A method and apparatus for implementing a virtual local area network. The method includes determining a global virtual local area network for transmitting a data frame in response to receiving the data frame at a first switch, encapsulating the data frame based at least in part on said determination and transmitting it to at least one second switch over the determined global virtual local area network. The data frame is received at the second switch and an identifier of the global virtual local area network is obtained according to the data frame. Based at least in part on the identifier of the global virtual local area network, it is determined that which local virtual local area network served by the second switch the de-capsulated data frame can be sent to.

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for managing nodes through virtual rack management modules. A system can have a first rack that includes a first top-of-rack (ToR) switch and a first group of nodes. The first ToR switch can be connected to the first group of nodes. The system can also have a second rack that includes a second ToR switch and a second group of nodes. The second ToR switch can be connected to the second group of nodes, and the second ToR switch can be connected to the first ToR switch. Furthermore, the system can include a rack management node that executes a hypervisor. The hypervisor can run a first virtual rack management module (vRMM) and a second vRMM. The first vRMM and the second vRMM can manage the first group of nodes and the second group of nodes, respectively.

Techniques disclosed herein provide a method and systems for installing routes by a route reflect (RR) device when the tunnel RIB of the RR device does not include any tunnel labels definitions. The unicast routing information base (RIB) of route reflector (RR) device is configured to include a next hop associated with a first network device. When the RR device receives a route from the first network device that comprises a tunnel label for reaching the second network device, the RR device resolves the next hop of the received route using the unicast RIB of the RR device. In response to the resolving, the RR device forwards the route to a third network device (e.g., identified by an export route target of the RR device).

A gratuitous address resolution protocol frame is sent from an information handling system upon detection of VLAN status change the information handling system. A status flag included in the address resolution protocol frame provides a switch that receives the frame with the status change, such as the addition or removal of a VLAN at the information handling system.

Dynamic fabric systems and methods are disclosed for providing connections between endpoints of a communication network. An exemplary dynamic fabric system can include backplane lanes, a dynamic fabric device, and a control device. The dynamic fabric device can include local fabric lanes and a network interface device configurable to communicatively connect the local fabric lanes to a network. The dynamic fabric device can also include a local switch configurable forward messages to backplane lanes and an interconnect configurable to statically connect local fabric lanes and corresponding backplane lanes. The dynamic fabric device can also include a controller configurable to create or break these static connections. The control device can provide instructions to the dynamic fabric device to create or break the static connections based on changes in the number of active dynamic fabric devices installed in the dynamic fabric system.

Embodiments of the invention provide efficient ways to transmit Broadcast, unknown Unicast, or Multicast (BUM) traffic for multiple Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) Instances (EVIs). In one embodiment, a method is performed by a network device, the method comprises identifying a plurality of sets of network devices, each set of network devices to include network devices belonging to one Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) Instance (EVI) of a plurality of EVIs, for which the network device serves as an ingress network device; selecting an aggregation set of network devices from the identified network devices to set up an aggregation tunnel label switched path (LSP) for multiple EVIs of the plurality of EVIs; and transmitting broadcast, unknown unicast, or multicast (U) traffic for the multiple EVIs using the aggregation tunnel LSP.

In one embodiment, a method according to the present disclosure includes receiving a topology change advertisement at a remote core edge node and performing a network address information removal operation. The topology change advertisement is received from a core edge node that is in communication with an access network. The topology change advertisement indicates that a topology change has occurred in the access network. The network address information removal operation removes network address information stored by the remote core edge node. The network address information is used by the remote core edge node in participating in communications with the core edge node.

A switch apparatus includes: a plurality of ports; a VLAN setting management unit storing entries, in each of which VLAN information and at least one of the plurality of ports are associated with each other, and adding or updating, if an entry corresponding to a combination of VLAN information included in a packet received from a port and the reception port of the packet is not stored, a corresponding entry for the received packet; and a functional unit notifying a predetermined control apparatus of an added or updated content of the entry.

A provider edge (PE) device may receive an indication to perform a designated forwarder (DF) election associated with a network segment that includes the PE device, one or more other PE devices, and a client edge (CE) device. The PE device, the one or more other PE devices, and the CE device may be associated with an Ethernet virtual private network (EVPN) that includes a group of EVPN instances (EVIs). The PE device may perform the DF election in order to determine election information associated with the PE device. The election information may include information associated with a particular EVI, of the group of EVIs, for which the PE device is to act as a DF. The PE device may provide the election information to the CE device to cause the CE device to provide traffic, associated with a particular VLAN included in the particular EVI, to the PE device.

A source Medium Access Control (MAC) address is learned upon receiving a data message from a local network, and a learned local MAC address entry is added to a MAC address forwarding table. A source MAC address is not learned upon receiving a data message from a tunnel. When a local MAC address entry in the MAC address forwarding table changes, a synchronization message is sent via each tunnel associated with a Virtual Extensible Local Area Network (VXLAN) in the changed local MAC address entry, and is saved into a database corresponding to the tunnel. Each tunnel corresponds to one database.