comprises at least one computing device deployed to a data center by a data center provider and configured by the data center provider to execute a virtual router, wherein the virtual router is configurable by a customer to route packet flows to one or more servers that host network function virtualization services for application of the network function virtualization services to the packet flows.

Network identifiers are extracted from route advertisements. A table associates virtual network identifiers with provider edge devices. When a virtual network identifier extracted from a route advertisement matches a virtual network identifier in the table, the route advertisement is propagated to the provider edge devices associated with that virtual network identifier in the table. The route advertisement is not propagated to provider edge devices not associated with that virtual network identifier in the table.

An access control method, system, and a switch, pertains to the field of network technologies. The access control method includes receiving, by an authentication device, a packet from an access device, where the packet includes a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier, and authenticating, by the authentication device based on the VLAN identifier and a preconfigured correspondence using an authentication method corresponding to the VLAN identifier, a terminal device sending the packet, where the correspondence includes a mapping from a plurality of VLAN identifiers to at least two authentication methods. Hence, the authentication method of the terminal device is determined based on the VLAN identifier such that different authentication methods may be used for terminal devices in different VLANs. Therefore, an access manner is flexible.

A network switch provides an in-vehicle network, and includes a switch IC having multiple ports and a microcomputer. The switch IC includes: L2 and L3 receivers; first and second memories for storing MAC address and routing tables, respectively; and L2 and L3 processors. The L2 receiver determines whether a destination MAC address in a frame is a network switch address. The L2 processor determines a port corresponding to the destination MAC address based on the MAC address table when the destination MAC address is not the network switch address. The L3 receiver determines whether a transmission source IP address is registered in the routing table when the destination MAC address is the network switch address. The L3 processor determines an output port and another destination MAC address of a forwarding destination based on the routing table and a destination IP address when the transmission source IP address is registered.

A communication method and a device, to implement service isolation of an Ethernet broadcast frame. In this method, when a terminal device initiates establishment of a session of an Ethernet type, a virtual local area network management function entity in a communications system may determine a virtual local area network identifier of a user group to which the terminal device belongs. In this way, a user plane function entity in the session of the terminal device may allocate a plurality of virtual ports to a virtual local area network whose identifier is the virtual local area network identifier, and broadcast the Ethernet broadcast frame on the plurality of virtual ports.

An example branch gateway includes processing circuitry, memory including instructions, and a plurality of ports. The branch gateway transmits, from a plurality of ports, a first broadcast message. The branch gateway receives, in response to the first broadcast message, response messages on respective ports. The branch gateway determines, based on a receipt order of the response messages, an identifying address from a first response message. The branch gateway assigns the respective port for each response message to a unique VLAN. The branch gateway determines, for each port assigned to a unique VLAN, a link health parameter. The branch gateway selects a primary port to connect to an activation server of a WAN. The branch gateway selects a secondary port to connect to the activation server.